Letters from Tomis

Ah, Christmas. A time of tinsel and treacle, chestnuts roasting and wallets emptying, a symphony of sentiment and commerce that annually envelops us all. The season, we are told, demands joy, generosity, and good will toward men, though preferably after they’ve fought one another over discounted televisions. For believers, it is the miraculous celebration of the birth of a savior; for the rest of us, an occasion to indulge, overeat, and exchange gifts of dubious utility. Yet, beneath the tinsel and tradition, a question emerges: what does Christmas mean in a secular society?

The answer lies, as it often does, in the tension between the sacred and the profane. Christmas, ostensibly a religious holiday, has long since transcended its ecclesiastical origins. Even the most pious must concede that the nativity scene has been relegated to a corner, overshadowed by inflatable Santas and the relentless jingles of department stores. Indeed, for many, Christmas is less about Christ than about Coca-Cola, a holiday thoroughly domesticated by capitalism and secularization.

The Mythical Origins of Christmas

Let us first dispense with the myth that Christmas is uniquely Christian. The 25th of December is a date appropriated by the early church to co-opt pagan solstice festivals—an astute act of cultural plagiarism. Long before the manger appeared in Bethlehem, Romans were celebrating Saturnalia, a riotous festival of feasting and gift-giving. The Norse held Yule, a celebration of light in the darkest days of winter. Even the evergreen tree, now so emblematic of Christmas, was a pagan symbol of life enduring the bleakest season.

Thus, the modern Christmas, far from being a divinely ordained event, is a palimpsest of human traditions—a testament to our capacity for reinvention. This historical bricolage should not diminish the holiday’s significance; rather, it liberates it from the narrow confines of dogma. Christmas, in its secular guise, becomes a celebration not of divine intervention, but of human creativity and resilience.

The Secular Spirit of Christmas

In a secular society, the meaning of Christmas need not rely on the supernatural. Indeed, it is precisely when freed from the trappings of religiosity that the holiday reveals its true potential. At its best, Christmas is an affirmation of our shared humanity. It is a time when, if only briefly, we set aside our petty grievances to connect with one another. The rituals of gift-giving and feasting, though often derided as commercial excess, are expressions of generosity and fellowship. Even the overindulgence—the groaning tables, the garish decorations—speaks to a deep-seated human desire to affirm life in the face of darkness.

But let us not romanticize. The secular Christmas is no utopia; it is as much about stress as joy, as much about exclusion as inclusion. The relentless consumerism that underpins the holiday can breed alienation, turning acts of giving into transactions and reducing community to spectacle. The glittering façade of Christmas often masks the harsh realities of poverty and inequality, a dissonance that even Dickens—no secular saint, but a keen observer of human frailty—recognized in A Christmas Carol.

Yet it is precisely in acknowledging these contradictions that the secular Christmas finds its meaning. It is not a celebration of perfection, but of imperfection; not a hymn to the divine, but a tribute to the human. In its messy, contradictory way, Christmas reminds us that we are capable of kindness, even in a world that often seems indifferent to such virtues.

Christmas as a Humanist Holiday

For the secularist, Christmas is an opportunity to reclaim the holiday as a humanist celebration. It is a time to reflect not on divine providence, but on human agency. The lights we hang, the meals we prepare, the gifts we exchange—these are not acts of obeisance to a higher power, but gestures of care and connection. They are reminders that, in the face of a vast and indifferent universe, we have only one another.

Indeed, the secular Christmas has the potential to be more inclusive than its religious counterpart. It requires no creeds, no doctrines, no beliefs beyond a recognition of our shared humanity. Whether one identifies as atheist, agnostic, or believer, the secular Christmas invites all to participate in its rituals, to find meaning in its traditions, and to contribute to its spirit.

Conclusion: A Holiday Worth Keeping

So what, then, is the meaning of Christmas in a secular society? It is, paradoxically, both less and more than its religious origins. It is less in that it dispenses with the metaphysical claims of virgin births and divine saviors; it is more in that it celebrates the resilience, creativity, and generosity of the human spirit. Christmas, stripped of its theological baggage, is a holiday worth keeping—not because it points to the heavens, but because it brings us closer to one another.

In a world often divided by ideology and belief, the secular Christmas is a rare moment of shared culture, a reminder that even in our differences, we can find common ground. And that, I would argue, is a miracle worth celebrating.