Maria Miller

Editor-in-Chief

     Humans are creatures of habit, by default.  We slip into patterns of life like pieces in a jigsaw.  So when the weather starts getting cold, our inner souls begin to crave hot chocolate, chestnuts roasting on open fires, and fuzzy mittens.  No matter how many years go by, we still enjoy the sameness of the holidays - the same songs, foods, and stories.  It's a time for remembering the ties that bind people together - but not without several pieces of Grandma's chocolate pie. 

     However, with the marshmallow feelings - perhaps with not as much enthusiasm - comes the never-ending discussion on the morals of several Christmas traditions.  People gripe and groan about the origins of the Christmas tree, taking the “Christ” out of Christmas, commercialism, and Santa Claus. 

    Like every year when Christmas rolls around, the commercial industry will be just that: commercial.  The industries see the market for Christmas and will advertise for it until kingdom come - or at least Valentine's Day.  Religious peoples will continue to argue over whose symbols belong where and in what form.  St. Nicholas will continue to give presents to families who allow him in the house.  So my question is, why do we continue to be bothered? We could just as easily be sitting down by the fire with a good book, a baby cousin, and some chocolate chip cookies enjoying the season. 

    In the 1965 film “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Charlie Brown's question: “Isn't there anyone out there who can tell me what Christmas is all about?” is a thought-provoking one.  The immediate and most obvious answer would be that Christ's birth is what Christmas is all about.  But when we take a moment and think about the Christmas season as a whole, we see the true magic of Christmas: it's a smorgasbord of religious and cultural traditions.  All of the stories, the songs, foods, and symbols - both religious and pagan - represent what the holiday season has meant to people all over the world.  In this special season, we see the beauty of the human experience - sharing traditions from generation to generation. 

    So this year, think about enjoying the season as a whole - not just where Christians celebrate Christ's birth, reindeer hooves pound the roofs, or Buddy the Elf spreads Christmas cheer, but as the endless collection of memories and traditions that people have enjoyed in ages past.  That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.