bluegreen17 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bluegreen17) wrote2004-12-01 09:50 am
bluegreen17) wrote2004-12-01 09:50 am
the real meaning of christmas
i've begun to enjoy christmas again,after many years of not doing so. i love it for many reasons.
recently,i've been pondering about how jewish folks,muslim folks,and others who aren't christians feel about this. but then it occurs to me that i'm not a christian myself.
i'm not a pagan,either. and i'm not an atheist. and i could go on and on in that vein,but i will say i believe in Universe and many things simple but difficult to capture in words.
a lot of people mumble about the commercialization of christmas. they think that the true meaning is lost. what is the true meaning? to me,it goes way beyond any religion. it is about birth and beginnings and bright stars and love and peace wedging in,sometimes if even only for a moment. the son/sun king is born at the winter solstice. after the longest night of the year,the sun returns to grace us for longer periods each day (this analogy of christmas doesn't work for those in the southern hemisphere,of course,but i'm sure there are other ways of looking at it.)
santa claus doesn't take away from the true meaning of christmas,because he's all about giving. and in order for there to be giving,there must be receiving.the trick is to remember that both are fun and rewarding things to do.
one of the most recent stories associated with christmas is about the grinch who stole christmas. only thing is,he found out that was impossible. for the whos in whoville,christmas is an inside job. no one could steal their christmas,their joy. the whos are my role models. and they helped the grinch remember that he had a christmas inside him too...and it grew.
as christmas is about birth,it is also about rebirth. sometimes,rebirth can feel even more wonderful than a birth. to me,there are fewer things more joyous than scrooge waking up on christmas morning to realize he has another day;another day to choose to change his ways.
and he does,oh he does,in a most wonderful way. and probably no one is happier than scrooge that day,when he becomes the giver of gifts and the receiver of his own joy...because joy spills over on a happy giver.
this little essay was inspired by a newsletter i received from robert fritz,author of 'the path of least resistance' and other books,today. i really like what he has to say about christmas too and here it is if you would like to read it:
The Secret Christmas
Robert Fritz
It's that time of year again. That lovely time of year.
The decorations, the Santas ringing their bells, the holiday music, Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney in a letterbox version of White Christmas, Rudolf, Christmas cookies, Christmas parties.
There are many Christmases. There is the religious Christmas that has nothing to do with Santa or Bing or Rudolf, none of whom appear in the Bible. There is the family Christmas: turkey, presents, gatherings, travel, clean-up. There is the public Christmas: the national tree, the tree at Rockefeller Center, the lights around the neighborhood, the office party, the shopping mall.
And there is the friends and acquaintances Christmas: the cards, incoming and outgoing, the wishes of good cheer and what to do with yet another calendar with the pretty pictures and the company's advert placed in clear view.
The fact is that Christmas is no longer just a religious holiday the same way that Halloween is no longer just a Celtic holiday. That Christmas has become more than it was should not be a threat to those who celebrate the religious Christmas. The opposite is also true. Those who do not believe in Christianity can believe in Christmas and its deeper spirit. And therein lies the magic.
There is a universal Christmas that permeates all the others, that not even the hardest-nosed cynic complaining about commercialization can dampen.
It is the secret Christmas that people of all backgrounds, cynic or saved, believer or skeptic, romantic or materialist, young or old, can feel, understand on a personal level, love, and celebrate in their own quiet way.
This secret Christmas is, indeed, consistent with the original religious intent, but it finds many more ways of manifesting itself. This is the Christmas of renewal, transcendence, grace. It is innocence regained. It is goodness rediscovered. It is finding that within you a beautiful child still exists.
This is the Christmas in which we easily realize the simple love we have for the people in our lives. It is missing and loving those who are no longer here, but feeling connected to them anyway.
It is the spirit of all of those beautiful redemptive stories: Rudolf, the outcast, whose silly red nose saves the day; Scrooge, who sees his past, present, and probable future, and yet is given a second chance. It is Frank Capra's exquisite It's a Wonderful Life, in which the Jimmy Stewart character, trapped in a little town but plagued with a lifetime dream of travel, sees the true worth of his life and is given a second chance. It is the Littlest Angel, who doesn't seem to measure up, and yet, whose love becomes the star that guides the way for three wise men seeking a manger.
Christmas lives in many forms, all of which touch something locked away inside. It is the renewal of your true nature, the awakening of your spirit, the restoration of your natural goodness, the rebirth of unconditional love.
It's nostalgia for a time that never existed and it reminds us of what Jack Kerouac taught us in On the Road, "Life is Holy, and each moment is precious."
These experiences live within you in a secret place, and are given new voice each newborn Christmas.
