What I Don’t Like About Christmas

I grew up in a home where we didn’t celebrate Christmas. We had the High Holy Days in early fall, Hanukah during the winter, and Passover in the Spring. Judaism is rich with holidays, rituals, and culture. I don’t need Christmas. 

With that said, one annoying aspect of the Christmas holiday is caroling. Churches form groups of singers roving malls and neighborhoods proselytizing their belief by singing songs like “Joy to the World,” “Silent Night,” and “O Come All Ye Faithful”—songs heralding the coming of the messiah. According to Jewish belief, the messiah hasn’t yet made his/her appearance. Some believe the messiah is you, me, and the lady next door; for we all are capable of saving each other. 

Don’t get me started on the commercialism of Christmas. I remember the time when Christmas promotions didn’t begin until Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Not anymore. I’ve been seeing X-Mas displays in stores as early as Halloween, and a few shops like to decorate a store window in the summer declaring a “Christmas in August” sale. And to pay for the expensive gifts, families take out loans to ensure every family member gets a wondrous gift; and they will spend the rest of the year paying it back, with interest. Does that make sense?

The only thing that makes sense is Christmas in August. Theologians have long agreed Jesus wasn’t born in December, but probably during the summer during the reign of Herod. In the New Testament the authors tell us about the shepherds tending their sheep while the animals grazed. During the winter in Israel, it is too cold for sheep to graze and the grass is frosty and brown. Early Christians promoted a December holiday to grab the attention of pagans celebrating the Winter Solstice. It was a smart move. The Christian church embraced certain pagan customs—decorated trees, caroling, kissing under the mistletoe, and gift giving. 

Many believe the practice of gift giving during Christmas comes from the Biblical story of three wise men giving the baby Jesus gold, frankincense, and myrrh. However, the tradition can be traced to the Romans who gave gifts during the Roman festival of Saturnalia to honor the god Saturn around mid-December.

Lastly, I don’t like Christmas because of the trees. One day, while driving past a Christmas tree lot in early December, my wife started to cry. I stopped the car and asked, “What’s wrong?” 

She pointed to the lot and signed, “Those innocent trees. They are harvested for Christmas and after the New Year are discarded like last night’s rubbish.” She cried some more for the trees and then became angry. “It’s disgusting!” 

I must admit, however, as a public-school teacher, I always enjoyed the Christmas break. The season is filled with family gatherings—always a good thing—and people tend to express their love for each other this time of year. (Why they can’t do this all year long is my big question.) And of course, the community celebration is heartwarming as well as the wide-eyed children anticipating Santa’s visit. 

For those who do celebrate, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Michael Thal is the author of The Abduction of Joshua Bloom.