Season’s Greetings! Part One

by Robert Archerd, December 20, 2022

I really like certain holidays. My single favorite has always been Halloween, simply because it’s such a hoot. Wearing a costume and pretending to be someone else while watching others do the same has always been the ideal escape from the mundane, and is the perfect opportunity to rid oneself of demons while, at the same time, getting to play one.

I also have a soft spot for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and both for basically the same reason: the chance to enjoy the company of family and loved ones.

People often “remind” me that what is so special about Christmas is whose birthday we’re celebrating. As for that, I absolutely couldn’t care less. So, as for whether or not I’m a Christian, it depends entirely on what you mean by it. Am I a Christian because of a reverence to Jesus as the son of God? In that regard, once again, I could not care less. To worship someone because of their lineage is, to me, exactly — literally — the same as worshiping a golden (or wooden or stone) idol. And I refer to Jesus Christ as him, not Him, because I’m not into capitalizing pronouns. I’m also no fan of the shtick that accompanies such worship, like the ritual of saying 10 Hail Marys as a get-out-of-Hell-free card. Am I being disrespectful? To the rituals, perhaps, but not to the truth.

In what sense, then, could I consider myself a Christian? Since, as I said, I don’t give a rat’s ass about his lineage, something I see as totally irrelevant, for what other reason…