Merry Christmas!

Yes, I know.  Christmas is a week past.  It is now a new year!  But I have been thinking about this post for a while now and I have just been so caught up in traveling and working and being sick over the weekend that I never had a chance before now.  So, I wanted to take this time to wish you all a Merry Christmas!!  And yes, even if you do not celebrate it.  I know some people are all about the "Happy Holidays" but I am not.  And here is why.

Christmas, yes, is a Christian holiday.  It did have its roots in the solstice and is now about the birth of Jesus.   Or is it?  Now, I know for Christians this is very true but as a Deist, it has left me thinking for a while now why I feel the need to celebrate Christmas when I don't believe in Jesus.  This year, I finally figured it out.  I am certainly not the only person who is not Christian and celebrates Christmas.  There's a lot of us!  But if we don't believe in Jesus, why do we celebrate his birthday?  And the answer is simple.  It's NOT just about Jesus.  Christmas is an ingrained part of our culture here in the US as well as in a number of other countries world wide.  But in the US, when Christmas time comes, it is everywhere.  The cheer (and grumbles), the decorations, the music, the office secret santa and white elephant gift exchanges.  And for many of us, Christmas break!  Santa is not a Christian figure, he is a Christmas figure.  Many children who are not raised going to church are raised with Santa at Christmastime.  So to me, wishing someone a Merry Christmas is not about cultural or religious intolerance.  It's about inclusion.  Even if you do not celebrate Christmas, I want you to have a happy day and an enjoyable time of year.  So if I wish you a Merry Christmas, and you celebrate Hanukkah, another holiday, or nothing at all, do not take offense.  It's just the seasonal way of saying "hope things are well!" like the "happy new year!" which soon takes it over.

~Katy