I love Christmas. I
love everything about it, apart perhaps from the predictable fundamental
Christians bleating on about the so called War
on Christmas and their irksome ill-informed insistence that Jesus is the
reason for the season.
A few years back at
my local church, I sat through the vicar’s ranting sermon shoehorned into the
school carol concert. It was blatantly aimed at heathen parents like me that no
longer routinely grace his ever-dwindling flock. I felt honour-bound to boo him
for his pious absolute claim on Christmas. The dig in my ribs from my wife however
reminded me that it’s still generally considered bad form to boo the vicar – even
if he is clearly talking out of his arse. But despite the dodgy sermons
proclaiming Jesus to be at the centre of Christmas, I still think it’s a great
time of the year.
In fact the very
reason why Christmas is so great is precisely because it is a non-discriminatory
celebration, far wider and more encompassing than the mere strategically
relocated anniversary of the alleged saviour of one particular faith group.
That’s not to say
that the baby Jesus lying in a manger surrounded by adorable toilet-trained
livestock isn’t a vital and welcome part of the imagery and tradition of the
season. It’s just that he’s not at the centre of it any more so than a
barefooted John McClane in the Nakatomi Plaza or grumpy TV executive Frank
Cross being violently punched in the face by the angelic Ghost of Christmas Present.
The modern
Christmas traditions we’re all familiar with (at least in the western world) have
drawn from Christian, Pagan and Secular sources, and they all add value. If we map
them onto a Venn diagram there’s quite clearly someone else at the centre of our
Christmas traditions and, thankfully, he does not concern himself with our arbitrary
faith boundaries.
With the obvious
exceptions of Cliff Richard and eggnog, I like everything on this diagram. Those
who claim that Christmas is under attack from the politically correct forces of
secularism and consumerism are merely trying to purge the season of its equally
worthy non-Christian elements.
So, beware of any one
set on this diagram who try to claim sole ownership of the winterval. The true
spirit of Christmas is not about hijacking the seasonal festivities for the
exclusive celebration of one particular ideology. Christmas is for everyone,
Christians, Pagans, Atheists, Agnostics and adherents of any other conceivable faith
group who would care to come and pull a cracker with me.
Merry Christmas
everyone
Crispian
Christmas 2013
