Editor,
There once was a special day that people called Christmas.
Dec. 25 was chosen in the year 336 so that Christians could celebrate the birth of a special little boy. They chose this day because it was also the day of Saturnalia, a pagan holiday.
Why this day? There are many guesses, but they are not important. Originally, Christmas was intended as a birthday celebration. It started out as a simple church service. However, to better "celebrate" this birthday, people started adding manger scenes, bright stars and the Magi. This seemed pretty harmless.
Over time, other traditions were added to the mix. Eventually we added decorated trees, reindeer, a man in a red suit wearing a white beard and people giving each other presents. People the world over have celebrated this special day in many ways.
But wait a minute - we can't celebrate this day in this way.
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By having the manger scene on government property, we are violating the separation of church and state. So let's remove the manger scene, but we can successfully keep the Christmas tree. Or can we? Not so fast - some of us don't recognize this "church" celebration. Some say that it is sacrilegious the way we celebrate this special day.
What's wrong with my religion's special boy - or is that girl? By the way, what about those who don't believe in church, or God?
How about calling it a "Holiday?" Sounds like a good idea. This way, anyone can celebrate this day and still keep the economy on a good track.
Uh-oh. Somebody looked up the word in Webster's and noticed it means "holy day," and we can't have that, because it would surely hurt somebody's feelings.
I wonder what we should call Dec. 25 so that everybody will be happy. If we make it just like any ordinary day, then the retailers and the economists will be unhappy. I don't know - maybe somebody can think of a suggestion.
How did we get from celebrating the birth of a special child all the way to changing the name of the day so that everyone can be happy?
Shelly Sintas
UNM student
