Honoring the TRUEST meaning of Christmas
I love Christmas. I love celebrating in general. We sing the Hannuka songs every night and put lights on a tree, but went one step further to understand WHY we do all these things we do.
The most beautiful things were revealed while discovering the origins of our celebrations. Pretty much all were based on such a simple shared expression, one that is so easy to come back to, without even knowing her story.
Many books dive into the his-stor-ocity (his verson of the story) of Christmas, citing groups of bickering men voting in 325 AD to CHOOSE Jesus’s birthday to be placed on December 25th. But this was only done as a compromise- to attempt to gain control over something so embedded in people’s psyche: the excitement of returning sun in the deepest of winter. Nothing else could be so primal or beautiful as the renewal of life with the returning (resurrecting) SUN… celebrating the longest night of the year knowing each day hereafter each bring more daylight. SUN-day is STILL our holiest day of the week.
When we became agricultural societies, we started to have excess fresh meat to eat while still fresh, and little to do on the farm. So we ate, drank, and told stories by the fire.
But the part we mostly miss… is the last link bringing us back to the most winters place we can imagine. Why in the world is so much centered around the north pole and this dude crawling through chimneys with reindeer and red/white themed presents, and putting stuff in stockings by the fire place? Where do pine trees grow naturally? WHERE IS this place in time and space?
Our missing link can be discovered in the migrations, and information, accessed through the building of the Siberian Railroad. People became obsessed with crossing the globe, since the west was opened while closed off from the east. (Christian Europe lost Istanbul to the Muslim Turks, closing off trade through the Mediterranean to India and Asia, prompting Colombus to go east and Vasco de Gama south around Africa, and others looking for a northwest passage through the ice cap, all to reach the real India, where the money and resources were.)
Around the same time as Christmas really started ramping up in the US, in the late 1800’s, people were returning from their first expeditions into the unknown snowy wilderness of that almost no-man’s-land bordering China and Russia.
In this wintery land, we find the exact spot that fits our mental image of Christmas:
MILES of pine tree forests,
reindeer,
people entering yurts through chimneys, because the doors and windows are snowed in,
and the funniest part of all - people eating magical red and white spotted mushrooms, dreaming of flying rooftop to rooftop with the ancestors.
Telling stories around a fire,
drying our mushrooms in socks over the fireplace,
and talking to Shaman about their visions.
There is just something so hilarious about the TRUE meaning of Christmas, which- is not about Christ at all. But still so many people taking up an old argument they do not understand, asking us to remember the point. Sure, it’s def not materialism, but it is about gifts and light and meals and coming together. I no longer feel like I’m lying to my kids!
All of a sudden all the stories of Christmas make sense! It wasn’t a lie, just a crazy truth we didn’t realize we were perpetuating, about a time and place so different from our own.
40-28 MILLION years ago: GIGANTIC MUSHROOM FOSSIL
What may be the oldest and largest fossil ever found, turns out to be a massive funghi. It would have been taller than anything else at the time, and survived through major climate shifts and ice ages. When condition better suited for life came back, the mushroom network went underground.
Why does this matter? It shows an insanely deep connection with this oldest, smartest, longest lasting species that we barely know anything about. Though once upon a time we were obsessed. Nature and mushroom knowledge went underground the same time as women and indigenous cultures were pushed away. But that is just in the last shortest blip of time, just happening to be one we were born into.
Cannabinoid receptors are present throughout the body: in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord, and in immune cells. This shows a SUPER deep connection.
7,000 years ago (and way older): Cave paintings of Reindeer and Mushrooms
Cave paintings of reindeer, mushrooms, and shamanic experiences. This is where real Christmas traditions are hidden!
6,000 years ago: His-story of the Cross
The many uses and morphing of the cross as religious symbol (4K years before Christianity).
Literally nothing in Christianity is original. That was actually one of its ways to get converts, to say nothing was unexpected, or too “out there”. Also considered, by me, to not give credit where credit is due.
