I am unapologetically a Christian, I regularly attend church, and I exercise faith through daily scripture reading, prayer, and other works synonymous with being a Christian. Being a Christian, I embrace freedom, especially freedom of religion; “Let [all people] worship how, where, or what they may.” I am not smart enough to tell anyone, convince anyone, or try to force anyone to believe anything. As a point of fact, my articles very specifically encourage you to find your answers, much as I have done, through study, learning, and faith.
Yes, this is a discussion! I do not understand Christmas in any way, shape, or form; while this also applies to all accepted holidays, Christmas is my focus. If you understand Christmas better or any holiday mentioned, feel free to teach me so that we both may learn more perfectly. Christmas, as a child, was only once a time of wonder. I remember that Christmas; I must have been 6 or 7 years. I do not remember what I got for Christmas, but I remember how I felt. I have not felt similarly since, and while I know why, I do not understand how to put the wonder back into Christmas.
Annually, Christmas, New Year, and the rest of the mid-winter holidays are a time for deep depression. I struggle to feel anything from Halloween to mid-February; think London Fog as a mental condition, and your close to understanding what is happening between my ears annually. As a child and teen, the holidays were always a time of stress, increased drama, and tons, and tons, of dishes. The holiday season brought increased torment as parents’ stress (especially) resulted in increased violence (physical and mental). Thus, I learned not to appreciate the holidays but loath the workload, violence, and abuse and view the holiday season as a time of greater pain and suffering.
Don’t even get me started on how to celebrate Mother’s and Father’s Day. There are holidays, and choosing to celebrate or not is just as important as how to celebrate and whom to celebrate. The biggest mistake society makes is trying to force everyone to celebrate the same holiday!
As an adult, mainly due to the depression, I avoid stores between Halloween and mid-February, like the plague! The music of “Christmas” does not lift, and I find it difficult to hear. To me, the people during Christmas are more challenging to be around. I do not understand their choices and changes in attitude, their happiness, nor share in their wonder and excitement. The pagan beliefs Catholicized into Christmas traditions blow my ever-loving mind! I do not see Christ in a decorated “Christmas” Tree or other Christmas pageantry. Simply put, every Christmas Tradition, generally accepted by Christendom, is stolen from mid-winter pagan holidays. As I have studied the origins and beliefs inherent in Christmas, Easter, Halloween, All Saints Day, etc., I see more and more of the historical imprint of early Catholic Church leaders, and I stand aghast that these beliefs have turned into traditions that bind and hold fast the human mind.
Yet, to not wish someone else, especially another Christian, “Merry Christmas” is to be judged less a Christian. I do not understand! I believe in Christ; I believe in and have a knowledge of his reality, birth, life, death, resurrection, and visitation to all the Twelve Tribes of Israel after his resurrection. I accept Christ as my Savior and advocate before the Father. But, I do not understand Christmas celebrations or why these celebrations “speak of Christ, rejoice in Christ,” or promote Christian beliefs! I understand the underpinnings of, and like the Jewish holiday Hanukkah. I see Christ in this celebration of lights and appreciate those who celebrate this simple holiday simply. But Hanukkah is not a holiday I can fully enjoy either, not for the lack of trying.
I have the same problem with Passover, not for the lack of trying, but I cannot celebrate this holiday, for I feel something is missing. Easter, will someone please explain to me the lines of logical congruence between a bunny rabbit laying eggs and the resurrection of Jesus Christ! None of the “traditions” of Easter make a lick of sense to me. While I feel different at Easter than I do with any other holiday, I do not celebrate this holiday either, even though I respect and honor, follow and try to emulate Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, advocate, and hopefully friend. While we’re on the topic of incongruent traditions, Santa Claus creeps me out! The fear of being judged without an advocate or appeals process is anti-Christian, but Santa Claus continues to play a fearful role in Christmas. Worse, the mysticism prevalent in a belief in Santa Claus fills my mind, not with Christ’s giving of himself, but of Halloween! Tim Burton’s movie, “Nightmare Before Christmas,” is closer to how I see Santa Claus, put him in Halloween, and leave him there!
