Tomorrow is Christmas, the day in which a large portion of Christianity has chosen to celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth more than 2000 years ago, despite the fact that from the best evidence, He was likely born in early March. :) But it is a celebration, not an anniversary, and the date was chosen to coincide with other celebrations of renewal and new hope.

Regardless of one's religious beliefs and affiliations, one sees that Christianity's vision of peace and love as preached by Jesus has influenced the world, through successes but also many times through the failure of that vision embodied by its followers.

Those failures, and what human institution does not have failures, are not relevant to the acknowledgement of that vision and the celebration of the hope it represents. All of humanity can recognize that peace, love and goodwill are good and moral values and deserve a day to celebrate them as embodied in the birth of a Child.

This is the meaning of Christmas to me. Hope. The hope that people of goodwill can through love for one another achieve peace and understanding, tolerance and reconciliation.

The symbolism of this holiday transcends religion; for these symbols proclaim that moral force, God, goodness, or some Universal Principle, use the name that you must, can offer hope to all humanity. For the sake of that Hope, this holiday has become one of feasting, giving and merriment -- that the Hope will not be forgotten on other days that are not celebrated.

In the Name of that Hope, I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Joyous New Year.

And hugs, lots of hugs,
Erin