A MEANINGFUL CHRISTMAS/ SOLSTICE
At Christmas, properly we honor the birth of Jesus whose teachings inspire his followers but also speak to everyone in the world. Just as many learn contemplation from the Buddha, they could be moved by the profound mysteries of Christmas. To deepen the universality of Christmas, we might consider the images and rites of this festival are largely pagan and focus on the Winter Solstice, the passage from the darkest night and shortest days to the annual turn toward light and increasing sunlight. After you consider all the images and practices of Christmas, you may understand that Christmas is a holy day and an important remembrance for all people, no matter what their beliefs.
Let’s just briefly recall various aspects of Christmas, which, in spite of their various origins, point in the same direction. First we have a child of divine stature born in a humble stable. There is no room for him out there in the world. This is a common theme of great mythic personalities: abandoned at birth or born in lowly circumstances. I always think of Moses placed in a basket and floated down a river.
Consider Santa Claus. The name Santa means “holy one.” He has a big heart and serves children primarily. He is a grandfather-like saint who brings gifts in to the homes of children. He flies through the sky, like a shaman or angel who can connect heaven and earth. He comes down a chimney, an odd kind of incarnation, the great being coming from the sky to earth and into our homes. He has a special chant, “ho-ho-ho,” and can work magic with elves and reindeer. It’s a marvelous, sacred tale. If someone were to ask me if I believe in Santa Claus, I wouldn’t hesitate. Of course I “believe in” him, or at least honor his sacred role in human life.
The Christmas story also includes animals caring for the infant, a Christmas tree, candles, a star, Magi (astrologers) from the East who bring their own precious gifts, angels, Christmas lights, gift-giving, parties and family gatherings. These are all beautiful, humanizing, soulful things.
Yes, gift-giving can become compulsive and overwhelming, but anything can turn crazy. That doesn’t mean that the initial impulse to give is a problem. For me, the real meaning of Christmas lies in the family dinners, opening gifts, eating a special dinner, and honoring Santa Claus. I don’t say this as a sentimentalist, but as someone with a Ph.D. in Religious Studies. I’m serious. The Christmas party is truly in the spirit of holy Christmas, a time of generosity and good will towards people in general. We celebrate the potential in us to leave behind paranoia and narcissism and feel our deep commonality.
Of course, the return of the sun, or the “sun standing still,” Sol-stice, is celebrated around the world: at Stonehenge and Newgrange; China’s Dongzhi honoring the sun and moon as yang and yin; Iran’s Shab-e Yalda, celebrated with candles and food; Japan’s Toji; the Hopi of the American southwest with gifts and welcoming the sun’s return; India’s Surya, the god of the sun. The Hanukkah candles are an example most of us know. The Santa Lucia crown of light, like the sun, also.
If you would like to go deeper into many more aspects of the celebration of light out of darkness, read my book The Soul of Christmas To purchase. It is not just for Christians but honors the essential, non-denominational secrets of Christmas, as revealing deeper, sometimes pagan mysteries about the seasons of light returning after a long period of darkness. It will give you a deeper appreciation of Christmas/Solstice and probably change you way of thinking about what we call the “Holidays,” which of course means “holy days.”