200 BC: Sun God Statues, one of the 7 Wonders of the World
The most prevalent, fundamental, ancient religious symbol EVER is one worshiping the sun. And it only makes sense. People were idolizing this beam of light for thousands of years.
This one statue is special, because it was the inspiration for the STATUE OF LIBERTY, (as well as one of the 7 wonders of the world, on an island between Turkey and Greece). There is a plaque inside the pedestal of Statue of Liberty that is inscribed with a sonnet called ‘The New Colossus'.
133 BC: Ancient Romans and Greeks celebrate Saturnalia
on Dec 17-23. Major Feasts on fresh meat and little work to do on the farm. (LOTS of alcohol and music). (This is after centuries of celebrating the longest nights of winter coming to an end with the winter solstice).
Pagan (country dweller) celebration of Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and time. People decorated their homes with wreaths and other greenery,
0AD: Jesus born (allegedly)
The Bible says nothing about the date, but animal clues point to spring. Puritans in the 1600’s argued that if God wanted this date to be celebrated, the date would be known!
SUN-day continued to be used as the religious day of the week. Dozens of precious saviors, even ones named Christ, all born on Dec 25, already existing for centuries, if not thousands of years. Theme of resurrection in almost all of them.
325 AD: a bunch of bickering old white men VOTE to place Jesus’ birth on December 25th,
They chose the date on top of an already a popular date embedded into culture for centuries, attempting to overtake the story and winter celebrations of the returning ☀️. Literal fist fights break out between bishops arguing over the detail of the PR campaign for Christ.
Throughout known her-story
People continued to bring greenery into their homes throughout winter. Bc that’s just what you do when there is little to be found!
343 AD: The Real Saint Nick
A bishop who was widely loved for giving to the poor and helping sailors at sea.
300 AD-1500 AD: stealing old relics and meeting places
There is even a version of the Saint Nick story of an angry old Christian man being upset pagans kept worshipping around a sacred tree. So he chopped it down and said, here, worship my tree instead, this one right here (pointing to a different random tree). This is a perfect example of what Christianity symbolizes for me. A stealing of important symbols while crushing its longest her-stories. You’ll actually find a Lott of SUPER old trees or well sites of water places where most churches stand. They just stole and broke down old relics and meeting places bc they were already so popular. And they hoped people would eventually forget.
500 AD: Germans and women and outcasts hold onto old customs
“Barbarism’s” of Germany (so-called by the Greeks and Roman’s) saved the Christmas tree traditions, by not caring about being called names like “witchcraft.” Maybe forced a bit underground, the love of nature, plus the traditional food and songs of our childhood celebrations are super hard to repress.
1650’s: Puritans in America ban Christmas
They claim, rightfully, that the celebrations of Christmas relating to Christ have zero his-storical basis. And winter celebrations were getting too rowdy. They believed in simply celebrating quietly. But also witch hunting a couple decades later.
1700: notes surface of shamanic rituals in Siberia,
First recorded notice of mushroom ceremonies and reindeer going crazy to get some!
1800’s: building of the Siberian Railroad
With the new access into the deep snowy unknonw, stories of Santa and reindeer and REAL magic of Christmas surface to the rest of the world)
1848: Queen Victoria popularizes the Christmas Tree
Engravings show her family decorating a tree, a tradition from her German origins. This moment shows a major shift from only being a Germanic tradition, to one worldwide, even across the oceans.
1864: Civil war newspaper writer popularizes, and tweaks, many versions of Santa
Fighting during winter makes everyone nostalgic for home. Thomas Nash creates hundreds of images of Santa through his career in the newspaper, leaving behind an incredible story of Santa’s transformation and refinement based on what was most popular
1914: Sears Catalog, Industry booming after WWI
Middle class families able to buy many little gifts for their children.