Yet, here we are, another Christmas celebration is upon the world, and I do not understand! I like the lights of Christmas and enjoy them year-round, but they are not symbols of Christ lighting the world; they are just lights to me, with no particular holiday attachment. I am a foodie, but food is just that, food. No special holiday attachment; worse, as a diabetic, I have to watch how, when, where, and what I eat. There is no fun in that, no holiday significance, and frankly, no joy in Mudville.
A friend declared, Christmas is about love. What is love? I know from significant study what love is not. Love is not sex! Love is not punishment, abuse, torment, and throwing all the dishes out of the cupboard and forcing a young child to wash every dish in the house repeatedly until that dish somehow passes an arbitrary level of cleanliness, with frequent beatings for failure to meet that level of cleanliness! Love is not inflicting pain, causing tears, and being violent. It has been easy to identify what love is not. But defining what love is, what it feels like, and how to share love, I have no clue!
Often, I am referred to as a “Cold-Hearted, mean, bastard,” many times, other adjectives are thrown in to describe me. I wear a “bar-sinister” proudly; I am a bastard! I fight this nature of myself every single day; sometimes I win, more often I lose. Sometimes I have thought, maybe this aspect of my character is why I cannot fathom the meaning of holidays, find wonder, or experience joy as readily as others. Sometimes I think the method of how I was raised is inherent in being that bastard I despise. Yet, I am a survivor because of the ways and manners of my childhood upbringing, and I have gratitude for being a survivor. Meaning somewhere in there is gratitude for how I was raised and being a bastard. I fully appreciate how paradoxical that thinking is. Remember, a paradox is where two points that appear contradictory at first glance but in deeper understanding are closer than they are apart.
What does being a bastard have to do with Christmas and celebrating the birth and life of Jesus Christ; thankfully, I can answer that question. Only in and through Jesus Christ can my nature change. That single hope is precious to me, remains an impetus in motivating me to change, and powers my striving. Without the birth of Christ, there could not be a death and resurrection. Without the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ, man could not change his nature, understand and possess freedom, or comprehend the higher laws of giving of self, choosing a different method of living, and rising above the natural man and comprehending why man has to rise above his natural beliefs into a higher understanding.
Yes, I celebrate Jesus Christ! Make no mistake; I am grateful for my Savior; but, I do not understand Christmas! I cannot fathom a celebration of Easter as currently celebrated and understood in Christendom. I long for further light and knowledge to more appropriately commemorate the birth, life, reality, resurrection, and example that is Jesus Christ! I know that only through the merits, mercy, and justice of Christ can I eventually gain the further light and knowledge I seek. Please don’t think I do not celebrate when I wish you the happiest of holidays; it is an honest expression of a heartfelt desire for you to celebrate and worship how, where, when, and what you may. Please understand, though, I am not participating, not because I do not believe, but because I do not understand.
A well-intentioned person told me to “Fake it until you make it.” I have tried following this advice, and while it worked in other aspects of life, I learned more, and faking it stopped working. Where holidays are concerned, I cannot “Fake it, hoping to somehow, make it.” Faking it requires a method of belief with a hope. I have hope and knowledge; thus, I do not have a belief, or reason to believe. In possessing knowledge, my belief can take wing with confidence, and in that understanding, I can no longer “fake it.” As a respecter of religious belief, and as a seeker of light and knowledge, there have been times I have thought how easy it could be to be an atheist; but, in possessing knowledge, I understand I cannot live without the belief and knowledge of a Savior, a Heavenly Father who had the sense to hand man laws, cover his mind with a veil of his past life, and tell man to live by faith. The atheist cannot understand the value in living by faith, for they choose not to believe, even when presented with evidence.
C. S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors, speakers, and characters from history. He understood the chasm between choice and the consequences of choosing not to believe and live according to beliefs. Mark Twain is another character, author, and speaker who I deeply admire and appreciate, for many of the same qualities exhibited by C. S. Lewis, are found in Mark Twain. Thus, we find both an exemplar of the principles discussed and another issue with the holidays. Knowing what I know regarding the origins of the holidays, the traditions adopted and Christianized, and the chains which bind from traditions, I struggle with celebrating holidays.
