Whose Holiday Is It?

Penelope Trunk is catching some flack today for her post on things that drive her nuts about Christmas.

I think she’s a lot more right than wrong. And particularly this bit:

“Christmas is not a religious holiday.”
The only people who think Christmas is not religious are the Christians. Everyone else thinks, “This is not my holiday.”

Oh so true.

Xmas is such a dominant part of American society, it’s impossible to avoid without being completely antisocial or rude, and that’s not who I am. And frankly, I’d be lying if I said there was nothing I liked about the Xmas season. I like the lights and the excitement, and even some of the music. I like any excuse to cook (and eat) lots of tasty foods and get together with my friends. But still, none of that makes it “my” holiday.

Chanukah starts at sundown Tuesday. That’s my holiday.

4 thoughts on “Whose Holiday Is It?”

  1. Here’s the thing, for me Christmas is a religious holiday. I’d be happy if people acknowledged that even if they can’t share it. What makes it difficult is the increasing commercialization of the holiday and the fact that most businesses want to celebrate the season, but not the reason. You are correct that it is not a secular holiday.

    The challenge for many of us is being expected to celebrate the season within the restrictions political correctness places on us. In a business setting (in many MN companies) I could be rebuked for saying “Happy Chanukah” to you while Happy Holidays is perfectly acceptable. That drive me nuts!

  2. I think Christmas is a bit like marriage – it’s transcended its religious origins and now has a solid secular component.

    Since I was raised in a Christian home it feels natural to me to observe Christmas even though I no longer consider myself to be a Christian. I don’t feel I need to pretend to be Christian to celebrate Christmas – it’s about friends and family (I just don’t go to the church services anymore). There’s still a lot left to the holiday once you take out the religious parts. I think that’s what the people who say “Christmas is for everyone” are trying to say. They’re probably like me – ex-Christians who still enjoy Christmas. Still, I can see how people from other heritages can view it differently.

    Just as Brits in the US take the day off for 4th of July despite the fact that it’s celebrating their defeat, all I can say to non-Christians is enjoy the day off. I know of an exclusive yacht club near here that doesn’t observe Labor Day because they don’t want to be pro labor, but all they can do is go to their club and pretend the holiday isn’t happening. Christmas isn’t the only holiday some people wish weren’t a holiday.

    While I wouldn’t be so dense as to say this is a “Christian country” the Christians do have cultural hegemony. When you have a holiday like Christmas which both Christians and non-Christians celebrate – most people want the day off so everyone gets the day off… These days it’s not so much a grand scheme to benefit the Christians as it is a practical thing for businesses to do (imagine if you were running a factory).

    All in all I see where Penelope is coming from, but don’t agree with her perspective. A holiday that gets people to think about friends and family, and be festive at the darkest time of the year, is a good thing. Focus on good cheer, enjoy the day off, and ignore the religious aspect if you’re not Christian. It’s really not so horrible…

  3. O.C — Saw it. Too funny! Something similar happened to me years ago in college — the cafeteria served ham as the main meal for Yom Kippur break-fast.

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