Commentary:

I was baptized Lutheran. I don’t identify with the church in any particular way, and most of my immediate family doesn’t either. But there are fond memories that my parents have of the church, as well as customs that we have carried over from the church into our lives. With that being said, I’ve never had any solid bible study sessions or anything so directly involved with the religion. I know more about the bible than most of my friends, but that comes from a fascination with mythology, rather than Christianity. I don’t believe that Christianity is inherently good or bad, I just think that it’s a way of living that I’m not deeply involved with. 

However, my family is very involved with Christmas, which is a big day for a lot of Christians, and a very big day for one particular Jewish man. I love everything about Christmas. I love gift giving, and warm meals, and decorating the Christmas tree with tinsel that my cats will inevitably eat (then throw up onto the freshly vacuumed carpet before our company arrives to celebrate). I love the shopping, the music, the decor – but I also understand that Christmas has its issues, issues that don’t stem from the holiday itself, but rather from the powers that be. 

The United States is obsessed with Christmas. The second Black Friday deals disappear, green and red lights replace them in every aisle of every Walmart and Target. Cities put their funds towards huge ornamental displays, and radio stations play covers of The Little Drummer Boy non-stop. Now, this festivity is great, for the people who celebrate (though, maybe not for the ones that can’t handle a certain amount of Alvin and the Chipmunks over the radio), but Christmas isn’t the only winter holiday. Where are all of the Solstice, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa decorations? Why aren’t Alvin and his brothers covering any Diwali songs? Pushes have been made recently to advertise a broader message of “Happy Holidays” over a rather exclusive “Merry Christmas,” but the efforts are diminished by sheer quantity of massive inflatable Santa’s for sale at any department store. Christmas is not the main character and it’s not superior to any other winter celebration, but for some unidentifiable reason, American advertising believes that it is. Why exclude so many potential customers by refusing to advertise to a broader audience? Whatever the reason is, it’s stupid. Every person should be able to enjoy their traditions  without feeling targeted by huge billboards promoting someone else’s religion.

Religion is another side to Christmas. Though not everyone who celebrates Christmas is inherently religious – trust me, I would know – celebrating a religious holiday without following the religion is almost insensitive. However, Christmas isn’t limited to its religious origins. As something that is advertised to such a huge extent, it becomes nearly impossible to make Christmas exclusive to adamant Christians because Christmas doesn’t have to be religious to be cultural. Tradition is important regardless of someone’s religion, and should be enjoyed by anyone who finds the holiday personally significant. 

As mentioned prior, not everyone celebrates Christmas. There’s a huge list of winter traditions that speak beautifully to the diverse nature of human customs. Despite this fact, many people act like Christmas is universally celebrated or that other holidays don’t exist, this is insensitive for countless reasons. What’s worse is the irrational anger that comes when people try to celebrate winter holidays and traditions that don’t have anything to do with Christmas. Forcing Christmas down someone’s throat is an awful idea. Trying to play some sort of “anti-Grinch” and drown out other traditions to make your own look better is gross, and unacceptable. Being passionate about the season is excellent, as long as people are given the opportunity to celebrate in their own ways. Winter will be celebrated differently by different people, and nobody should try to change that.

The other glaring issue with the holiday is its capitalistic nature. It can be argued, however, that everything in America is fueled by capitalism while also being argued that Christmas doesn’t have to be celebrated in a way that feeds into capitalism. 

Personally, I love running through the mall and buying everything that’s on sale for the season but I also recognize the inherent stress caused by needing to buy everyone a gift. Not all families can or have to buy each other big, fancy gifts. Gifts can be handed down, handmade or a home cooked treat. It doesn’t have to be a fifty-dollar gift card to a fancy restaurant every year. Everything in America is capitalistic in nature. Oddly enough, family traditions are one of the few things that don’t have to be. Whether Christmas involves empty pockets is up to the people who celebrate it.

Christmas also brings charities that can help fund gifts for financially needy families and food drives for those who can’t afford to eat during the holidays. There’s a lot of good that comes with Christmas. There are bright lights, carolers, and music. The streets are decorated with wreaths and ribbons. People are encouraged to be generous to those in need and kind to those we don’t know. Local businesses get more traffic, people get to bond over shared traditions and exchange gifts. We are encouraged to be thoughtful of other people’s wants and needs when it comes time to buy the perfect gift. The city becomes busy with people spending time outside together, family and friends are reunited, couples are going on photographable, frosty dates. The joy that comes with Christmas combats the dreary seasonal depression that comes with winter.

So much good can come from Christmas but, as with everything, there are some people who are determined to ruin it for everyone. The holidays, though, are about how you spend them, and not about how a few, inconsiderate Americans think you should be spending them. Movie after movie has tried to pinpoint “the meaning of Christmas,” but it’s really what you make of it. There’s no one way to celebrate it, and there’s no one correct, objectively best way to commemorate winter. Holidays are a thing of beauty, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Article by Maia Kinch