There are a couple things that are pretty constant about all of the Christmases I’ve ever had (forty-two in all; count ‘em, I dare you!):
- The food is just-released-from-an-awesome-asylum/insanely good
- Board games. Thousands of them. No one stops playing until someone goes into cardiac arrest.
- The dog gets a present or someone gives their present to the dog.
- Everyone else gets their presents in after-Christmas shopping sprees.
The best part about all of this? This sort of fun is accessible to anyone and everyone, regardless of faith. So when people tell me that you can’t celebrate Christmas without mentioning Jesus, I get a little nervous — hyperventilation nervous. Like, what will I do without my 50%-off socks? Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Fall.
The fact of the matter is that there are many different faiths and even though the Pilgrims were Protestant and the settlers at Jamestown were Anglican or whatever they were, many of the first thirteen colonies started out as areas for religious refuge for people of other faiths — Catholicism, Judaism, etc. Our world is dominated by commercial and secular interests — don’t think that this means that religion is on its way out — and not every holiday is purely religious in nature. A lot of faiths don’t have the benefit of having a widely popular holiday that’s not exclusive to their own followers. Believe me, if Rasta had some sort of mass gift-giving extravaganza, I wouldn’t be writing this post. I would be sitting back and relaxing, mon, and getting my reggae on.
But believe me, Christmas thrives on its commercial aspect. People love buying gifts for one another. It’s an excuse to spend time with your family, to think about them for a change. Religion never really leaves you; I feel that true spirituality is internal and doesn’t need any sort of prodding or poking for it to emerge. Some holidays are inherently religious, but Christmas doesn’t really have to be. It’s about warmth, family, caroling, not-having-to-clean-up-after-your-dog-who-likes-to-poop-on-carpets, eggnog, figgy pudding (whatever that is), and, well, presents!
Merry Christmas everybody! I hope you guys got more presents than your counterparts in some parallel universe!