Large Fierce Mammal

“We plunged into the cornucopia quivering with desire and the ecstasy of unbridled avarice.” ~ Adult Ralphie narrating about diving with his brother into the gifts under the Christmas tree, A Christmas Story (1983)

Winter Solstice at Stonehenge 2005 (Chris Young photo)

Today is the very day I talked about yesterday – the Winter Solstice is upon us and tomorrow the sun begins once again to ascend the sky, bringing with it the promise of renewal with each lengthening day. We humans like to believe that celestial events such as this only have meaning if their significance can be recognized within the context of mythology, but go no further than your own  back yard and you will see how fundamentally the season of winter, its onset heralded by shortened daylight hours and cooling temperatures, influences every other living thing. In truth, the existence of the Winter Solstice has influenced all life on this planet since long before there were humans to recognize it.

Most recent of the major religions to adopt the Winter Solstice as a focal point is Christianity, with the festival of Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Biblical scholars differ on the actual timing of Christ’s birth, but the general consensus is that it was nowhere near the 25th of December, and much historical evidence points to the date having more to do with making it easier for Christian practices to mesh with those already in use by people targeted for conversion. This is a time tested practice for spreading religious convictions that was in use long before anyone ever heard of Jesus Christ, and facilitates relatively peaceful assimilation with minimal blood shed, at least none when anybody is looking.

While in North America we have a broad spectrum of thriving and vibrant non-Christian systems of spiritual understanding and practice that energize their own festive celebrations at this time of year, we live with a peculiarly feverish secular seasonal phenomenon that bears the same name as  the Christian festival. While I will not accept any shred of truth inherent in the trite expression, “Jesus is the reason for the season”, because he isn’t, I will accept the moral truth in a rewording to read, “Jesus is the reason I celebrate the season”. That’s not my reason, but if it’s yours then you should feel that way. Another often heard saying is, “Let’s put Christ back in Christmas”, and that one I have no problems with, as long as the person employing it sincerely adheres to Christian beliefs, and is therefore expressing their righteous outrage at the way enterprise has so successfully usurped the entire affair. Or rather, has been permitted to do so, because it’s not like the marketing moguls staged a hostile takeover.

The meaning of Christmas in the minds of most North Americans is a miracle of brand consciousness. In the same way that every facial tissue gets unthinkingly referred to as a “Kleenex”, and all ASA tablets are spoken of as “Aspirin”, the shopping, partying, drinking, eating, and gift exchanging season of debauchery that first rears its head as soon as Hallowe’en is out of the way is called Christmas, even by non-Christians who have their own observances. No bloody wonder there’s confusion in the ranks of the Great Unwashed.

For my own part, I don’t believe there should be hints of Christmas ornamentation in stores any sooner than the 12th of November, the day after Remembrance Day, and yet as I picked up some groceries at the local Superstore on the afternoon of this past Hallowe’en, I found bargain bins full of Hallowe’en clearance items, their places on shelves taken by a glittering assortment of Christmas trimmings. The entire scene was rendered all the more incongruous by the staff member breezing by them, dressed as a witch.

There is much of true value to be found in this season, as there has always been, but you won’t find it by letting the din that’s hell bent on leaving you exhausted, hung over, and broke on the first day of January drown it out.

If the Winter Solstice came to a forest clearing in the middle of nowhere, and nobody was there to notice, would it still have happened? You bet your ass it would.