Christmas is almost here and today I'll be spending time preparing the few gifts I'll be giving. Admittedly when I was young, this was a really big holiday for me. But, over the years a number of changes have happened in me to cause me to question the way this holiday works.
First, I almost became Amish once, and this gave me a totally different perspective. The Amish (for the most part) do not celebrate Christmas or Easter other than to have a more serious church service perhaps including foot washing. Santa is considered to be an idol, and the lavish gifting to be gluttony.
Even after we stopped trying to be Amish, these feelings held over for a number of years. Our extended families got used to us being "Scrooges". When our strongest religious feelings about holidays began to fade another paradigm came in to save the day, so to speak. Environmental awareness. And though I could wax long on this topic, a man named George Monbiot shared so eloquently on the topic of holidays and environmentalism that I will simply share his recent article in Permaculture Institute.
The Gift of Death
And then as if that weren't enough, there is my favorite Christmas song ever.
So with all of these thoughts in mind, I do want to wish you all a very happy but thoughtful Christmas. (Assuming the world does not in fact end on the 21st.)
Let us all pray for Peace in the coming year.
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