Might as well join the Holiday chorus
It seems everyone is getting their knickers in a twist about Xmas. Here's my $.02, for what it's worth.
I loathe Xmas on many levels. The most profound issue, for me, is that it celebrates the birth of someone who is viewed by much of the world, but not me, as the messiah. Jesus is not my messiah. Asking me to believe that he is the messiah is essentially asking me to commit the most profound blasphemy that I can be asked to commit. I would be turning my back on the very underpinnings of my faith.
I know that my friends who enjoy Xmas do not wish me to commit blasphemy. That's why I don't get offended when good friends like nex0s or bunnygoth enjoy the spirit of the day and wish me joy. They have no desire to ask me to give up even one tiny tenet of my beliefs. However, there are plenty of people who ask me why I can't celebrate Xmas, and when I tell them that I'm not Xian, that I'm Jewish, that I do not worship Jesus, they get offended. It's happened more than a few times in my life.
There is another issue here. There are those who believe that Xmas isn't about Christ. I'm sorry, but his name is in the day. If people choose to overlook that fact, so be it. It is not right to ask me to overlook that fact.
Then, of course, there is the crass commercialization of the season, which nauseates me. People go into debt to give gifts when the radical rabbi whose birth is being celebrated vehemently eschewed materialism. People get into fights at stores to get their hands on the latest toys, toys that their kids will discard within days of the holiday. People write long lists of expensive gifts they want, expecting people around them to spend money that they do not have to give gifts that the recipient really doesn't need. It's one thing to ask for modest gifts, like a music CD or a book or a sweater, but some of the requested gifts I've heard about are outrageous. Then, on or after the holiday, people brag about what they've been given or what they gave, with no sensitivity to the fact that there are probably people around them who could not afford to give such extravagant gifts, or who did not receive the gifts they wanted because their friends and families are of limited means. The whole "gimme stuff" attitude of the season causes greed, awkwardness, and jealousy, among other things.
Then there is the saccharine sentimentality of the time. People become positively maudlin. There's a song, "Christmas Shoes," that is a prime example of the treacle that we are all expected to wallow in - I'd post the lyrics but then I'd have to throw up, and that doesn't even begin to address just how overwrought the actually musical arrangement of the song is. Sorry, that crap is just not me. I don't like being manipulated by slick commercials, tacky songs, and please-gag-me-now holiday "specials." Until I hurt my back, I volunteered, almost every year, to work with disadvantaged kids on Xmas Day, so don't think I'm some kind of Scrooge. I'm not an unfeeling bitch. I just prefer my emotions to be genuinely inspired, preferably over the entire year and not just for a month or two in winter by some marketing whizzes who took the same MBA courses that I did.
Of course, there is the eternal familial tug-of-war. Families get into huge battles over who is hosting what event, and who is going to which relative, and so on. Instead of joy, there is strife. I worked with a newlywed guy whose parents were divorced. His wife's parents were divorced. None of the four parents were in the same state. Each parent was lobbying the couple to come to that parent's house for Xmas. The guy had quit smoking a few months before, and the stress caused him to start again. I'm sorry, but that's just not right.
Then there is the comparison of Xmas to Hanukkah. Sorry, there is no comparison. Hanukkah is a minor holiday in Judaism. Gifts are supposed to be small, and primarily for the kids. It's a pure coincidence that the two holidays fall fairly close together, and they do not have equal spiritual weight.
Then there are the nitwits who think that most Xmas traditions that are observed actually come from Christianity. Let's see, the tree and the wreath and the mistletoe come from Pagan/Druid tradition; Santa Claus and the reindeer come from Norse mythology; Jesus could not have been born in December and the only reason that his birth is celebrated in December is to usurp the Pagan observances of Yule/winter solstice - did I miss anything? When Xians (not Christians - I like real Christians well enough) go on about the tree or Santa being Xian traditions, I'd laugh if it weren't so pathetic.
And people ask me why I loathe Xmas??
