Merry Christmas

I don’t know whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, or another holiday. I celebrate Christmas because that is the day we celebrate as the birth of Christ. I respect other religions and their traditions and beliefs. I expect the same respect for my traditions and beliefs.

Obviously, I have no problem with public displays of the Nativity scene. Since the United States is mostly a Christian nation, public displays of religious symbols such as the Nativity should be expected at Christmas time. If someone requests to have another display, such as a menorah, or something to represent Kwanzaa (I apologize, I don’t know enough to know what an appropriate symbol would be), next to or near the Nativity, I have no problem with it. I do have a problem when someone says that a symbol of another faith is appropriate, but a Christian symbol, such as the Nativity, is not. That’s discriminatory. And I would feel the same way if a community refused a Menorah when a Nativity is displayed. Wrong is wrong no matter which symbol is being refused.

I recently read that Santa Claus himself was outlawed (sorry, I can’t remember where) as a Christian symbol. Huh? Santa is not a religious symbol. Santa is a symbol of goodwill, generosity, and love to all children in all nations. There is nothing political or religious about Santa. Jews who celebrate Hanukah also give their children Christmas gifts from Santa Claus (or at least some of the Jews I know do).

A neighborhood association near where I live has advised that homeowners are not to put displays out at all. The association has approved luminaries, and any other display will result in a visit from the Association (gasp! horrors! The Association!) I usually don’t pay attention to homeowner association rules, but this one brought out the white trash redneck in me. Remember the Roseanne episode where the Conner’s decorated with the tackiest Christmas decorations they could find? That’s how I felt on reading the article.

I understand the why. This is an upscale neighborhood and they want the decorations to be “appropriate” to the neighborhood. I really do understand. I wouldn’t want my $250K house next to a house decorated by Roseanne in her white trash mode. But, I also don’t want to live in a neighborhood where every house looks exactly alike. If I want to put out a Nativity scene or Santa and the Reindeer, I should be able to do so on my own property.

So, whether you decorate with a nativity, simple lights, a nativity, Menorah's in the window. or no decorations at all, I hope you have a wonderful, peaceful, joy-filled Christmas.

Merry Christmas to All!