Christmas, Sunny Side Up

November 12, 2009

By system

Christmas is an annual holiday with many traditions including: Christmas dinner for all the family and special friends, sending Christmas cards to everyone we can think of, visiting one of the Santas in the mall, baking Christmas cookies for the poor and making homemade Christmas candies for all the children we know.

Christian homes are decorated inside and out with colorful lights and holiday decorations. Even people that are not affiliated with any church will usually try to spread goodwill, compassion and peace during the Christmas holiday season.

Christmas StoriesChristmas is usually celebrated on December 25th even though everyone knows Christ was born on a morning in the spring. Some countries celebrate on Christmas Eve, other countries celebrate on both Christmas Eve and Christmas day, while still other countries celebrate Boxing Day on December 26th. One church, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas on January 6th. Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on January 7th. It is well to remember that the date is just a tradition and is not considered to be Jesus’ actual birth date.

The word “Christmas” actually comes from two words: “Christ’s mass.” Many of the season’s decorations lead back to Christ’s birth such as Nativity managers, star ornaments and the giving of gifts. I have one handmade wooden star that goes in the window as a sign to Jewish friends that they are welcome in my home. Its origins come from Norway.

Christmas day during the Middle ages was more of a festival than a feast. William I of England chose Christmas Day to be crowned King in year of 800 C.E..

During the Reformation, Protestants united to rise up and condemn the celebration of Christmas as mere trappings. Catholics stood firm in their desire to promote the festival as a religious event. Just giving a piece of candy to a child once a year can be a major treat they will remember for a lifetime. I still remember one Christmas 58 years ago when a group of Euro-mericans came on the reservation to deliver a small sock with one apple, one orange, 5 pieces of hard candy and a handful of peanuts. I ate the peanuts with the hull still on. Years later a dear friend said they tasted better when shelled.

Old documentsColonial America saw the stern-nosed Puritans disapproving of the trappings of the Christmas celebration and it was outlawed in Boston from 1659 to 1681. However Christian residents of Virginia and New York celebrated the holiday.

Charles Dickens’ book “A Christmas Carol”, published in 1843 did much to revive the holiday that was meant to instill goodwill and compassion. Washington Irving wrote several short stories about Christmas and then we shall all remember that famous “Twas the Night Before Christmas Poem produced by Clement Clarke.

There was great controversy near the close of the 20th century over the nature of Christmas (was it a religious holiday or was it a secular holiday). The issue was brought to trial several times to decide because of the view that a federal holiday was a violation of separation of church and state. On December 6th, 1999, the verdict for Ganulin vs. United States declared that “the establishment of Christmas Day as “a legal public holiday does not violate the Establishment Clause because it has a secular purpose.” This decision was later upheld on December 19, 2000 by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Many Christians bowed out of the controversy. They believe the holiday has become too secular and it is all too common to hear cries of “getting back to the true meaning of Christmas” around the holidays.

What IS the true meaning of Christmas? It is loving our neighbors as ourselves. And, “Who is our neighbor?” was clarified by the parable of THE GOOD SAMARITAN.

Serving food to the homeless and the hopeless is a good start. I have been on the other side of that line and I know that a good, warm meal can make a man feel like he went to heaven.

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