Is Christmas a Change Opportunity for All of Us?

I love Christmas. 

There, I’ve said it.

A fairly observant, traditionally practicing Jew loves Christmas.

KNEE JERK ALERT!

Before the howling mobs of cultural appropriation police descend on me for trying to worm my way into what isn’t mine…before my own co-religionists pillory me for extoling a day associated in our history with violent Anti-Semitism…before you convict me of inauthentic writing—actually a compliment to me as I think authentic means copy/rip-off by definition, and I strive to be real—allow me to explain.

We grew up with a full-on appreciation for this time of year. The decorations, the singing, the actual good cheer that seemed to permeate the atmosphere. We never had Christmas envy…we were happy with our own Holidays. After all, often coinciding, Chanukah is 8 days…and we sing and decorate the hell out of it, but we were taught, or perhaps better stated, allowed to enjoy the season.

Our late Father, a Rabbi as my readers might remember, grew up in a small town in Up-State New York. Until he was sent to religious schools in New York City as a young teenager, he went to the local Public School. And kudos to my late-Grandfather (Russian immigrant who escaped the bloody pogroms of Kiev), he and his siblings were taught to respect other traditions and not be afraid of them. It was okay to enjoy the Tree—it just wasn’t ours.

Our late Mother had a similar upbringing, but in San Francisco. She was a trained singer, from a young age, and besides Opera and the Peter, Paul, and Mary catalogue she taught us as children, she knew all the beautiful Christmas songs (many written by American Jews like Irving Berlin) and even the Carols. 

Growing up, our close friends (and still my younger “brother”) across the street had the biggest Christmas Tree in the neighborhood…they were secular Jews, and we couldn’t wait to get there Christmas morning to see what gifts he had…No religion here, just a cultural time of year.

I loved to go Caroling and would roam Midtown New York and attach myself to groups of revelers singing the traditional songs…still like to sing them…and to this day, we prefer to stay in the city during Christmas, not just to eat Chinese food on Christmas Eve (a story for another time), but to walk the streets…feel the good vibe and see the Tree at Rockefeller Center.

We even went last year…where the crowds were small…but somehow there was an optimism, prevalent, that was missing elsewhere as our fear of Covid grew…not much has changed. No New Normal…remember, dear reader? And we will go this year, too.

All of which leads me to my Christmas thought:

First and foremost, I wish a beautiful and joyous Holiday, despite all the coping and compromises, to all my friends and readers who celebrate. 

And more.

I view December 25 as a day of Global Potential. Let’s be fair…it’s a big day of focus, and why not co-opt the power of all that positive energy and laser it to real universal Goodwill and Peace of all sorts? 

Some suggestions:

1. Use your Social Media for only one thing…share messages of love and peace…I know it sounds hokey, but try it. A picture of your family meal…not the expensive bottle of wine you bought…think about your deep wishes for the year and what will help make the world a better place….No vitriol, just positive messaging. And yes, dear readers… #thinkbeforeyoushare Don’t pass along messages of hate and envy.
2. Help someone in need. Make a donation. Volunteer. When we lived in Atlanta, there was an amazing program I joined called Pinch Hitters…Jews volunteered to take the place of hospital service workers (the food preparers, the janitors) so they could still get their pay and yet go home to be with their families. 
3. I have always been inspired by the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914. Although a lot of it is myth and soldiers were still sadly killed along the front, there were a number of places where the combatants took it into their own hands and just didn’t fight. They sang to each other across the divide of no man's land, and in at least one place they actually played football. One day, they didn’t follow the orders of their “rulers” and leaned into their common humanity. So here is my encouragement…call someone you are angry at or have been fighting with and call a truce. Reach out to smooth over anger. Work on a bad business relationship. Whatever…but extend it…don’t let it be just that one day. Be a catalyst for good change…
4. Smile…good cheer…I know it’s tough under that mask, but I swear to you that a smile is apparent and radiant, even covered up.
5. Get vaccinated…if you are not. Get the booster if you are. And wear your mask in public places…it’s all part of Goodwill towards all, simple as that.

It would seem that December 25 or thereabouts was a day celebrated since the dawn of humanity as it marks the shortest day of the year. 

How about this year we make its effect, on all of us, last longer—the longest in fact—by taking on goodwill and making it our own?

I leave you with this simple gesture of goodwill in action. I just received a text from my son-in-law while he visited his local Starbucks. “I tried to pay, and the barista told me that someone came in earlier in the day and bought a 200 gift card for whoever came in. So we got Gemma’s bagel, drink and my coffee for free!!!!”

My best to all who celebrate…have a blessed day…and to all the rest of us…Enjoy and #changetheworld