In the November-December 2008 issue of Tikkun (a Jewish Magazine, an interfaith movement), Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest contemplates the evolution of Christmas from its origins to its adoption as a Christian holiday. In the early Christian tradition, the focus was on Easter as the celebration of the Paschal mystery; Christ's birth and origins were of no particular concern to the first generations of followers. Rohr, echoing many who wish to put the Christ back in Christmas, emphasizes the opportunity inherent in the Christmas holiday to remind ourselves of the Christian message: charity, equality, humility, compassion, and right conduct. While these acts are cornerstones of the Christian dispensation, and therefore remain daily imperatives, there is nothing particularly sacred about the holiday itself. December 25th is an observance (itself, the date is borrowed from the Roman festival that followed the winter solstice) of an attributed date. As a holiday, Christmasse was not fully imbued as an observance until the 800s. Put this way, recent charges that Christmas has become secularized may not be all that alarming. Considering that in the 2000+ year history of Christianity, the observance of Jesus' birth is only 1200 years old. For 800 years, people didn't think it was all that important.
If we begin our Anno Domini calendar at year 1, the birth of Jesus, Christianity doesn't begin until at least AD 60 (considering the authorship of Acts of the Apostles, or Tacitus' reference to Christians in AD 64 or 65). My point? A matter of emphasis. Christmas is the Christianization of a secular observance; in this regard, the charge that Christmas has lost its Christian center is a misnomer. Christians borrowed Christmas from the Romans; and now, non-Christians borrow Christmas as well.
The question is often posed at this holiday-time, WWJT? What would Jesus think about the holiday? One could imagine he would the find the holiday at the least bewildering. One could imagine him asking the following questions and seeking clarification on many points:
"OK, so starting after this other holiday--the one you mentioned that involves turkeys and, what did you call them again, pilgrims,--people line up at 5:30 AM, oh, earlier? Midnight? Wow. Then they use up all of this so-called credit on these cards to buy what you referred to as 'stuff' and this happens for about a month all the way through what's supposed to be my birthday. I don't know why they picked December 25th. Everybody in my family knows I was born in January. All except my old man. He's fairly clear that birthdays are just non-sense. When you deal in terms of eternity, what good is a birthday, right? So, getting back to this supposed birthday celebration of mine--by the way, I don't see anybody lining up to bring me anything. Even those knitted socks you were telling me about. Those would be nice."
"And then people put up trees in their houses--wait, why would you put a tree inside a house. That doesn't make any sense. A tree inside a house? And sometimes these trees dry out and explode into flame. Well, of course they do. Haven't people heard of forest fires? Doesn't matter if the tree's outside or inside, they still burn. OK, then there's gift giving involving handing out the--what did you call them? Presents. Yes, the presents. These presents are often stored under the tree which may, or may not, burst into flame. Oy vey. After my birthday, and I'm not sensing that I'm going to get any gifts, or even a little kugel to nosh, people take the presents they don't like and they return them to malls or they give them to other people. Well, I don't see anything wrong with that. Oh, it's actually bad? Re-gifting you call it. I'm sorry but I don't get it. I'm not asking for a whole lot here--I mean, at least you all give me Easter. That's the real gig. Sure, anybody can be born, and yes, even of a virgin, but try coming back to life. I'll just put it this way, it ain't easy."
"Wait, now you're telling me that there are some things about Easter I should know? Wait, a bunny? What's this about a bunny?"
Merry Christmas.
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