anythings.org

Two years ago at about this time of year, I wrote a brief essay on why I don’t celebrate Christmas*. I actually don’t celebrate any religious holiday, although I do observe some secular holidays. I feel the need to elaborate on my previous opinion and provide my readers with a little more information.

My favorite thing to say when people ask me why I don’t celebrate Christmas is: “I have integrity.” I admit, it is snarky and tends to rub my beliefs in people’s faces. It makes me sound like I think I’m better than them. Well, for some people… this is true, for other people it’s not. Regardless of my snakr, my integrity truly is the reason I don’t celebrate Christmas.

Christmas infuriates me.

People say “Christmas is about family!” or “Christmas is about giving!” Except, really, it’s not.

Christmas is supposed to be about Jesus’s birthday. It’s a religious holiday. I’m not religious, ergo I don’t celebrate. This is where my integrity comes in. I’m not going to throw my religious beliefs down the toilet because someone wants to buy me a gift to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Last time I checked, Jesus was a pretty low key guy - he was fairly unmaterialistic. I’d think religious conservatives would be a little offended that th ebirth of their god’s son has been turned into the most disastrous and stressful holiday of the year. You’d think they’d be outraged that his celebration is associated with mountains of credit card debt, shopping, and bitchy people waiting in line to buy the latest Coach purse or the new iPod for their teenager. But they’re not. And if they are, they aren’t doing anything about it (except for Rev. Billy). Why aren’t they doing anything about it? Because not celebrating Christmas is tantamount to terrorism: you are unAmerican if you don’t celebrate Christmas.

Here’s another thought for the religious bunch: Jesus wasn’t born in December 25th, Luke suggests that he was born in the spring or summer. You’d think religious folk would be outraged at the misrepresentation of this most sacred day, and that they’d boycott Christmas because of it. You’d think that they would form new traditions during the time of year that Jesus really was born. But they don’t. Why?

Continuing with this, you’d think liberals and non-religious folk would be outraged at the association of Christianity and its many tenets with Christmas. You’d also think that political liberals would be outraged at the credit card debt, economic struggle, and environmental hazards associated with Christmas. But they’re not either.

So why aren’t people mad about Christmas? Probably because people love getting gifts. I’d hate to break down a potentially complicated situation into something so simple, but that’s the only solution I’m left with. If conservatives aren’t sticking to the holiday’s traditional roots and liberals and non-religious people aren’t protesting the obvious problems with the holiday, then there has to be something so simple, so small, so obvious getting in the way. Sure, it could be the time you spend with your family… but if you need a quasi-religious holiday to make up a reason to spend time with your family, you should probably rethink your family structure.

I guess the most difficult part for me about not celebrating Christmas is that my view isn’t respected. If I didn’t celebrate Christmas because I was Jewish, people would nod, smile, and say “Happy Holidays”. But when I tell people that I don’t celebrate any holidays in the month of December because I’m not religious, they get confused and ask why. When I complain that my right to not be Christian is being violated because employers play Christmas carols, I get laughed at by the people I complain to. Actually, at one job, I was given disciplinary action because I didn’t play the Christmas carols CD during the shift I was supervising. They tell me that Christmas isn’t a religious holiday and that I shouldn’t be offended. They tell me I should stop being such a Grinch and just celebrate like everyone else does. People don’t even try to comprehend the reasons why I choose not to celebrate Christmas: they are so confused by it that they mock it instead of trying to understand.

The ridiculous thing is, it’s just assumed that you celebrate Christmas. I guarantee you when I go grocery shopping a week before Christmas, someone is going to tell me “Merry Christmas” - or “Happy Holidays” if they’re trying to be politically correct. While I could smile, shrug it off, and say “you, too”, I don’t think that’s very fair. I shouldn’t have to fall prey to the fact that it’s assumed I’m ignorant of the holiday’s meaning. When people tell me “Merry Christmas”, I tell them “oh, thanks, but I don’t celebrate the holidays”. Most people just smile and leave it at that, but others ask why. “I’m not religious” is usually my answer, but that tends to prompt more questions. So I’m kind of stuck in a Catch-22: I want people to respect my beliefs and my decision to not celebrate Christmas, but I don’t want to spend 3 hours trying to explain to them that it’s a religious holiday and that’s why I don’t celebrate it.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not just about religion: it’s about all the ridiculous notions included in with the celebration of Christmas. For example, “tradition” denotes that you should celebrate the holiday by giving gifts to those you care about. But we are not allowed to ask people directly what they want because it’s supposed to be a surprise. They’re left to return, discard, or re-gift the item that was given to them. In addition to this, you always have your list of “obligation gifts”: the people you give gifts to because you have to, not because you want to. These people can include anyone from your boss to someone you hardly know, but it is socially required that you give them gifts.

I guess, really, the only thing I can do is encourage people to BUY HANDMADE (from me!) this year, instead of going to your local mall and buying something heartless and made without love that is probably going to be returned, regifted, or discarded. At least when you buy handmade you know you’re supporting the artist and the loving detail, attention, and skill they put into their products.

Edit: I can’t believe people are actually criticizing Madonna and calling her a scrooge for this.
* Source for statistics, quotes, etc.