As a child, I asked why do we decorate a Christmas Tree? After removing all the religiosity, the answer was because their parents did it that way. Why did we feast; remove the religiosity, and we find it’s because everyone else celebrates holidays (peer pressure and traditions) with feasting. In the movie and play “Fiddler on the Roof,” the primary character sings, discusses, and lives under the iron fist of tyrannical tradition, and I am left with one question, “Why?” Why do something just because it is tradition? Jesus Christ brought freedom of conscience; believe how, when, where, and what you may, act and live according to your beliefs, and you are exercising freedom and liberty. Where does tradition fit into belief and living according to choice, freedom, and agency?
Bringing the conversation back to principles of freedom, choice and showcasing how decisions determine destiny. Again, I am not casting aspersions, nor trying to convince anyone to do something they are not comfortable with, nor am I denigrating or deriding anyone’s beliefs, traditions, or methods of worship or celebration. My intent is not to cause a crisis of faith but to understand for myself. Please, embrace your freedom to choose to worship, and celebrate, how, where, when, and what you may. In possessing this freedom, allow others to worship and celebrate how, when, where, and what they may. Enjoy your holiday traditions and celebrations. But, please do not judge me as less because I do not understand, believe differently, and live according to my beliefs.
Santa Claus coming to town fills me with dread and despair, not hope, wonder, or joy. A white Christmas is not a dream for me but a symbol of more snow to shovel, even though I LOVE watching the snow fall and playing in the snow. Christmas trees do not thrill me but represent a ton of work to put up, more work to maintain, and more work to take down. Food is not a celebration but represents more work, time, effort, and sacrifice, for momentary pleasure. While I enjoy food, eat food, and talk about recipes to make food, I do not worship at the altar of food or see any connection between food and traditional celebrations.
I totally get it; the Children of Israel fled Egypt the Passover is a sacred remembrance and should be celebrated; but, Christ showed a better way, and through that better way, the bitterness of fleeing is swallowed up in joy. Why eat bitter herbs and unleavened bread as part of the tradition and celebration? Joy is knowledge with aspects of painful experience encapsulated in achievement. Thus, to me, the flight of Israel shows how faith, painful experience, and achievement are possible, and I want to shout and sing for joy. I have always thought of Passover as a time for glorious celebration. Strike up a band, sing, shout, and make merry, for we survived the Passover, escaped Egyptian slavery and harsh bondage, and now are free! The same goes for Hanukkah, the resurrection of Christ, the birth of Christ, and every other holiday. The holiday, to my understanding, represents, or signifies, a reason to make merry because those who came before achieved something through enormous difficulty, suffered dreadful pains, and achieved a better place. They have joy, and we share in that joy.
Bringing up the final aspect of the holidays, sharing joy. How do we share in the joy those who suffered experienced? This is the crux of holiday celebrations. How we answer this question determines the traditions we embrace; the decisions and consequences produce a destiny. Consequences are neither good nor bad, simply natural actions formed from a choice an agent made. How we choose to place a value on those consequences immediately determines how often we will make the same choice again, leading to determined destiny over time and repetition. Using this understanding of choices and consequences, we revisit the question, “How do we choose to share joy?”
I do not know how to answer this question! Worse, I feel this single question forms the crux of all holiday celebrations, and I am flummoxed! Some have suggested I perform more service to share joy. Others suggest giving gifts. Others have offered well-meaning opinions, ideas, and suggestions that I cannot fathom as connected to a holiday—leading to a need to understand why. Why act differently leading up to a holiday when you act in an opposing manner the rest of the year? Why not act the same year-round?
Again, there is no judging, no aspersions cast, no denigration of actions and choices here. I am not your judge! But, these questions are the questions I struggle with living, understanding, and connecting to holiday celebrations. If you have answers, please share them with me, help me understand how you share joy, celebrate, and feel.
© Copyright 2021 – M. Dave Salisbury
The author holds no claims for the art used herein, the pictures were obtained in the public domain, and the intellectual property belongs to those who created the images. Quoted materials remain the property of the original author.
