Holiday Hypocrite

With the holiday season in high gear, just 2 weeks away from Christmas, I have come to realize my hypocrisy in the celebration of Jesus/Commercialism. I disagree with and despise everything that Christmas represents in the eyes of many. I despise commercialism, even though it is good for the capitalist economy that you may deny that you live in. I also have grown to renounce Jesus Christ as my lord and savior despite the efforts of my family to drive it into my head that he is in fact "The Son of God." Don't get me wrong; I think Jesus was a very important historical figure... I just don’t buy into all of the hypocrisies of the Catholic Church and I don't buy into the idea that Jesus was what Christians have made him out to be. (For the record, for all of you who grew up with pictures of a white Jesus embedded into your head, he was of Middle Eastern descent, and if you haven't seen what the people in that region of the world look like, they are dark skinned.) There's even the idea presented by researchers that Jesus was born in June, utterly discrediting the correlation of Christmas to the celebration of the birth of Christ.

Despite all of the reasons why I should boycott Christmas each year, I still celebrate it as my favorite holiday. I see Christmas as a representation of something different. It's the spirit that makes it such a special holiday. It's the warm feeling you get when you're out driving, passing all the decorated houses along the way. Once you get home, you walk inside to see your tree pleasantly lit with decorations scattered throughout your home. There's the pain in the ass that is the Christmas shopping experience, but it's much more manageable to get through when you hear Christmas music playing overhead, softening the stress of dealing with the crowds and the long lines you get caught in.

But most importantly, it's a time that is meant for family. For some, it represents tradition. Some families do the exact same thing year after year, strengthening the bond they share with each other. My heart goes out to those who don't have a family to spend the holidays with because it can be a very lonely and depressing time of the year when you are overwhelmed with the visions of something you don't have or can't relate to. But hey, what would Christmas be without the Scrooges and Grinches of the world?

I tend to have a pessimistic view of most things in life, I can't help it... but it is so important to have something to look forward to and enjoy despite all the negativity that you can draw from it. You can look at Christmas as a financial burden to some, but there's nothing to say you have to spend "X" amount of dollars, and buy this and that for him and her. It's not supposed to be stressful (although you can very easily fall into the retail racket). The most important thing is to maintain and share the spirit with those close to you because you never really know how many more opportunities you will get to do so. Life is too short not to enjoy times like these with your loved ones.

So in closing, I would like to propose the disassociation of Christmas with the birth of Jesus Christ in an attempt to unite everybody, of all religions, in a celebration of life, love, and appreciation. Get rid of the fucking baby in the barn with the "virgin" and the carpenter... Christians can celebrate that shit in June if they'd like, when Jesus was actually born. They can even take the name if they'd like, I'd prefer a new one anyway... feel free to offer suggestions. Myself, I like "Santamas.”