What it’s like to be a non-Christian during the holidays
Merry Hanukkah?
I hate to be the one to burst the bubble, but as Willow Rosenburg put it, “Not everyone worships Santa.” In fact, according to Gallup, twenty-five percent of the US population doesn’t identify as Christian and, therefore, doesn’t celebrate your holly jolly holiday. I happen to be one of those twenty-five percent as a loud and proud Jewish woman. When I started seeing Christmas commercials the week of Halloween, bitterness awoke inside me, and now that Thanksgiving is over, the end is nigh and we are going to be overwhelmed by Christmas everything.
As I look back on my childhood, I don’t remember being as bitter as I am now about the Christmas season. As a young, non-Christian individual, you learn to just go with the flow. You come to the terms with the fact that there are no Hanukkah songs, but there are more Christmas songs than you could even fathom. Ugly sweater parties are specifically called ugly Christmas sweater parties, and most – if not all – decorations you see are Christmas related. I’m not here to say all this is done on purpose or with malice and prejudice. Christianity, with all of its sects, is the most popular religion in the country, so it makes sense that our holiday culture would be run by it. Unfortunately for those not in that majority, there comes a sense alienation along with the overflow of holiday cheer.
Nothing makes you feel quite the “other” like seeing an entire culture around you come together in celebration of a religion to which you do not belong. Everyone around you bonds over gift-giving and caroling, old Christmas claymations and decorated trees. There is a common culture that, while perhaps appreciated by outsiders, can never really include them.
To be fair, efforts to include non-Christians in Christmas celebrations are often welcome—from simple things like saying “Happy holidays!” to gestures like including aspects of other religions in office holiday celebrations. However, it’s important to remember that while celebrating Christmas may seem like an obvious thing to you, to others, it’s a fine line we have to walk. If we don’t say Merry Christmas back, are we going to be berated? If we bring up the fact that we don’t celebrate Christmas at the office party, are we going to be ogled at like zoo animals? If we say we don’t feel like participating in Christmas events, will we be regarded as soulless grinches?
So excuse me if I’m bitter. Excuse me if I don’t feel like exuding the obligatory joy of the season. Excuse me if I feel like I don’t belong in your Christmas celebrations, because really, I don’t. When you say, “Remember the reason for the season,” I hear, “Remember that our religion takes precedence over yours.” So, this winter, please try to keep in mind the millions of Americans who don’t see Christmas as the end-all-be-all, and try to be a little more inclusive in the way you approach your festivities. It really would be appreciated. And happy holidays.