Dear reader, you might want to skip this article. I write this mainly to organize some thoughts for myself. I am not preaching; I am not trying to teach anyone but myself; if you find something that helps you, you are welcome to the words and lessons. I have been struggling with learning a couple of things surrounding a couple of topics, and I want to take a minute and jot down some thoughts that have come to me. I will return to weightier matters another day. Please excuse me.
Since 2000 the software industry has undergone a very subtle shift; no longer do you purchase software, you rent it. You make a monthly purchase for that software, which becomes more than the price you would ever have paid for the software previously. Now, some argue this is due to the cost of upgrading software. Some argue this is due to the price of intellectual property. Some argue this is to reduce the cost of piracy of software. Regardless, does this shift honor your sacrifice in earning money?
I fully appreciate I struggle with this lesson. I keep getting wants and needs confused. Do I need a chocolate bar? Do I want something to eat? Do I want food? Do I need food? Much of my weight problem is trying to figure out wants versus needs. Much of my mental state is wants versus needs and the confusion between what I want and what I need. Going back to the games, do I really need a bucket of gems, or that shiny bottle of vitality?
Some may scoff, others may scowl, but I will tell you an open secret, if you are not quality first, production goals will never be achieved. Sure, a company may hit a target now and then, of course a quarterly statement might come in on target, but reliable production cannot be achieved without quality focus and the following rules.
Consider the production environment and the variables generally fall into three categories, inbound, or products needed to make something for a customer; outbound, the product shipped to a customer; quality, the need to ensure the product is acceptable for the customer.
After 9/11 and the terrorist attacks on that day, the corporate media, as early as 9/12, began trying to curb patriotism, stop the cheering, make citizens feel ashamed of being Americans, and going so far as to decide what American’s can and cannot see due to sensitivity and a perverted desire for nationalism to return. During 9/11, I served onboard the USS Barry (DDG 52), an Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer. Our ship was undergoing some maintenance that kept us tied to the pier when our carrier and battle group was called to New York. We still served the battle group; we just did it tied to the pier. Our sister ship, another Arleigh Burke, was off the 100-fathom curve performing ship inspections when a German Destroyer sent their condolences extraordinarily and uniquely to our sister ship, and our Navy, and the US Government. Just remembering the action of this German Naval Destroyer brings tears and chills. How humbling it was to have our national tragedy recognized by such a great ally and former enemy! To that crew, you know who you are, thank you!
Patriotism is a celebration of all we are, all we have achieved, and the hope of more extraordinary achievements to come. America never claimed to be perfect, never desired to be the “shining city on the hill,” but America is one of the few countries who actively strive, and for that, I would live nowhere else! I celebrate America’s Civil War, not because of the slavery issue or the thousands of dead, but because America proved that individual States’ rights are paramount in American governance. Yes, we need to have some standards between the states for which the Federal Government is responsible, but individual States’ rights are critical to the American Republic, and I would have it no other way. Do we, the inheritors of this Republic, understand how precious States’ Rights are to us individually?
Let us be perfectly clear; the corporate media would have all Americans celebrating nationalism instead of patriotism. So, let’s clean up the confusion on these terms. Nationalism, as detailed by Webster is, “an idea and movement that promotes the interests of a particular nation, especially to gain and maintain the nation’s sovereignty over its homeland.” The plasticized version of nationalism’s definition coincides with 
One of the little-known founding fathers was 
Thomas Paine was an English-born American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary who authored, among many others, “Common Sense” and “The Right’s of Man,” two books highly recommended for future reading. Thomas Paine is quoted saying, “Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” Of all the self-evident truths a patriot should never forget or be confused upon, this is the single most significant point and hinge for a country’s future. The other self-evident truth, needing full remembrance, comes from President Thomas Jefferson, “The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” The legitimate government will always injure the citizens, hence the need for a smaller, more responsible, and flexible government.
Please believe and live the following truth; you, as an individual, are the key to America’s future. Your choices are essential; your consequences suffered or enjoyed are part of your story that makes America grow or shrink. Your choices and consequences will determine both your destiny and America’s destiny. A “Liberty FIRST Culture” depends upon you, and you are worthy of the heritage and the honor of this position!
DNC-Consulting 