The Meaning of Christmas
I saw a meme the other day, one of those bell curves with the idiot on one end, the genius on the other, and between them the frustrated midwit. The genius and the idiot both agreed that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday, whereas the midwit is saying “It’s about the Winter Solstice.” As usual the idiot needs no explanation for his belief, while the genius offers a purported historical proof. I like this meme format, but in this case I think it’s wrong.
Christmas is Jesus’ birthday AND it’s about the Winter Solstice. The idea that these would be in conflict reflects the unfortunate anti-nature attitude and bias that has been with Christianity, and many other religions, almost from their inception. “Jesus is God and God is supernatural. The Winter Solstice is just part of nature, and nature is fallen, so who cares.” The Founding Fathers were closer to the mark when they appealed to “the God of Nature” in their writings.
The celebration of the birth of Christ is the celebration of the Incarnation, the infusion of the divine into nature and life. Whether you view it as a one-time event in history or an ongoing process or a metaphor for something that happens in the life of each person, the point is that with the Incarnation, nature becomes an extension and a reflection of God. If you are a Christian, you believe that nature was fallen but was redeemed by Christ. If you are a pagan, you believe that nature was always an extension and reflection of the divine. Either way, it’s time to celebrate the divinity of nature. This is why it doesn’t matter if Christmas trees and Santa are pagan. So what? Christianity appropriated them—“Behold, I make all things new.”
The Winter Solstice represents rebirth in the midst of death. Almost everyone all over the world loves Christmas, even in places where the people are not Christian. It is, I think, the most life-affirming holiday in the Christian tradition. The gift-giving aspect tends to bring out the best in people. We are to be magnanimous, because nature is magnanimous. The God of nature “makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.”
So Merry Christmas to you and yours on this blessed holy day.
