Holy day, holiday meet in Christmas celebration

Christmas is a remarkable event. For Christians, it is an actual holy day, the source of the word "holiday." Most of our holidays are not actually holy days.

In fact, along with Easter, Christmas is the most holy of holy days. What makes Christ-mas so remarkable is that you don't have to be a Christian to celebrate it.

Easter also is celebrated by non-Christians, but not to the extent as Christmas. Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, preceded by 40 days of Lent. Anyone can celebrate the coming of spring on Easter Sunday with the Easter bunny as the major symbol.

But virtually everyone gets into Christmas for about a month. Christmas shopping ma-nia can cause even Christians to lose sight of the significance of the birth of Christ, which, for them, is what Christmas is all about.

The religious holy day and secular holiday exist side by side with seamless transitions between the two.

Of course, civil libertarians are ever vigilant, assuring us all that not even a smidgen of the religious sneaks into the secular where tax dollars are involved. However, no guardians stand watch against the secular sneaking in on the religious.

Christians and non-Christians more or less partake of each other's festivals. The Biblical proclamation announcing the birth of the Christ child: "Peace On Earth, Good Will Toward Men," doesn't appear to require religious beliefs to be accepted as a part of the nature of the season.

Many trappings of Christmas have no connection to the birth of Jesus in the Middle East. The holly, mistletoe, brightly decorated Christmas trees and packages, twinkling lights, snow and sleds, Santa Claus, flying reindeer and the like are mostly reflections of European Christ-mas symbols brought by immigrants to this country.

These elements blend seamlessly with Christmas angels, the manger scene with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus, the Middle Eastern image of the magi on camels and the star in the east. Decorations on Christ-mas trees may have little or no relationship to the birth of Jesus, but the tree may be topped with an angel, a religious symbol. A single home may be decorated with both a lighted Santa's sleigh and a manger scene.

When singing Christmas carols, "Silent Night," "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" and "Oh, Holy Night," blend easily into "I'm Dreaming of a White Christ-mas," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas."

Even tunes having no references to Christmas are traditional holiday carols: "Frosty the Snowman," "Jingle Bells" and Winter Wonderland," for instance. Even the tradition of gift giving, which accounts for the shopping frenzy, is related to the religious side of Christ-mas, but adhered to by just about everyone.

Giving gifts stems from the three kings who sought out the Christ child and presented him with gifts.

The simple truth is that the message of Christmas, which has its origins in Christianity, also resonates in other religions and in the hearts of many people who follow no religion. The Christmas message probes deeply into the souls of us all. Peace and good will strike humanity at its very core.

The hectic pace of 21st century life can obscure the view of the love we have for others. Christmas reminds people, re-gardless of religion, or lack of it, of the joys of being with family and friends, and of helping others.

At Christmas time most of us pause to reach out and touch others. In the wake of Sept. 11, the concept of peace and good will is perhaps more profound because terrorists with neither peace nor goodwill in their hearts committed detestable acts, not only against the people killed aboard the airplanes and in the World Trade Center and Pentagon these crimes were committed against us all. Our wishes for peace and good will today seem more urgent.

Whether Christmas for you is a religious holy day, a secular holiday or a bit of both, it is my hope that your heart is filled with the spirit of the season and that you embrace family and friends, and you give to those who would otherwise have no Christmas. If so, you will be assured of experiencing the joy of Christmas.

Rusty Saber readers, I offer the closing words of Mel Torme's "The Christmas Song": "Although it's been said many times, many ways, merry Christmas to you."

(Joe McAdoo is former chairman of the communication department at Drury Un-iversity.)