"Remember this December
That love weighs more than gold." - Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon
Good god the title of this post is stupid. And good god if that the author of that quote doesn't have a long, strange name. I mean it sounds strange even if you abbreviate too: J.D.D. Bacon. Like it was a sausage distribution plant or something. Anywho, today I'll be talking mainly about the religious aspects of Christmas and how they affect the time of year in a few ways.
You know, not a lot of people know this, but Christmas wasn't actually a day envisioned to celebrate joy and good will to humanity all over the world, or to show each other love by giving each other gifts, or just getting together to be happy with our families. Now I know that is all you good people usually do on Christmas, but no. No, in fact Christmas is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Huh? So Christmas is essentially an international birthday celebration. Isn't that kind of selfish? Well when we are told that Christ is the proclaimed son of god, we really can't talk to much shit about it. Some time around though, people probably there needed to be a little more variety when it came to Christmas. I mean, it is not much fun to join together every year and celebrate the birthday of a guy who was tortured and nailed to a cross because of you and your ancestors. So the grim origins of this day were quickly downplayed by love, joy, family union, bright sparkling trees, snow and a big and jolly man in red dropping presents down your chimneys. Seriously, when you think of Christmas can you really say the first thing you think of is Jesus Christ instead of Santa Claus? I usually think of both of them but that doesn't matter. What matters is that Christmas is bound to religion tightly, or at least to Christianity.
I've been criticized in the past by more religious folks about my celebration of Christmas. There is nothing different about mine at all I do the same thing as everyone else does. They simply think however that seeing as how I am not a Christian or a particularly religious man at all in fact that I should not celebrate Christmas. Others are less strict about it but still hold it's relgious aspect in high regard. For example my born again grandmother gathers us all in prayer every Christmas and says Happy Birthday to Jesus. Literally. Nothing wrong with that, it's just kind of weird. But then so is a fat guy in a red jumpsuit who breaks into your house with something to give to your child every year. Oh but I kid. There really is nothing wrong with the religious origins or the Santa lore. It is kind of ironic though, as the whole Santa Claus concept and everything that comes with it could be considered magic, something Christianity is adamently against. Yet still my Christian friends love themselves some Harry Potter and Twilight. I'm predicting Santa is delivering a large helping of hypocrisy for children this year. The thing is you can swing it any way you please as long as you are happy this time of year. But seriously, it is just hurtful to say that someone shouldn't celebrate Christmas, the ultimate time of love and joy, because he doesn't go to Church.
So we've seen Christmas age and change dramatically over the last millennium. It has gone from being the celebration of the renowned Messiah's birth to being the time of gifts and good will to men to a marketing scam for big shopping centers. Though something still doesn't seem right about the religious aspect. Oh yeah, perhaps I am thinking of the popular prediction that if Christ had indeed existed (which I believe he did) he would have been born somewhere in January but not necessarily in December. So make of that what you will and while you're at it I'll be at home enjoying the company of those I love and opening gifts. Not to sound to much like a dick or to be too, dare I say, immodest.
I would just like everyone to enjoy Christmas. Celebrate you're religion, sure. And you can open presents early in the morning. And you can hang with the people you love all day. When it comes to religion or presents shouldn't matter per se. What matters is being happy. That is my mission this year as well as every year, to be happy. So far I've done well. How about you.
This has been a season's message from Your Modest Guru. Merry Christmas.
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