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The Holiday Season
By Geghard Arakelian
Slowly those infamous holiday commercials creep onto the television, encroaching on a much-valued ESPN program. The long-distance calls come in as friends and long-lost relatives ask for directions home for dinner.
It's Christmas time.
My upbringing was in foreign countries and I am of Armenian heritage, which follows the Greek orthodox tradition of celebrating Christmas on Jan. 6. Despite all this, I can recall numerous winter mornings gazing at those unique patterns atop wrapping paper and counting down the minutes to Dec. 25 when I could tear open my gift boxes and celebrate the joy of a new present.
Ah, yes. Glossy wrapping paper, twinkling Christmas tree lights, and the only thing saving me from being bad all year -- presents.
Perhaps what truly inspired the magic in my heart during those warm Christmas mornings was not necessarily the presents but the tradition of giving.
In fact this tradition of giving has become so inspiring that the Japanese, who practice Shintoism as their national religion, have adopted Christmas as a holiday.
My earliest Christmas celebrations came in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Though to this day it remains dominantly Islamic, my family and I are Christians. In the privacy of our own homes, alongside some of our neighbors, we celebrated Christmas as any family in America would.
Fast forward to a Christmas in Germany, where people would light fireworks in the streets in honor of the celebration, and I can recall receiving my first Lego set. I was hooked from then on.
Now here we are in what is possibly the greatest country on Earth, and my family still celebrates Christmas the same way. How's that you ask?
Though my cultural background would suggest that I celebrate Christmas on Jan. 6, it would be a false assumption.
My family celebrates on Jan. 6 in its own way, but Christmas is concentrated on Dec. 25 in my home. Why is that you ask? Have we been shunned? Are we in doubt? The answer is no.
What I have learned from all my years of celebrating Christmas is that it doesn't necessarily matter who is right about which date is appropriate, though history can judge who is most accurate.
When asking my mother what her favorite holiday is she would always reply with Christmas and Thanksgiving.
I assure you that as a grade school student with a sweet tooth, this answer would lead to many a long and pointless debates as to why Halloween might be more culturally enriching which in turn would lead my mother to smile upon my mischief.
Though one's father does become a virtual ATM machine, during this time of the year, and the smiles of children as they first open those gifts can without a doubt be priceless, I've been taught through years of subtle lessons that Christmas is more than just money and presents.
I was taught at a young age that Christmas is about giving. The present one receives doesn't necessarily have to be a gift a person can hold in his hands.
This universal tradition of giving encompassed by the Christmas tradition is the heart of the celebration my family, to this day, stresses on me.
It's due to the fine tradition of giving through the charm of the Christmas season that my family celebrates on two dates, more on Dec. 25 than Jan. 6.
Whether my forefathers were born in Mars, Armenia or the former Persian Empire has no say this time of the year so long as the spirit of Christmas is present on either day. That's what matters in my household. Yes, the food on the table is of a different cultural taste but you can be sure to find me staring at all my presents under the Christmas tree, thankful for everything I have received in life and to those who have given. 20051124iq7sgvkn(LA)
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