It boils down to this: If people want me to respect their right to enjoy the day - and I will - people need to respect my right to loathe it.
I loathe Xmas on many levels. The most profound issue, for me, is that it celebrates the birth of someone who is viewed by much of the world, but not me, as the messiah. Jesus is not my messiah. Asking me to believe that he is the messiah is essentially asking me to commit the most profound blasphemy that I can be asked to commit. I would be turning my back on the very underpinnings of my faith.
I know that my friends who enjoy Xmas do not wish me to commit blasphemy. That's why I don't get offended when good friends like nex0s or bunnygoth enjoy the spirit of the day and wish me joy. They have no desire to ask me to give up even one tiny tenet of my beliefs. However, there are plenty of people who ask me why I can't celebrate Xmas, and when I tell them that I'm not Xian, that I'm Jewish, that I do not worship Jesus, they get offended. It's happened more than a few times in my life.
There is another issue here. There are those who believe that Xmas isn't about Christ. I'm sorry, but his name is in the day. If people choose to overlook that fact, so be it. It is not right to ask me to overlook that fact.
Then, of course, there is the crass commercialization of the season, which nauseates me. People go into debt to give gifts when the radical rabbi whose birth is being celebrated vehemently eschewed materialism. People get into fights at stores to get their hands on the latest toys, toys that their kids will discard within days of the holiday. People write long lists of expensive gifts they want, expecting people around them to spend money that they do not have to give gifts that the recipient really doesn't need. It's one thing to ask for modest gifts, like a music CD or a book or a sweater, but some of the requested gifts I've heard about are outrageous. Then, on or after the holiday, people brag about what they've been given or what they gave, with no sensitivity to the fact that there are probably people around them who could not afford to give such extravagant gifts, or who did not receive the gifts they wanted because their friends and families are of limited means. The whole "gimme stuff" attitude of the season causes greed, awkwardness, and jealousy, among other things.
Then there is the saccharine sentimentality of the time. People become positively maudlin. There's a song, "Christmas Shoes," that is a prime example of the treacle that we are all expected to wallow in - I'd post the lyrics but then I'd have to throw up, and that doesn't even begin to address just how overwrought the actually musical arrangement of the song is. Sorry, that crap is just not me. I don't like being manipulated by slick commercials, tacky songs, and please-gag-me-now holiday "specials." Until I hurt my back, I volunteered, almost every year, to work with disadvantaged kids on Xmas Day, so don't think I'm some kind of Scrooge. I'm not an unfeeling bitch. I just prefer my emotions to be genuinely inspired, preferably over the entire year and not just for a month or two in winter by some marketing whizzes who took the same MBA courses that I did.
Of course, there is the eternal familial tug-of-war. Families get into huge battles over who is hosting what event, and who is going to which relative, and so on. Instead of joy, there is strife. I worked with a newlywed guy whose parents were divorced. His wife's parents were divorced. None of the four parents were in the same state. Each parent was lobbying the couple to come to that parent's house for Xmas. The guy had quit smoking a few months before, and the stress caused him to start again. I'm sorry, but that's just not right.
Then there is the comparison of Xmas to Hanukkah. Sorry, there is no comparison. Hanukkah is a minor holiday in Judaism. Gifts are supposed to be small, and primarily for the kids. It's a pure coincidence that the two holidays fall fairly close together, and they do not have equal spiritual weight.
Then there are the nitwits who think that most Xmas traditions that are observed actually come from Christianity. Let's see, the tree and the wreath and the mistletoe come from Pagan/Druid tradition; Santa Claus and the reindeer come from Norse mythology; Jesus could not have been born in December and the only reason that his birth is celebrated in December is to usurp the Pagan observances of Yule/winter solstice - did I miss anything? When Xians (not Christians - I like real Christians well enough) go on about the tree or Santa being Xian traditions, I'd laugh if it weren't so pathetic.
And people ask me why I loathe Xmas??
It boils down to this: If people want me to respect their right to enjoy the day - and I will - people need to respect my right to loathe it.