Well, dear readers, Dec. 25 is only a few days away now. It’s getting down to the wire, in terms of making sure you’ve gotten a gift for every person on your list.
I know I still have a few purchases to make. Yes, I know. I’m cutting it close. I take comfort in the fact that thousands of others with loose ends to tie up will be joining me at local malls and stores over the next couple days.
I really like Christmas. I like the hustle and the bustle, the carols, the food (especially the sweets). I’m not so big on the crowds or the stress of trying to get checkmarks next to each item on the gift list, but nothing is worthwhile without a little sacrifice.
Confession time: I’m not great at purchasing gifts. Some people are incredible at it, always seeming to find just the right present, one that delights as much as it surprises. I try to achieve that, I really do, but somehow I never quite get there.
But as I said, when it comes to the holiday season, I’m a fan. Yes, I love the decorations and the music and all the associated trappings. I love tearing into a stack of presents, don’t get me wrong. However, that’s not really why I love Christmas.
The glitter and tinsel is really just that: glitter and tinsel, nice but unnecessary. No, my appreciation for the holiday season is a bit more complicated. And, perhaps strangely, it’s connected to my love of science. No fooling.
This is going to sound pretty cheesy, but what I love about Christmas is what Christmas is there to remind us of; its ultimate message.
Despite its Christian associations and its pagan origin, the Christmas message transcends cultures and ethnicities. It’s a message that works if you’re Christian or Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist, Wiccan or otherwise. It’s a message even atheists like I am can get behind, one that speaks to that human capacity to strive, to hope, to act and to reflect.
To me, that message has always been best summed up in the simple phrase: It’s better to give than to receive. The quote, attributed by the Apostle Paul to Jesus Christ (who was possibly chastising religious leaders of his day for the practice of tithing), might find its origins in the Christian Bible, but it gets to the root of, I think, a central element of what it means to be human.
We are gregarious creatures, social animals. Our success as a species can be chalked up, at least in part, to our capacity to empathize, to put ourselves in another’s shoes, to see ourselves and our own wants and needs reflected in others. In short, to feel what another person is feeling and to act accordingly.
Altruism, the practice of sacrificing one’s own needs for the good of another or the group, is not unique to humans. Many other animals exhibit altruism, but only we talk about it and celebrate it. Only we have ritualized it.
That capacity to put individual needs aside for the good of another or of the group is a big reason we’ve been so successful. If the trait didn’t help us in some way, evolution would have weeded it out by now, so it follows there must be some benefit conferred by having the capacity to act selflessly.
That genetic predisposition to altruism is the source of so many good human qualities: charity, sensitivity, sympathy, generosity, kindness even.
As much as it is a Christian celebration, Christmas in Western countries has grown into a secular ceremonial celebration of ritualized altruism, of selflessnes, of giving, of that tendency for individual human beings to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.
That’s the very spirit of giving, isn’t it?
Christians can and will continue to celebrate Dec. 25 as the birth of their savior, but the wonderful thing about the holiday is, regardless of your religious or spiritual bent, you can take part in the Christmas tradition in a purely non-religious way and still benefit from the message: Joy can be found in another’s happiness; share your wealth; charity is its own reward; community and family are the foundations of life; in short, giving is better than receiving.
Christian or Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist, Wiccan or atheist — it really doesn’t matter in what way you take part in the Christmas tradition. Ultimately, what you are celebrating is one of humanity’s best qualities, and by extension, celebrating what it means to be human.
And that’s a celebration everyone should be able to get behind.
Mark Gentili is the managing editor of Sudbury.com and Northern Life.
