The World Around You

This edition of my weekly column was published in the 12/22/04 Edition of the Wednesday (Prattville) Progress:

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

We have spent entirely too much time during this season of caring and peace bickering over whom the season is really all about. I’m going to pick a fight that I know will frustrate many of you, my dear readers, but I venture into the wilderness anyway. There is a history of celebrations at this time of year that goes back much further than Christ’s birth.

In fact, no one knows when Christ was born, so why do we celebrate it on December 25th? The date was chosen to compete with the pagan celebrations of the winter solstice that were all the rage in ancient civilizations. The Romans celebrated the birth of the god Attis (who they also believed had a virgin birth and was crucified to save mankind) on December 25 and the Greeks celebrated the birth of Dionysus. So the early leaders of the church chose a date with which people were already familiar as a time of celebration.

Even as the date has little relation to the actual date of Jesus’s birth, it is even more difficult to draw connections between any of the practices that we associate with the holiday and the “reason for the season”. Why do we give gifts? I was always taught it was to remember the gifts that the wisemen brought to Jesus. That would make sense, if we did as many European and Latin American countries do and give our gifts on the Epiphany or the Day of the Magi, January 6, but we don’t. Instead we use the occasion of Christ’s birth to give gifts to everyone else. Of course the other reason to give gifts at Christmas is in celebration of Santa Claus.

This is one of those places where stories and traditions get muddled, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. There are lots of histories and traditions around St. Nick, and none are particularly consistent, but that’s all right. In fact, I believe there are many reasons for the season. The birth of Christ is important to Christians, but shouldn’t the celebration of his death and resurrection be even more important? Why do we make such a big deal at Christmas? Because it is bigger than just a celebration of anyone’s birthday. Christmas is about celebrating family and friends and peace and goodwill toward all men. That’s why, when anyone suggests that Christmas is reserved for the Christians, I would call that person the Scrooge to end all Scrooges.

This type of pettiness is not what America, or representatives of any faith are about. As for what we say to people at this time of year, I don’t think it matters very much, as long as it comes from a spirit of caring and love not divisiveness and hate (Bah humbug anyone?). Say whatever you like, it will be received in the spirit in which it is given. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

If you know of a central Alabamian under the age of 35 whose words and actions honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., consider nominating him/her for the King Spirit Award.

I’m a high tech person, but I believe the way we vote in Autauga County and the way Montgomery County is looking to vote is the best of both worlds. You receive a paper ballot and complete the arrow next to the candidates of your choide, then you feed the paper through a machine that counts the votes. There’s a paper trail, but you also have an electronic count that can be easily tabulated. I don’t think this way of doing it is precisely the way we should be doing it ad infinitum.