1933: Cuddly Santa as an ads man
Refined to be a fuzzy, working hard Santa that needs a break to sip Coca Cola
1964: Rudolf makes his first appearance
Created from another ads man in a campaign for Macy’s. It was so popular, they re-printed the pamphlet year after year.
1970’s: the War on Drugs
1970’s: people protest a war they don’t understand (The Vietnam War, from 1955-1975, 20 YEARS!)
Psychedelic research booms, then banned by Nixon, afraid of dissent. The drug seemed to get people to want to connect, rather than fight.
1985: Super Mario Bros released
Featuring a magic mushroom, red and white spotted, that gives super human powers
1991: Research into psychedelics allowed again
Revealing the importance and healing potential of psychoactives.
By 2014, 40 states soften laws around mushrooms and psychedelics. And we can learn that Santa was tripping on mushrooms this whole time!! And maybe that is okay.
Recently psychedelics have been brought back to scientific awareness with potential for good. This opening of research allows us to talk about the past without being worried about being seemingly okay thinking about shrooms!
Most people who take psychedelics talk of a pure awakening: a connection to everyone and everything else, past and present. It sounds like a real version of a religious conversion, one most of us today never get to experience. Our stories and recited prayers become whispers of what people once experienced, (See Michael Pollen’s book on Perception), and now those original practices just happen to be banned. We are singing along to a song, but just forgot the lyrics. (Though there is major benefit to prayer, in whatever it is you believe, as long as you really believe it!). Most people just perpetuate the religion they were born into without question.
Am I the only one who felt anyone preaching Jesus just felt like a weird masogonistic one sided conversation?
Raised Catholic, but now totally un-religious (in the popular sense), I somehow feel lied to. So much was glossed over, plagiarized, and butchered together, and taught in such a strange empowerment game where we cannot question anything and need specific people and rituals to be saved. (I mean, anything you can just PAY to redeem your sins just seems wrong. But that’s how it’s went for the last 2k years).
But I do fully believe in the immense powers of nature. I believe we can all look up to the stars in awe, but the worst wars are fought trying to explain them to one another. And Christianity was immensely popular and successful as an example of dominator culture.
So I sympathise with every religion other than Christianity. Maybe its just that the version I experienced was seriously lacking anything that felt real. I felt more connected to a spiritual link in an amazing yoga session, chanting in a room with other sweaty people, and for the first time understood what church might feel like to someone else. And a natural childbirth was such an empowering shift for me. (Anyone who says women have children as punishment can go love themselves).
So the real TRUE meaning of Christmas comes from something much more ancient than anything having to do with “that” Christ (copied from other “christs” before it). But if thinking about the Jesus Christ man makes you warm and fuzzy, go for it. Just don’t shove it down our throats as the “true” meaning of anything but your own brain washing. How could any of us know the real truth? I just followed some bread crumbs a tiny bit and was amazed at the high level gloss over of her-story. And I felt cheated.
Jesus himself may have stood for something amazing and been a really cool person, but he never meant to symbolize a whole Roman nation of oppression!
But the funniest thing I found was the similarity between both Santa and Jesus. They both had major PR campaigns, and both manage to bring us back to the same essence in nature that has been with us for as long as we can go back: wintertime, a need to celebrate during the shortest days without sun, with cozy get-togethers telling stories around fireplaces with people (and food and music) we love.
And then there’s the fact that Christianity was born out of, and totally based on Judaism (plus others). And I grew up never learning why there was this underlying struggle against Jews. (The modern backlash of this kind of hatred lingers… thanks Kanye).
Just as pagans (simple folk) wouldn’t give up their home remedies to join the church, the Jews wanted to be left alone to do their own thing. Anything that didn’t convert to Christianity was demonized. Women were also cast out of any meaningful role. (Though once the true source of power: childbirth, giving of life).
