This year I have done more to get in the holiday spirit than in any year before. Rather than stress out and worry about getting exactly the right gifts for the right people, I chose and wrapped presents and put them under the tree weeks before Christmas.
We watched every Christmas movie I could think of, including "Miracle on 34th Street," which I'd never seen before, if you can believe it. I saw "Polar Express," which has the the most realistic depiction of Santa's workshop and elves that anyone could dream up. I saw "Bad Santa," which is a hysterically funny dark comedy with Billy Bob Thornton playing the drunk, debauched mall Santa who has a little theft problem. And of course there's always "Home Alone," which makes me laugh so hard I get a great rush of endorphins.
We saw lights on houses, and Blossoms of Light at the Botanic Gardens. We went to my friend Kate's Christmas concert, which rocked the house (check out the Colorado Chorale's concert schedule here). We went to the tuba Christmas concert downtown. I had a ball!
But a friend of mine who is Jewish posted a message on Huffington Post titled "Please Don't Wish Me a Merry Christmas," and it really got me thinking about why I celebrate the holiday. I'm not a Christian (fully 25% of folks in the U.S. are not, lest you think I'm a freak of sorts). It's a bit disconcerting to think that my motives are purely commercial and gluttonous. Who doesn't like to get gifts and eat good food? But I have to say that all this getting in the holiday spirit made me realize that I believe in Christmas because it makes (some of) us feel goodwill toward each other.
People give lots of money and gift to charity at Christmastime. We get together and laugh and love and give hugs to folks we don't see that often. We bake cookies for the neighbors. We wish strangers happy holidays and mean it. And from a practical standpoint, it gives us some way to deal with long nights and short days, cold weather, and the associated seasonal affective disorder (SAD). So I'll continue to celebrate the holiday every year, though I don't celebrate it for the traditional religious reasons. Peace on earth, goodwill toward men.
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