Xmas Mush

Gratefully we are well beyond the tiresome barrage of Christmas (show) business, and the extreme sentimentalization of Christ's birth. There is a lot of hokus pocus here, especially within the realm of the "historical Jesus." Be that is at may, we desperately need holidays, time to give and unwind, but it seems we are due for an overhaul with this one, not just the continuation of what has developed.

I have a couple of humble suggestions. First of all, seek to recreate this holiday with your own beliefs and needs. Resist those who would program you into a continuation of what has become an outrageous rerun of earlier, unacceptable versions. It may be that the extreme Christianizing of Christ and Santa Klas (and other accoutrement's) can be either dispensed with or minimized.

There is a considerable body of music, literature and lore which can be enjoyed in lieu of the tired old, worn out Rudolphs, hymns, customs and commercial off shoots. For example there are Christmas Concertos (Corelli?) and other beautiful seasonal music (Vivaldi) that could be well employed. The marvelous seasonal tales of Truman Capote and Dylan Thomas give a great uplift as well as mixing in the richness of other cultures.

I do not mean to suggest that we necessarily strip Christmas of Christ, or any of the like. But it would be wise to remember that this poignant time of the year (eg. Solstice and the other historical events which make late December latent with meaning and potential celebration) be respected in a larger sense. After all, it wasn't for no reason that the time of Christ's birth was moved to December (other times elsewhere), yes? Good luck with it this year, you've got some time to put it together.