The View From The Third Edge: Jingle Bells

December 08, 2003

Jingle Bells

Ye Olde Christmas Tree went up last night. Well, two-thirds of it did. It turns out that our home does not have enough free surface area to house an entire tree. I'm getting older, and am moving into smaller and smaller places. Doesn't make sense. But the tree must go on. Shiny baubles must be put up. "Why?" D asked. "Why do you insist on erecting a symbol of a religion you have and want nothing to do with?"

Let's get certain things straight: A Christmas tree is not a symbol of Christianity; that's what a cross is. However, the tree is representative of Christmas, which started out standing for the time allotted to celebrate Christ's birth, but ended up becoming the season of great googlaphonic you'll-only-need-the-edge Consumer Mania. Shopping has naught to do with Christmas, so why should my putting up a tree be any different? To the point: Regardless of the market usurping Christmas, there still is the denial-ridden question of the time of Christ's birth. He wasn't born on December 25th, and probably came into this world closer to September or October. Also curious is the strong possibility that the decorated perennial is actually a symbol of a long-forgotten pagan celebration that Christians took over by overprinting it with the birth of Christ. Move Christ's birthday to stamp out the existence of a popular heathen festivity, that's the ticket.

I'm taking back the decorated tree. In my home, the Christmas tree pays homage to the lost pagan celebration and to the Judeo-Christian Christmas, but also stands for the celebration of being American. This includes being able to put up anything in your home regardless of your faith, sex, or nationality, and hanging beautiful, shiny objects from it because I appreciate and bought them.

Just yesterday, I ran into and talked with a couple from Milwaukee, WI, and the conversation eventually turned to my origins. They laughed when I told them that, despite not having lived here all of my life, I was "born to be a red- blooded American." I was, and I am. I just don't feel that I have to be white or born on this soil to exert that desire. America has so much to offer people that yearn for freedom and equality. With our ever-increasing ties to the rest of the globe and opportunities to understand our true identity, this would be a good time to emerge from columns and boxes. A time to acknowledge that American is a heterogenous creature with a little from every culture and religion that has graced this country's shores.

The Christians engulfed an ancient observance, and in turn The Big Holiday Buying Frenzy outstripped Christmas. Ironic, isn't it? From the classifications of White, Black, Christian, Pagan, etc. to Consumers - going from one box to another. This might sound a bit odd coming from me, but keep the Christ in Christmas. Please give as much as you can to someone who has less than you; buy a toy for a poor kid, help out your local homeless, and stop whinging for one day to send feelings of empathy and goodwill to all that suffer the world over. That is really the closest we can get to godliness on this earth.

Good tidings of the season, y'all!

Posted by maitri at December 8, 2003 02:18 PM

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