We are all very excited about the upcoming holidays. Our presents are packed (and most of them shipped / delivered), the tree and lights are up and decorated, we’ve made cookies, and we’ve dove headfirst into the Winter Season media: The Grinch, Bing Crosby, Ultra Lounge, Muppet Christmas, etc.
The thing is, although all of this looks like the holiday we commonly refer to as “Christmas”, it’s really not. Our family celebrates the Winter Solstice – the astronomical event occurring between the 20th and 25th each year, where the Sun is at its lowest azimuth and the day is the shortest.
Historically speaking, people have been celebrating Solstice for CENTURIES (I would even venture to say “millenia”), and many of the traditions that we all know and love (tree, gifts, Santa, etc.) all have secular / pagan origins. But what bugs me is this whole “War on Christmas” thing that’s all the rage in the media right now. It’s just plain silly, and it’s mountains from molehills. I want to discuss two topics here: Why the “War on Christmas” is ridiculous, and why (and “how”) we celebrate Winter Solstice.