What is a Holiday?

For years the most sacred symbol of Christmas, the nativity, as blessed the Staten Island Ferry terminal. The admiration of Mary and Joseph upon the Christ Child has filled both locals and tourists alike with the true spirit of Christmas. Unfortunately, the borough of Staten Island felt the nativity took too much of a religious stance for this time of year and have stripped the ferry terminal of this classic decoration.

"Too many holidays occur to just focus upon Christ's birth" are the feelings of many. Even public schools are forced to say, "Happy Holidays" instead of  "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah." Only winter deocartions, like snowflakes and snowmen, are suitable because they do not favor one particular holiday, or religion over another.
 

It is certainly a travesty that a simple nativity was abolished from its own season. True, many holidays occur this blessed time of the year. A menorah very well could have been placed next to the nativity along with the kinara candles for Kwanza or any other religious adornment displayed this time of year. Instead of taking sacred symbols we should be including more of them. Let us not forget... what do all of these holidays have in common? They are all founded and celebrated because of RELIGIOUS beliefs. Without Christ there is no Christmas, without the miracle of lights there is no Hanukkah, therefore without these sacred stories there are NO HOLIDAYS.

I have said before, each year these festivities become less of what truly defines them. We have stripped the holidays down to an economical stand point. And seeing as our country continually faces financial deficeit, we abuse the holidays, using them merely as a strategy to help us stay afloat.

I invite you all to try this: take a couple of minutes at night to just sit with your thoughts and deocartions, listening to a religious song in celebration of your holiday. Just today I listened to "O Holy Night" while relaxing by my Christmas tree. Maybe this will help all of us to better understand the true meaning of the most wonderful time of the year!