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Have Yourself a Non-Capitalist Christmas

I'm pretty tired of the commercial aspects of the holiday season being shoved down my throat. I figure I'll refresh my spirit and look up some great old traditions pre-dating the Christian celebration.

By Delise FantomePublished 5 years ago 6 min read
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Photo by Mira Kemppainen on Unsplash

Christmas is a worldwide holiday, known as a time of cheer and family.

I haven't really seen it as that in a long time though? I do see, however, tons of adds from big stores lauding great deals for toys and decorations to be the bigger, better Christmas celebration from the time the clock hits 12:00 a.m. on November 1st. That's all it is, for two months up until the actual celebration. Get more light-up deer, get a huge tree, get tons of presents, BUY TONS OF THINGS.

Look. I'm poor, I'm a cynic in this chaotic, sometimes feral society of ours, and I've lost some faith in the good intentions of this holiday. Not to say I disagree with the spirit of the holiday... just the practices. I figured some others might be that way too, but just don't know any other way to go about this season. Lucky for you, I did a bit of research to save us all the trouble.

What did we even DO before Christmas?

So Christmas is named such mostly because it's when the Christian faith believes Jesus Christ was born. The holiday is technically a birthday celebration of the one they heralded as a Messiah, the son of God.

Not everyone followed the Christian faith however, truly the religion is one of the younger ones if we can call it that. There were many other societies who either didn't partake in Christianity or had already had winter celebrations to enjoy while all this was going on. Many people might be familiar with the term Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. There are many celebrations and traditions tied to the term that acknowledge the longest night, death and rebirth being connotations associated with the event.

My Harry Potter fans will definitely know about Yule. It wasn't some celebration JK Rowling just made up, it's a real celebration from ancient Germanic people, really just another term for Winter Solstice and it's celebration of the rebirth of the sun. Scholars also connect it to celebrations for the wild hunt and the Norse god Odin.

Doesn't Christmas Have Better Traditions?

In reality, Christmas adopted many traditions from pagan celebrations like the Winter Solstice, or Yule. Let's take a look at some Christmas time traditions that come from rituals far older:

  • Mistletoe—It was a decoration years ago, but its meaning was different. Used during Roman celebrations of the winter, it was more commonly known as a deadly plant from an old Norse myth which saw Loki use it to kill Baldur after it was prophesied he would perish. It was not known in the more modern romantic context until centuries later in the 18th century, though no one is quite sure where the shift came from or why it happened.
  • Christmas lights—Not the tiny little bulbs on strings we wrap around our houses and trees exactly, but using light to decorate our spaces came up long before Christmas. In Yule or Winter Solstice ancient people would light bonfires and candles to remind themselves that the longest night would end and the sun would return joyously.
  • Gift Giving—For a long time, gifts were actually something to be given and received on New Year's, not during the solstice time or Christmas. The Roman's offered gift exchanges during their winter celebration called Saturnalia, which lasted a week.
  • December 25th—Now commonly known as the day Jesus was born, that wasn't decided upon until fairly recently in relation to the holiday's history. This chosen date is more in line with the Winter Solstice celebration which many ancient cultures celebrated from anywhere within the week of December 21-26.
  • Evergreens—Christians have the monopoly on bringing in Christmas trees to decorate and adorn as far as I'm aware, but they weren't the first to think about bringing in some sweet smelling embellishments provided by the earth. Pagan cultures often hung branches of evergreens around their house, just like with mistletoe or holly, because evergreens... like the name implies... stayed green.

A lot of other traditions are sort of combinations between paganism and Christianity, but it is interesting to note where some of our activities come from. It's also important to remember that Winter Solstice also meant the end of harvest season, essentially. The ground was cold and frozen, meaning nothing more would grow until spring. Without the need to tend to fields all day long, people had a lot more time to themselves to do things like celebrate their religion or enjoy time with family and friends. That's where many of the traditions like the festivals, feasts, and other frivolities came in. We see the effects of these still, as many people consider this time of year the perfect time to really kick back and party.

That's nice and all... but get to the point.

Christ, alright. Listen, my point is that Christmas didn't start off as this monetized bonanza that it's seemed to become in recent decades. It's the careful chimera of old traditions and spiritual ways. So maybe talk to your friends and family about doing something a little different in terms of gifts.

Challenge each other to create things rather than buy them; gifts like cloth dolls, scarves, hats, paintings, etc. For example, I have a dear friend whose favorite Disney princess is Belle, so I could do something like paint a scene from the movie for her, or knit a gold hat and attach a rose at the top instead of a little pom-pom.

Decorate your house like you were an evergreen witch instead of a gingerbread man. Instead of flashy tinsel and ornaments, you could instead buy ribbons of colors for the Winter Solstice like red, white, and green. Make herb bundles that include holly sprigs and some evergreen needles, and place those on shelves or doorways around your home.

Look up old traditions from the days of the Winter Solstice celebrations. Rather than a Christmas dinner, you might want to have a bonfire like they used to. Or just light a ton of candles and hand them to your friends in pretty candle holders/lanterns. Say a farewell to the darkness and sing a greeting to the new morning as the sun rises, signalling the return of longer days ahead.

Have a three day feast. With meats, and wines, and fruits and bards. Get like, five bards. Play a continuous game of Dungeons and Dragons, winter edition, and make sure to have a tag out to play when you need to sleep or go elsewhere. It doesn't stop until they take the entire kingdom over. When the three days are over and you still have left over food, get your friends to help take them to the local food banks or make your own holiday bundles to give to those who are truly in need.

Instead of Santa Clause, celebrate Krampus! He knows good and well waiting for coal isn't enough to stop naughty children these days, but some good old fashioned horror movie-esque scares would do.

No matter what you do during the holiday, the important thing is to do it with a full heart and a sincere demeanor. If you're like me and noticed that over the years you've become that boring adult from the Christmas movies that the kids had to make believe again... don't wait for some brat to teach you what you already know. Go out, do it, live it! Reclaim the magic of the season in your heart, and it will grow to become the magic that is present in every day of your life even beyond Christmas or Yule. That's really I want for the holidays. For me and you.

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About the Creator

Delise Fantome

I write about Halloween, music, movies, and more! Boba tea and cheesecake are my fuel. Let's talk about our favorite haunts and movies on Twitter @ThrillandFear

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