Jacobson
continued from page 2A
their budgets in a materialistic ef
fort to show their children love and
just how wonderful Christmas can
be. This causes stress in the parent
and eventually resentment when
the child doesn’t fully appreciate
the effort. Many students go home
and feel pressure to make their
short family time as wonderful as
possible while trying to fend off
questions about their academic,
work and personal lives from pry
ing parents.
The best way to fend off any excess
angst is to simply employ the Golden
Mean theory to navigating life’s won
derful little stressors. Focusing too
much on these problems causes one
to be overwrought and irritable and to
lose the Christmas spirit. Avoidance
is just as damaging in the long run be
cause it builds resentment, and the
root problems are never fixed.
The same balance should be ap
plied to one’s direct actions. Don’t
give too many presents and break
your bank account, but don’t give
everybody a buy-one-get-one-free
Wendy’s burger coupon. Don’t
drink too much, but don’t be so
paranoid you won’t have a little
bubbly to ring in the new year. Feed
the homeless, but don’t rob the
mouths of your own family.
Such a basis for decision making
is remarkably simple and incredi
bly beneficial. But remember, the
other part of the Golden Mean
virtue also says you shouldn’t
make too many judgmental com
ments when someone else per
forms those minor trespasses.
But with all that moderation talk
behind, remember, if you have to
horde anything, horde family time.
It’s far too precious to let slip unrel
ished. Happy holidays.
Bret Jacobson is a columnist for the Oregon
Daily Emerald. His views do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald. He can be
reached at bjacobso@gladstone.uore
gon.edu.
Payne
continued from page 2A
You know the drill: Jupiter, the
Thunder God; Juno, his wife; Venus,
the goddess of love; Mars, Minerva,
Neptune, ad nauseam.
The worst of it was that in the
new, godly Roman Empire, wild
parties were still the norm. No,
frats were still thousands of years
off. To sate the Romans’ need for
toga keggers, there existed a festi
val known as Natalis Solis Invicti,
or the “Birth of the Invincible
Sun.” NSI, for short, was dedicated
to the god Mithras, who was a ma
jor contender with Christ. The fes
tival consisted mainly of lots and
lots of drinking and revelry.
Throngs choked the streets,
singing and dancing, as the posca
(cheap Roman wine) flowed as
freely as revelers to the vomitori
ums. Just like New Year’s today.
And so, with the mindset of
“drunken debauchery makes Baby
Jesus cry,” both the Emperor and
the Pope looked to find ways to
curb the festivities and gain new
converts to boot. Suddenly, the
Pope declared, Jesus was bom on
the 25th day of December, and,
therefore, the day should be as
sober and solemn as befits the
birth of the Savior.
“SpUcatum tauri! ” the people re
sponded, in a well-known phrase
describing male cow dung, as they
went about their revels. Stung, the
powers that be tried a new tack: If
you can’t beat ‘em, join 'em. And
so, the Pope once again, in A.D.
354, stated that Christ was born on
Dec. 25. This time, he also allowed
for moderate celebrations, and so,
almost from the first, “Christmas”
and “joyful celebration” were syn
onymous. The people latched on
quickly, and soon Mithras was a I
fading memory.
Christmas certainly isn’t the
only holiday on the block in De
cember. There’s something about
the dead of winter that just
screams for a party. Hanukkah,
the Jewish “Feast of Lights,”
takes place in early December.
The Muslim holy month of Ra
madan, marked with daytime
fasting, often ends in December.
The African-American festival
Kwanzaa has been celebrated for
more than 30 years around
Christmastime.
The whole upshot is this: Decem
ber, for all its gray skies and chilly
weather, is a joyful month no matter
how you slice it. Be with your fami
ly and friends and celebrate the sea
son, regardless of whether you’re
celebrating the birth of Jesus, the
victory of the Maccabees at
Jerusalem Temple or even the old
Natalis Solis Invictis. Just celebrate
and have a good time. Everyone’s
gotta party once in a while.
Pat Payne is a columnist for the Oregon
Daily Emerald. His views do not necessari
ly represent those of the Emerald. He can
be reached at Macross_SD@hotmail.com.
Kleckner
continued from page 2A
All Ye Faithful.” I brighten when I
see a menorah, and I have hope
when I see the Kikombe cha Umo
ja, the Kwanzaa Unity Cup. Fasting
for Ramadan is super honorable,
and I rarely turn down a Roman
style night of hedonism.
