Why Should We Still Say Merry Christmas

If you are a Christian then Christmas already means something to you.

What if you aren’t a Christian?

Maybe you are a member of one of the 100 plus religions and faiths identified in the last Australian census.

Maybe you have no religious beliefs at all.

December 25th corresponds to the date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar. For Christians, believing that God came into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity, rather than knowing Jesus’ exact birth date, is considered to be the primary purpose in celebrating Christmas.

Now according to the History Channel, winter has always been a time of celebration—even before the arrival of Jesus.

“Many peoples rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.”

However, when Christianity first began, the idea of Jesus’ birth wasn’t even celebrated—Easter was the main holiday. That all changed in the fourth century when church officials decided to make Jesus’ birthday a holiday.

Interestingly the Bible doesn’t mention a specific birth date.

So, what connection is there between the Winter Solstice and Christmas? It seems that Pope Julius I is the man who chose December 25 as THE day.

Why is that so? He never recorded his reason but it is believed that the church wanted the holiday to fall around the time of the winter solstice festivals to increase the chances that it would gain popularity.

Well if that is the reason – it worked!

According to the last Australian census 52.1% of Australians classify themselves Christian and, the number is constantly dropping.

So why celebrate Christmas? 

Christmas is indeed a time of the year when there is great excitement, especially for children, a lot of money is spend, good for the economy, a lot of waste is generated, not good for the environment and, even if for just a day, people feel more together than ever.

Yet Christmas can be a sad time as well. Families and partners break up, and there are many lonely people at Christmas. However thanks to the love and generosity of many social welfare organisations like the Salvation Army and Uniting, as just two examples of the many – A great number of Australians give up their Christmas or part of it, to make sure those who might miss out – don’t.

This year we are plagued by horrendous fires and many of our fellow Australians will forgo some or most of Christmas to make sure their neighbours, their friends, their fellow Australians are kept safe, as they fight the bushfires.

These two examples typify what we ALL as Australians are.

We have faults, many faults and few if any of us live blameless lives.

But we do the best we can, and if Christmas means that on one day we can pause and believe that despite all the terrible things that we witness locally, nationally and internationally do not define us, but rather, it is the goodness and charity in our hearts that define us – then Christmas has achieved a wonder.

If you are of a religious faith and you celebrate Christmas as a religious celebration,  then you continue a tradition that has a long history.

If you are not of a Christian faith or any faith, then we hope you celebrate Christmas, regardless of what you call it – because we need this time to pause, reflect on those who are dearest to us – family, friends and colleagues.

We need it as a time to be together, to share stories, exchange gifts of love and to feel a sense of community.

When we say Merry Christmas – we are saying many things! 

So, we at the Toorak Times, staff, regular contributors and casual contributors, wish you ALL a Merry Christmas and hope you reach out and touch just one person.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and STAY SAFE

Rob Greaves – Senior Editor