A capitulation to Christmas has been ebbing and flowing in my brain for the last month. I have become a profound pantheist and a dedicated recovering Catholic, so to admit I’m beginning to understand how to “do” Christmas again is an interesting change. First of all, I have always been an adult who doesn’t agree with the entire devolving into consumerism as a way to celebrate what I used to believe was a deeply religious reflection. Second, I have also found it ruthless in the American human spirit to suddenly crawl out of the woodwork, give a few bucks to a charity or volunteer somewhere for one day and call that good, resting the conscience for another year. Balderdash! Commitments to your fellow humans should be an ongoing live event. Third, the more I have studied the history of my religion, Catholicism, the more I am horribly distrustful of those who pursue its disembarking on a path along side protectionism. I have always realized Catholics and capitalism have gone hand-in-hand down the rosy path of opportunity and containment of a belief system that works best for those with privilege, but at least in my small corner of the world, many a Catholic goes to the next level, fighting for only “one” way of life and that’s pretty much being white with enough money to keep it that way. Diversity isn’t a tool in their woodshed. So as a believer in a Universal energy that is our god, being comfortable in the realms of minimalism, and a striving to allow diversity of the human race, I succumb to accepting this time of year as a celebration of the solstice and reveling in the spirit of family, community, and our earth all being connected for the ability to survive as one. Without each other we are nothing. Without a common value of love and acceptance, we are crusted men and women unable to experience the life force that breathes around us. We in America did not become a country of openness only to shut down and say, “We’re done now. We don’t want to play in a connected world of seven billion people. Leave us alone and watch us shrivel up and die in our arrogance and self-righteousness.” I for one, will celebrate this Christmas as a rebirth of wisdom, clarity, and charity in order that I may rediscover what should be a “more perfect union” and truly live a life that believes “all men our created equal.” How did so many lose sight of something so simple? If you are celebrating this Christmas as a holiday remembering the birth of Jesus Christ, I suggest you emulate that belief and the world will become a happier and healthier place for all.