[at-l] The True Meaning of Christmas

[DaRedhead@aol.com]

Well, I kind of just sat back and got misty-eyed reading that thread.  I 
mean, here you guys are debating the true meaning of christmas, when I know 
what that is.  It was Mom going out on xmas eve to get our tree because they 
were free then, and we didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up.  It 
was Mom always making sure I had one special present, even if it meant going 
without for herself for months before hand.  It is the ornaments we made 
together year after year, always one new "special" one - and knowing that 
this is the first year that I will be putting those ornaments on the tree 
without her - thankful that Cassy at least has last years memory of putting 
them on with "Grandma".  The spirit of Christmas that Mom taught me about led 
me to give away all but one of my presents the year my aunt's house was 
robbed two days before xmas and she had none for my cousins.  It's the smell 
of cookies being baked - and the laughter that always mingled with the 
baking, because Mom and I were no Betty Crockers :)  It was about taking 
clothes and blankets and toys to shelters every year, once Mom became the 
high powered executive she worked to become, and money wasn't an issue 
anymore.  It was about trying to be, during the holidays, a happier, kinder 
person, the kind we wish we were more of thru-out the rest of the year.  Yes, 
for Christians it is about the birth of Christ.  And yes, many of the xmas 
traditions are borrowed from other cultures, including Pagans.  And yes, 
people will always argue about religion unless they happen to belong to the 
exact same one.  But the spirit of Christmas is something that can be taught, 
and shared, in many ways, not just religous ones.  Sharing, giving, caring, 
helping, family, laughter . . . Christmas time is a good time for all of 
that, a time to be together with the people you love, a time to remember that 
while you may not have everything you *want*, if you have love, and your 
family, and good friends, you *do* have everything you *need*.  

Speaking as one who will spend her first Christmas without Mom, and not from 
any religious standpoint - for me, Christmas will always be about Mom, and 
how she always made it special, no matter what she went through to do so, 
because of her love for me, and later, her grandkids.  Whatever motivated 
her, whether it was religion, the birth of Christ, or just the love of seeing 
my happy, wondrous face on Christmas morning . . . who can say?  All I know 
is, I hope I live up to her standards this year, as I try to create the same 
wonderful holiday for my children that she has for us all of these years.  
Money is not abundant for us, but love is.  

So instead of arguing about the meaning of it, pretend it's like hiking.  
Everyone hikes their own hike ideally, right?  And everyone celebrates, or 
doesn't celebrate, xmas in their own way.  And everyone believes, or doesn't 
believe, in it's "true" meaning, and many have other interpretations of the 
"meaning".  So hike your own hike - or in this case - believe in your own 
beliefs.  Don't disparage others.  And if you still have your Mom or Dad in 
your life, tell them how much you love them.  And know that you are lucky.

The Redhead
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