Christmas
is a special time of year, a time to remember friendships,
revitalize relationships and revive oneself. I find that
Christmas is a special time for me, even though I am not a
Christian by any means. Well, actually, that makes sense,
because Christmas is not a Christian holiday, in spite of the
modern day mind-think to the contrary.
Christmas is a mixture of traditions from dozens of cultures and religions, going back as far as you care to look. Christmas trees come from Europe, from the sixteenth century German tradition of decorating a tree with edible decorations. However, you can look further back and find Pagan roots of a tree representing a god, taken inside during the winter so it will be able to recover the next year.
Mistletoe comes directly from the Druids, and the entire holiday is based upon the ancient Roman religions, especially the worship of Saturn.
It's
interesting that Christmas has become, certainly in the United
States, the most important holiday of the year. Commercially,
major companies base their very existence upon how well their
sales perform during this holiday. A few percentage points can
make the difference between bankruptcy and prosperity.
In my mind, however, the commercialism of Christmas, the vast empire of economics dependent upon the giving of gifts and the decorating of trees and houses, is of secondary importance.
Christmas is a special time of year. It is a time when children look upwards, peering into the sky for that red and white outfit of Santa. It is a time of magic and wonder, when the hate and fury of the modern world comes to a peaceful stillness, if only for a day.
Christmas
has to do with brotherhood, with the sharing of food, drink
and gifts among family and friends, and even strangers. It is
a time to relax, to reflect upon the bonds connecting all men
together, and to celebrate simply being alive on this
wonderful planet we call Earth.
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