Rituals like Christmas, it must be remembered, are the products of the past. These rituals bind us to the past. Do we want to be bound to the past, or do we want to look to the future? Christmas, in particular, stems from an ancient celebration/exhortation of the return of the sun for the new year in many pre-Christian cultures, primitive cultures, I might add. The reality is that every new year celebrated also is a year closer to our death. In light of that reality, I think jolly fat men in red could be replaced by sober men in black. My practice at Christmas is not based in disdain for fellowship and good will, when I refuse to engage in materialistic symbolism. My practice at Christmas is actually based in the observation of all mortality, renewal of spirit and the celebration the exemplary human ability to cooperate in peace, even in a time dominated by those who prosper by hatred and war.
