Christmas cheer is more acute now, during the season of Advent, than during the holiday itself, which runs from Christmas Eve on Dec. 24 through Epiphany on Jan. 6. This confused me during my youth and the confusion has lasted into advanced age. While many refer to Dec. 26 (Boxing Day in Canada and England) as the day after Christmas, it’s actually the second day of Christmas. During Advent, we wish eachother Merry Christmas but the greeting seems to cease after Dec. 25.
On a more serious level, the holidays also confused me in my youth in both Catholic school and church as to the Biblical teaching. During Advent, the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are cited regarding the months leading to the birth of Christ. But Advent is also the season in which we are supposed to be in preparation of Christ coming to redeem as an adult, culminating in his baptism in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. (John baptizing Christ is implied in Luke and alluded to in John.)
Were we preparing during Advent for the infant Jesus foretold by Angel Gabriel? Or were we preparing for the adult Jesus foretold by John the Baptist? In time, it was acceptable to me that we were preparing for both, as Advent is somewhat of a duo holiday.
Of course, regarding the holiday celebration itself, nothing is wrong with wishing someone “Merry Christmas” during Advent. But it shouldn’t be discouraged to wish “Merry Christmas” during the Christmas holiday either. And that holiday lasts 12 days. By the way, despite priestly admonitions to the contrary, there is also nothing wrong with the “Happy Holidays” greeting either, as such a greeting is inclusive and hardly a threat to Christendom.
Most employee Christmas parties are held during Advent. And it would be awkward to refer to such celebrations as Advent parties. “Christmas” is a more catchy term than “Advent.” But employees shouldn’t complain when the office party is held between Christmas and New Year’s. Indeed, in centuries past, the Epiphany celebration garnered more participation than had Christmas Day. Indeed, even in recent years, Epiphany in Eastern Christian churches maintains a more significant celebration than does Christmas Day. There is also reference to Twelfth Night in the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol.
Speaking of Dickens and A Christmas Carol, efforts among academia to secularize the tale would be taken as an affront by Dickens himself. Alas, we come to the real problem: Is the undeniable secularization to which Christmas is subjected a sacrilege? It’s not only a fair question, but an important question…with no easy answer.
Incredible as it seems, there are those who resent Christ being central to Christmas. These individuals often exchange gifts, trim the tree, and carve the turkey with enthusiasm. But these same individuals just as often take umbrage at the mere mention of Christ. They become as indignant as Bob Crathchit’s family when the beleaguered clerk proposes a toast to Ebenezer Scrooge (a scene to which the elderly miser is subjected by the Ghost of Christmas Present).
On the other hand, ironic though it may be, it’s not in the spirit of Christmas to exclude atheists and agnostics from the celebration. Many non-believers maintain a serious appreciation for Christmas as a tradition and a tribute to our history. It’s a gesture not unlike those non-believers who receive Communion at funeral masses out of respect for the deceased. And such gestures should be welcome.
Christmas is a time honored ritual not the property of anyone. In a figurative way, we all visit the manger of the Nativity. And the secular impulses the figurative visits contain are as legitimate as the religious. Such impulses include a concern for the homeless, compassion for a mother with child, and a sense of peace (at least in the western world) to be embraced by those who seek peace.
Do we mean it when we say “A Merry Christmas to all?” Or is it limited to those who make a point of going to church on Christmas? Of course, we should keep Christ in mind at Christmas. But Christ implores us to keep everyone in mind. As for Christmas spirit thriving more during Advent than during the actual Christmas holidays, the full holiday is still acknowledged by way of school closure at least through New Year’s and the generosity which continues to abound after Christmas Day.
Keeping Christ in mind is to keep the actual Christmas calendar in mind. This same calendar serves a secular purpose as well. It’s proof that a faith based Christmas can coincide with a secular celebration. And don’t forsake atheists or agnostics. That wouldn’t be Christian.
John O’Neill is an Allen Park freelance writer and a graduate of Wayne State University. He attends St. Mary Magdalen in Melvindale.
