Everyday Canvas

December 25

Prompt: What does Holiday spirit mean to you? Are you sad to see Christmas end? MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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Yes, Merry Christmas!

Yet, I am not too sure about the clarity of the phrase holiday spirit. If by "holiday spirit" people mean love, goodwill among people, peace on earth, and respect for every living thing, shouldn't this concept be more widespread, like year round and all the time, than just on one holiday? Yet, if holiday spirit means good feeling for the holidays or in other words, feeling happy because of a holiday, the phrase is more rational, but doesn't it diminish the value of the word "spirit"?

Coming to December 25 or Christmas, the way we understand it today, it is a religious holiday, but then, it was always a religious holiday from the start.

"In the Roman world, the Saturnalia starting on December 17 extending toward the end of the month was a time of merrymaking and exchanging of gifts. The celebrations began with a sacrifice and continued with a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival atmosphere that overturned Roman social norms: gambling was permitted, and masters provided table service for their slaves. The poet Catullus called it 'the best of days.' " *According to John F. Miller, Roman Holidays, in the Oxford Encyclopedia.

December 25 was also regarded as the birth-date of the Iranian mystery god Mithra, the Sun of Righteousness.

Later on, the birth-date of Christ was attributed to this date. Whether, Christ was really born on this date or not, it doesn't matter. It has been a custom, at one time or another, to appoint a date as a birth-date to someone whose true birth-date is iffy or unknown. That we consider December 25 as the birth-date of Christ is fine with me.

As to sad or happy feelings about Christmas's ending, I am not sad at all, because each Christmas is a milestone. As in driving, when we pass each milestone, we feel good that we are on our way. The exciting part of Christmas is in the getting ready for the holiday: the decorations, thinking about each other while we buy or make gifts, cookies, food, tinsel, music…the whole package.

Besides, within a week of Christmas, comes the New Year, celebrated by everyone on earth, which makes each New Year's Eve a grand festivity in itself, hoping to add to the meaning of peace and goodwill among all people of our planet.