12-01-2005, 02:37 PM
Dame, your mother sounds to me like one swell lady.
Tell her I said "Merry Christmas", will you please?
And tell her that I really mean it, even though I am a dead-red athiest. Yes, I celebrate "Christmas" even though I do not believe in Christ or God almighty.
How can I be such a hypocrite, you ask?
Because it's the traditions, the spirit, the tidings, and the common festivity that I celebrate and spread this time of year, not the birth of some carpenter who lived 2000 years ago. So you might think that I, of all people, ought to advocate "Happy Holidays" over "Merry Christmas".
But I don't.
Because this seasonal spirit & tradition I learned through my family, my friends, and my entire community was something they called "Christmas", and it was THEIR tradition, and it was beautiful.
And even though I didn't share in the belief, I could still share in the spirit of their custom. Why should they, as a community, de-emphasize the basis for, and meaning of, their celebration just so people like me could join in the fun?
Simple answer: they don't and they shouldn't.
Tell her I said "Merry Christmas", will you please?
And tell her that I really mean it, even though I am a dead-red athiest. Yes, I celebrate "Christmas" even though I do not believe in Christ or God almighty.
How can I be such a hypocrite, you ask?
Because it's the traditions, the spirit, the tidings, and the common festivity that I celebrate and spread this time of year, not the birth of some carpenter who lived 2000 years ago. So you might think that I, of all people, ought to advocate "Happy Holidays" over "Merry Christmas".
But I don't.
Because this seasonal spirit & tradition I learned through my family, my friends, and my entire community was something they called "Christmas", and it was THEIR tradition, and it was beautiful.
And even though I didn't share in the belief, I could still share in the spirit of their custom. Why should they, as a community, de-emphasize the basis for, and meaning of, their celebration just so people like me could join in the fun?
Simple answer: they don't and they shouldn't.