As I bring this year’s December Dilemma Watch to a close, I have to say that 2007 will not go down as a banner year in the history of the Christmas wars. There were no freedom-of-religion (or freedom-from-religion) lawsuits that grabbed national headlines, no flood of boycotts of major retailers because those stores wished people “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas,” no barrage of books and specials hosted by television news commentators decrying the tragic decline of the rights of religious people in America.
Could it be that the days of such squabbles are behind us?
Probably not–for two reasons. One is that those who want to fan flames can always find flames to fan; even this year, there was, as you’ve read in this blog, a smattering of holiday struggles. The second is that a new iteration of the December Dilemma arose this year, and it is not likely to disappear in Decembers to come.
This new debate is less about the rights of Americans to practice their faith in public, and more about the spiritual implications of an American consumer culture that feels to many to be directly at odds with the religious meaning of the December holidays.
Jews have witnessed the festival of Hanukkah, which celebrates the resistance to assimilation of Judah Maccabee and his army, transform into a holiday that resembles Christmas in the proliferation of themed decorations and gift-giving. But for Christians, the issue hits even deeper, because unlike Hanukkah, Christmas is a major religious festival, one of the most significant of the Christian liturgical year.
The holiday is celebrated with the language of giving, but many Christians feel disappointed that the concept of lovingly offering a gift as a way to connect to a friend or family member, not to mention the larger idea of giving of yourself to make the world a better place, is easily lost amid the marketing campaigns that suggest that an electronic gadget or expensive bauble is the true spirit of the season.
And this is where the December Dilemma has landed. Very few people want to give up altogether, in the name of being more “spiritual,” the fun of holiday gift-giving, not to mention party hosting, card sending, and house decorating. Nor should they–these traditions are the stuff of memories for families and communities. But many are wrestling with the idea of how much is “enough,” how they can slow down their lives to truly connect with the reason for the celebration, and how they can re-infuse meaning into this sacred time of year.
What a valuable conversation to have, and what a relief from the rancor of previous years’ Christmas wars. In those quarters, all is calm, all is bright for Christmas 2007. But may 2008 continue to bring out more insightful, more thoughtful conversations about not only how we practice religion in our free society, but why we do.