So I’m torn: Do I want my holi
day boundaries respected, or do I
want to encourage it all? My dilem
ma was further knotted last week,
when the City of Eugene decided to
ban Christmas trees in publicly
owned workplaces.
The question for me isn’t, “Is a
Christmas tree a religious symbol?”
Of course it is. It’s also not; it de
pends on the person. But to some
one not of a Judeo-Christian faith
and not interested in a secular par
ty involving red and green decora
tions, it represents foreign beliefs
and traditions. Shouldn’t we all
have the right to ask not to be ex
posed to it? .
No, actually, I don’t think we have
that right. Tolerance and diversity
win out for me here. I know those
two buzzwords are nearly impotent,
but we can replenish their meaning.
In a respectable society, tolerance
and diversity should represent ex
treme inclusion—as much willing
ness to compromise for other peo
ple’s freedoms as you want extended
to yours.
So as to the Christmas tree ban?
We’re not talking about impres
sionable minors in school. These
are adults working in city offices,
y’all. Yes, these are government
buildings. But we’re big kids now.
Adults can handle looking at some
one else’s temporary display of ei
ther religious or secular joy and cel
ebration. We’re mature enough to
allow others their deeply held be
liefs and traditions.
Non-believers should think
about the displays and the doc
trines and critically examine them.
We don’t have to adopt any of these
faiths, and we’re not injured by see
ing them. Humanity could actually
benefit from such exposure, no?
And it’s possible to find enjoyment
in the value these things have for
others.
So for the sake of the good and the
just, seasoned celebrators could go a
little easier on those who don’t dig it.
And those who are looking to be left
alone for the month should be will
ing to respect the freedom of their
community’s expression.
For my part, I’m escaping to Eu
rope for the rest of December, and I
won’t begrudge anyone a Christ
mas tree or a dreidel, or whatever
your flavor is. But do me a favor—
have a safe and happy holiday sea
son. Please share whatever you can
with whomever you meet. And I’ll
talk to you in January.
Michael J. Kleckner is the editorial editor
for the Oregon Daily Emerald. His views do
not necessarily represent those of the
Emerald. He can be reached at opededi
tor@journalist.com.
Bergerson
continued from page 2A
by everyone. A scooter, a Sony
Playstation2, Teckno the robotic
puppy, a wireless personal digital
assistant or mega-pixel digital
camera — the gifts pile up and the
once-beautiful packages are in
shreds all over the floor. As soon as
all the presents have been opened
and displayed and put away,
Christmas is then officially consid
ered done.
No, wait. Ham, com, mashed po
tatoes, yams, cheesecake, cookies
spill in profusion all over the dining
room. Food! What Christmas would
be good without the food? And it
can't be a modest dinner. No, it must
be a banquet! Every platter drips
with gooey good food that will stick
to your insides for hours to come
(and the calories will stick with you
even longer).
But to another segment of the
population, Christmas is a time for
family. This population, presum
ably, is made up of those who actu
ally like spending time with their
families. Every year, the family
unites under one roof. Time to hear
Uncle Fred’s crazy sports stories
again and pig out on Aunt Barb's
pumpkin pie. The men congregate
in the den to watch football as the
women gossip in the kitchen (or
the other way around).
The house is abuzz with laugh
ter, voices talking excitedly about
all that happened in the past year.
And as goodbyes are said and
hugs are exchanged, a small sad
ness hovers over the family be
cause a bit of Christmas leaves
with each retreating family mem
ber. But when the last one is out
the door and quiet descends once
again, happiness returns in mem
ories.
And we must not forget those
who see Christmas as a symbol
for something larger, much bigger
than themselves. Two thousand
years ago, a savior lay in a manag
er. Born of a virgin, he came to
earth to bridge the distance be
tween God and his creation. He
brings love and abundant life.
Ever since then, Christmas has
been set aside as a time for those
who believe in Christ to celebrate
his birth.
All these things — food, deco
rations, family, music, faith — are
ingredients to the Christmas holi
day. And I am sure there are
many more. But Christmas is
only as much as you put into it. It
can be all of those things or noth
ing at all. However meaningful or
superficial your Christmas be
comes this year is entirely up to
you. May your Christmas be a
merry one.
Jayna Bergerson is a columnist for the Ore
gon Daily Emerald. Her views do not nec
essarily represent those of the Emerald.
She can be reached at
bjay@gladstone.uoregon.edu.
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