Opinion: Remember the spirit of the season

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on December 24, 2019.

jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel

A common trope in pop culture this time of year is “the true meaning of Christmas.”

With consumer culture turning the holiday season into a shopping frenzy, it’s easy for us to lose sight of what actually matters.

So what does Christmas, or the holiday season writ large, mean?

It’s about people coming together, caring for and loving one another, regardless of whether one attributes any religious significance to the holidays or not.

This is of particular value for the mot vulnerable among us, who are far too often forgotten about the rest of the year.

The spirit of the holiday season was on display last week with Project Rainbow’s holiday dinner potluck, which was organized by the city’s LGBTQ community but open to all.

The goal was “to fight alienation and the community,” giving LGBTQ Hatters and their allies somewhere to celebrate where they don’t have to be worried about being accepted by their families.

“We don’t make the dinner queer-specific. Anybody who needs a hot meal is welcome,” said Project Rainbow’s Caelan Hart.

Medicine Hat’s small but mighty Jewish community held a Hannukah gathering, which was likewise open to any and all.

It was hosted at the Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church in a wonderful display of interfaith solidarity.

And, of course, the Kiwanis Club hosts its annual Christmas Day dinner (although it occurs around lunchtime) for those who have nowhere to go for the holidays, although again, it’s open to anyone and everyone.

The point is it doesn’t matter which holiday you celebrate, nor whether the intent is religious or secular in nature, the spirit of the season is the same – to celebrate our shared humanity.

After all, we’re really celebrating the winter solstice and, therefore, nature – something that’s common to us all.

Sometimes that sentiment can become obscured.

In a seemingly annual tradition, the Sun newspaper chain published an editorial entitled “Let’s say Merry Christmas loud and proud to everyone.”

Although the editorial correctly acknowledges the rhetoric of a “war on Christmas” you hear out of the States is overblown, it suggests there’s some sort of stigma surrounding the greeting of “Merry Christmas.”

But does anybody really care how they’re greeted for the holidays? Is anyone actually being accused of intolerance for saying “Merry Christmas?”

As a born-and-raised Jew, it’s nice when people wish me “Happy Hannukah.” It’s also nice when people say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays.” The meanings are interchangeable.

This manufactured outrage about how we greet each other in the holiday season only serves to detract from what matters this time of year – the sense of charity, justice and warmth that spreads throughout the human race.

Now, if only we could extend the spirit of love, acceptance and caring for the downtrodden to the rest of the year.

(Jeremy Appel is a News reporter. You can contact him by email at jappel@medicinehatnews.com)