Happy Christmas – My Personal Reflection on the Meaning of Christmas

This is a genuine wish for a truly happy Christmas, from someone who opted out of the national church in Iceland earlier this month. I am somewhat adrift in personal beliefs, and go between agnosticism and atheism. Why? you may wonder. Well, we have sadly had so many scandals concerning priests and other officials of the church being found guilty of sexual abuse that I just cannot justify my tax money going to that establishment anymore. However, I respect anyone who needs and wants the Church. I just do not.

Belief is a strange thing. I have tried to make myself believe in a higher being, but I am too rational to be able to surrender myself to such an entity. In many ways, I envy people who can – mostly, I envy the hope they have for an afterlife. However, I feel empowered knowing that I am in charge of my own fate, and the decisions I make affect my life according to what I choose.

My personal beliefs aside, I still feel it’s appropriate to wish everyone Happy Christmas. I don’t feel any need to write Xmas instead of Christmas – who knows, maybe someone called Christ lived once, and in any case, it’s a cultural necessity at this point, and I will never want to remove that dimension from my life.

Whether you believe in something or not, may you have a truly enjoyable holiday season – happy festival of lights and love, whether you celebrate it as Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule or anything else that brings people together in peace and love.

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