Jews had to compete with Christmas to eventually give in to some cool event in the wintertime, choosing to celebrate a small miracle that had, for hundreds of years, been mostly forgotten. And I think singing a little prayer and blowing out a candle with my family every night is really beautiful and feels special.
During that whole “Jesus transition to mass religious icon” period, feminine magic and other shamans were turned into witchcraft, and some shifts in the language we use are great examples:
old crone (notice the word CROWN?). Total PR campaign against women. Just notice how you feel saying out loud, “old crone!” vs crown. Women were literally de-throned.
That’s what we’ve done to women. And Jews. And pagans (non-christians). And mushrooms.
I love Christmas! I’m just too understanding of HER-story to have any sympathy for Christianity around wintertime. There are much deeper things to celebrate that are actually appropriate for this exact moment.
“Barbarism’s” of Germany (so-called by the Greeks and Roman’s) saved the Christmas tree traditions, by not caring about being called names like “witchcraft.” Maybe forced a bit underground, the love of nature, plus the traditional food and songs of our childhood celebrations are super hard to repress.
There is even a version of the Saint Nick story of an angry old Christian man being upset pagans kept worshipping around a sacred tree. So he chopped it down and said, here, worship my tree instead, this one right here (pointing to a different random tree). This is a perfect example of what Christianity symbolizes for me. A stealing of important symbols while crushing its longest her-stories. You’ll actually find a Lott of SUPER old trees or wells/springs/sacred water sources near most old churches. These were meeting places much more ancient than the church (just look up how Helena chose sacred sites in Jerusalem), broke down old relics and meeting places bc they were already so popular. And they hoped people would eventually forget.
Christmas is a perfect example.
The Bible does not give a date for Jesus birth. Rather, it was voted on in a much contended decision to place it on Dec 25th, 325 years later.
Christmas was stolen from people loving nature. And now, I don’t feel so bad people prefer nature again. We prefer the tree, and celebrating inner warmth of a family in the darkest days of the year.
And I find it hilarious that materialism stole from what the Christian’s thought was theirs… and to replace it with a tree and more natural winter things that people worshipped in the first place! Popular opinion, even though so removed for centuries, prefers the tree and reverence for the sun and natural things as mass-organized religion wanes. Feels like we are just naturally coming back to our roots.
(Sure it’s mostly a fake tree now, but at least it’s a symbol of a cool tree!)
The church was afraid of the powers of nature, plant medicines that really worked, especially used by beloved older women in villages that didn’t need to settle down and be married. So all plant medicine became “evil”, and old women became “witches.” It was too scary to lose their power to the old women that they had to find a way to push them underground. But somehow they survived. And they survive in anyone learning plant medicine and the connection with the natural world. With anyone who appreciates the sun for its warmth and real food for its flavor and plants for their medicine. And anyone with meaning they can cultivate within themselves, rather than needing to convert and forget.
(A power trip that manifests into tens of thousands of child molestation cases bc we are trying to repress natural instincts)
The opening of the trans-Siberian railroad in the 1800’s was the link needed to bring Santa into our conscious. But it also links us to all the other religions based on simple natural living and finding peace within yourself and your community.
We already had the tree. But we needed a symbol. Santa and his reindeer are harmless enough that 75% of families in the US celebrate it in some way, and other cultures are too! Christmas in Japan is huge, and hardly any of them believe in Jesus.
Santa is our first American symbol that got refined by popular opinion by beautiful artist renderings. Sure, by ads people selling stuff, but we can make it whatever we want. We can believe in a Santa that gives homemade gifts, or gifts of stories. We can spend more time outside with our families. Spend time eating healthier things than cookies, creating traditions that make us feel good inside and out.
(Homemade cookies at least have WAY less toxins and even pure sugar is better than corn syrup and preservatives). So make your favorite recipes. But Your children are watching. They will love what you make for them. So you get to choose what traditions you want to be embedded in their memories and taste buds. People in America are starving for some kind of culture. Maybe choose ones least toxic.
