Thursday, December 22, 2016

The Reason For The Season

Happy holidays! What? I didn't say, "Merry Christmas!" I must be a part of the supposed war on Christmas. You can't tell but my eyes are rolling deep into the back of my head. The Christmas season brings about wonderful things. It's a time of giving, a time for family, and a time for so many to get extremely butt-hurt if the Starbucks barista didn't wish them a merry Christmas. To some, there is a war declared on Christmas but Christ is the reason for the season so everyone needs to back the F off and leave our Christian holiday alone! I have no problem with celebrating Christmas. What I do have a problem with is when these Christians assert things that are actually false and then act like a dick to someone who was just trying to wish them a happy holiday season no matter what they believe.

First of all, Christmas is not the only holiday observed in the month of December. When companies ask their employees to wish people "Happy holidays," they are not declaring war on Christians or Christmas. These companies realize that there are consumers who celebrate Christmas, Hanuka, Kwanzaa, etc. and they don't want to exclude anyone so hence asking employees to say the "happy holidays," line instead of just "Merry Christmas," which some may not celebrate.

But Jesus Christ is the REASON for the SEASON! Well, sort of, but honestly the reason for the season was technically the sun not the Son. The first mention of December 25th being called Christmas occurred in A.D. 324. Before that December 25th was a Roman holiday called, "Dies Natali Invitus" or "The Birth of the Unconquered." It was the birthday of the Roman sun god. Well it's Jesus' birthday too! Actually, not at all. We don't actually know the day the Jesus was born but we know what month and it wasn't December but rather September. So how did a day honoring the birthday of the Roman sun god become the day we celebrate the birthday of Jesus who wasn't even born in December? Well, in A.D. 323 Emperor Constantine made Christianity the state religion of Rome. On a side note, that's an extremely interesting fact considering the Romans persecuted and killed Christians the previous 200-some years. Another side note, Christianity becoming the state religion was not a good thing for either the state and especially not the religion. Back to Christmas though... After Christianity became the state religion all the pagan holidays were renamed and re-branded and December 25th went from the birthday of the sun to the birthday of the Son.

So Christmas' roots are just as pagan as Halloween, a holiday so many Christians boycott because it's pagan roots. Irony. So what is my point? Everyone needs to get over themselves. People who get offended by someone wishing them a merry Christmas, get over yourself! People who get offended by someone wishing them happy holidays, get over yourself! People who yell that Jesus is the reason for the season, get over yourself! Everyone need to move on and just get over it! If you want to chose to throw Jesus a birthday party on December 25th, who cares? Go for it! If you want to celebrate the winter solstice, who cares? Go for it! You are not better than the one who thinks opposite of you. So get over it, move on, have a merry Christmas, and happy holidays!