I'm going to my first Christmas Party tonight. Actually, it's called a Festivus Party so that everyone feels involved, and I agree with that title. I celebrate Christmas, though, so I'm calling it a Christmas party. Actually, an Xmas party.
Several years ago I wrote a commentary for CBC Radio expressing my distaste for Christmas. As someone who has never used the holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, I thought it was cheapening the occasion to use the day as an excuse to covet consumer electonics and drink far too much. And, of course, there is the annual argument over whether Christmas trees, etc, alienate people of other faiths.
Anyway, to make a long story short, I proposed that we all celebrate Xmas. Xmas could become a state-sanctioned event. Christians, the ones who want to use the time to throw a birthday party for Jesus, still can celebrate that way. Muslims and Jews and whoever else can still celebrate whatever they want to celebrate. But everyone, religious people and otherwise, can celebrate Xmas, because Xmas doesn't mean anything, it's just a day for fun and gifts and a reason to hold parties for 20 days straight and dance with people you're not supposed to dance with.
So, the 19 days of Xmas begin today.