~~~~~~
happy holidays to all!
recently,i've been pondering about how jewish folks,muslim folks,and others who aren't christians feel about this. but then it occurs to me that i'm not a christian myself.
i'm not a pagan,either. and i'm not an atheist. and i could go on and on in that vein,but i will say i believe in Universe and many things simple but difficult to capture in words.
a lot of people mumble about the commercialization of christmas. they think that the true meaning is lost. what is the true meaning? to me,it goes way beyond any religion. it is about birth and beginnings and bright stars and love and peace wedging in,sometimes if even only for a moment. the son/sun king is born at the winter solstice. after the longest night of the year,the sun returns to grace us for longer periods each day (this analogy of christmas doesn't work for those in the southern hemisphere,of course,but i'm sure there are other ways of looking at it.)
santa claus doesn't take away from the true meaning of christmas,because he's all about giving. and in order for there to be giving,there must be receiving.the trick is to remember that both are fun and rewarding things to do.
one of the most recent stories associated with christmas is about the grinch who stole christmas. only thing is,he found out that was impossible. for the whos in whoville,christmas is an inside job. no one could steal their christmas,their joy. the whos are my role models. and they helped the grinch remember that he had a christmas inside him too...and it grew.
as christmas is about birth,it is also about rebirth. sometimes,rebirth can feel even more wonderful than a birth. to me,there are fewer things more joyous than scrooge waking up on christmas morning to realize he has another day;another day to choose to change his ways.
and he does,oh he does,in a most wonderful way. and probably no one is happier than scrooge that day,when he becomes the giver of gifts and the receiver of his own joy...because joy spills over on a happy giver.
this little essay was inspired by a newsletter i received from robert fritz,author of 'the path of least resistance' and other books,today. i really like what he has to say about christmas too and here it is if you would like to read it:
The Secret Christmas
Robert Fritz
It's that time of year again. That lovely time of year.
The decorations, the Santas ringing their bells, the holiday music, Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney in a letterbox version of White Christmas, Rudolf, Christmas cookies, Christmas parties.
There are many Christmases. There is the religious Christmas that has nothing to do with Santa or Bing or Rudolf, none of whom appear in the Bible. There is the family Christmas: turkey, presents, gatherings, travel, clean-up. There is the public Christmas: the national tree, the tree at Rockefeller Center, the lights around the neighborhood, the office party, the shopping mall.
And there is the friends and acquaintances Christmas: the cards, incoming and outgoing, the wishes of good cheer and what to do with yet another calendar with the pretty pictures and the company's advert placed in clear view.
The fact is that Christmas is no longer just a religious holiday the same way that Halloween is no longer just a Celtic holiday. That Christmas has become more than it was should not be a threat to those who celebrate the religious Christmas. The opposite is also true. Those who do not believe in Christianity can believe in Christmas and its deeper spirit. And therein lies the magic.
There is a universal Christmas that permeates all the others, that not even the hardest-nosed cynic complaining about commercialization can dampen.
It is the secret Christmas that people of all backgrounds, cynic or saved, believer or skeptic, romantic or materialist, young or old, can feel, understand on a personal level, love, and celebrate in their own quiet way.
This secret Christmas is, indeed, consistent with the original religious intent, but it finds many more ways of manifesting itself. This is the Christmas of renewal, transcendence, grace. It is innocence regained. It is goodness rediscovered. It is finding that within you a beautiful child still exists.
This is the Christmas in which we easily realize the simple love we have for the people in our lives. It is missing and loving those who are no longer here, but feeling connected to them anyway.
It is the spirit of all of those beautiful redemptive stories: Rudolf, the outcast, whose silly red nose saves the day; Scrooge, who sees his past, present, and probable future, and yet is given a second chance. It is Frank Capra's exquisite It's a Wonderful Life, in which the Jimmy Stewart character, trapped in a little town but plagued with a lifetime dream of travel, sees the true worth of his life and is given a second chance. It is the Littlest Angel, who doesn't seem to measure up, and yet, whose love becomes the star that guides the way for three wise men seeking a manger.
Christmas lives in many forms, all of which touch something locked away inside. It is the renewal of your true nature, the awakening of your spirit, the restoration of your natural goodness, the rebirth of unconditional love.
It's nostalgia for a time that never existed and it reminds us of what Jack Kerouac taught us in On the Road, "Life is Holy, and each moment is precious."
These experiences live within you in a secret place, and are given new voice each newborn Christmas.
~~~~~~
happy holidays to all!
no subject
no subject
and its not even that she thinks that the folks who celebrate this holiday have it all wrong or anything, the holiday is what you make of it, and what it means to youi... so if you are an atheist who is putting up a christmas tree, singing carols and exchanging presents, we would never think of telling that guy "hey! dude! put the *Christ* back into Christ-mass!" ;-)... its now a secular-holiday, and the Christians just have to *deal* with it! hahahahahahahah
the thing that is actually unsettling to *us*, is that they people seem truly distressed and shaken by the *whole* thing...
and i know, this is sort of "Earth calling Qílóra!" that we are just now noticing all this ;-) hahahahah
i feel like we are sitting in this strange country, and watching the locals suddenly get very upset (to the point that they cross their arms and give a quick shiver...bite their nails or stare up and *off*), when this "holiday" is mentioned..
seems more analogous to pondering some horrible ritual that one will be forced to partake in... as if they were to have to witness a ritual slaughtering of lambs and feel that they have no *rights* to simply say "i will not participate" without invoking the wrath of the other villagers...
yes, we are exaggerating... so what else is new? ;-)
Juju & Ulla.
no subject
rockin' around the christmas tree...
i love your icon,by the way.
Re: rockin' around the christmas tree...