I’ve been lucky to enjoy a full-on post-Christian Christmas (let’s be honest and call it Xmas, or even “Crimbo”) for over 60 years, first with my non-practicing “Christian” parents, and then with my ex-Muslim wife who embraced it with a vengeance and took it to a new level, especially culinary. No Bisto in this household.
I totally get that warmth and lights and kindness mood shift. But for me, although the mood passes, I am radically altered every time. I don’t particularly celebrate the New Year, but I feel transformed by Christmas as I head into January.
However, I am not convinced that Christmas emerged from Christianity to any meaningful extent. It owes more to Christianity’s absorption of pagan beliefs and practices.
My favourite Christmas-export story is that of the Japanese shopping mall that hung a huge Santa Claus at one end of the mall.
On a cross…
Useless factoid: “Skellington” is how young English children say “skeleton” (like when Dubya used to talk about “nucular” weapons)
Dear Hussein you have been an intellectual lifeline for me since October 7, and now again since the terrible tragedy at Bondi Beach in my hometown. Thank you for your prodigious output in 2025! I look forward to more provocative inspiration in 2026. Merry Christmas to you and all your loved ones.
And a very Holy and Happy and Prayerful Christmas to you Hussein!
This is a very profound essay, as so many (probably all) of your essays are. The post-Christian settlement is indeed fragile, although I do think Christmas will hold on, a bit tattered but still "big" and as generous as we can manage, for some time longer. Still, the direction is clear enough.
I would say that the rhythm of feast days - the liturgical year - has its own reason. We cannot celebrate Christmas all year because then it would not be special, it would then not mark the seasons and our own growing up and then old. But we can strive to be loving and forgiving all year. And we should.
I am genuinely puzzled as to whether you are consciously dealing in stereotypes and huge generalities or whether you are describing these phenomena as you see them. My own sub-society is completely ignored in your article, so I’m not sure where even I come in.
I am a second generation liberal American Jew, brought up to largely ignore Christmas, as I am quite satisfied with my own traditions, which I take seriously. It has been said that “Christmas is the most important American Jewish holiday,” since it tests your Jewishness. I may perhaps have felt that decades ago, but now it is a non-event. I stress I have absolutely no historical or other animus against Christians or Christianity, but for me this time of year is pleasant and relaxed, unlike most Christians, who are stressed out. Perhaps that is the main symptom of post-Christianity? That I can imagine.
I can accept your concept of Christian vs. post-Christian Christmas, as at least urban American society is more secularized than 50 years ago, but I think the massive cultural shift you posit simply doesn’t exist. In my experience, it is a myth that “saying “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays,” was not merely a preference but a conscious declaration of one’s moral, political, and meta-civilizational allegiances,” as you allege. The instances of it happening involve ideological zealots on both sides; it isn’t a societal reality.
I imagine medieval Europe, along with the squalor, may have experienced a “Christian Christmas,” but I doubt that cities have since at least the 19th century.
Your essay makes sense as a metaphor but not as a description of reality, but I am happy to wish you or anyone else a joyful, meaningful, and merry Christmas. For my part I am thankful not to be caught up in that mishugas. But I am part of the same society.
Merry Christmas! I agree that Die Hard qaulifies as a Christmas movie without a question. I recently watched Wonderful Life for the first time and loved every minute of it - a variation of sort on a Christmas Carol, but even better, more touching. In a time of inversion of good and evil, Christmas has become a time of reflection for me, in a similar (and yet very different) way the Yom Kippur is.
A wonderful holiday essay. Hussein shows how the »mysterium tremendum et fascinans« becomes fascinoma—we've become so enchanted by Christmas that, after investigating, cataloging, measuring, and dissecting it, we’ve lost sight of its Living Source. His question cuts deep: How do we bring back to life what died in the act of being coined? How do we recover »the Aura of the Good«?
Have a wonderful peaceful holiday Hussein.
I’ve been lucky to enjoy a full-on post-Christian Christmas (let’s be honest and call it Xmas, or even “Crimbo”) for over 60 years, first with my non-practicing “Christian” parents, and then with my ex-Muslim wife who embraced it with a vengeance and took it to a new level, especially culinary. No Bisto in this household.
I totally get that warmth and lights and kindness mood shift. But for me, although the mood passes, I am radically altered every time. I don’t particularly celebrate the New Year, but I feel transformed by Christmas as I head into January.
However, I am not convinced that Christmas emerged from Christianity to any meaningful extent. It owes more to Christianity’s absorption of pagan beliefs and practices.
My favourite Christmas-export story is that of the Japanese shopping mall that hung a huge Santa Claus at one end of the mall.
On a cross…
Useless factoid: “Skellington” is how young English children say “skeleton” (like when Dubya used to talk about “nucular” weapons)
Dear Hussein you have been an intellectual lifeline for me since October 7, and now again since the terrible tragedy at Bondi Beach in my hometown. Thank you for your prodigious output in 2025! I look forward to more provocative inspiration in 2026. Merry Christmas to you and all your loved ones.
And a very Holy and Happy and Prayerful Christmas to you Hussein!
This is a very profound essay, as so many (probably all) of your essays are. The post-Christian settlement is indeed fragile, although I do think Christmas will hold on, a bit tattered but still "big" and as generous as we can manage, for some time longer. Still, the direction is clear enough.
I would say that the rhythm of feast days - the liturgical year - has its own reason. We cannot celebrate Christmas all year because then it would not be special, it would then not mark the seasons and our own growing up and then old. But we can strive to be loving and forgiving all year. And we should.
Beautifully written! And true, recognisable. Thank you!
I am genuinely puzzled as to whether you are consciously dealing in stereotypes and huge generalities or whether you are describing these phenomena as you see them. My own sub-society is completely ignored in your article, so I’m not sure where even I come in.
I am a second generation liberal American Jew, brought up to largely ignore Christmas, as I am quite satisfied with my own traditions, which I take seriously. It has been said that “Christmas is the most important American Jewish holiday,” since it tests your Jewishness. I may perhaps have felt that decades ago, but now it is a non-event. I stress I have absolutely no historical or other animus against Christians or Christianity, but for me this time of year is pleasant and relaxed, unlike most Christians, who are stressed out. Perhaps that is the main symptom of post-Christianity? That I can imagine.
I can accept your concept of Christian vs. post-Christian Christmas, as at least urban American society is more secularized than 50 years ago, but I think the massive cultural shift you posit simply doesn’t exist. In my experience, it is a myth that “saying “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays,” was not merely a preference but a conscious declaration of one’s moral, political, and meta-civilizational allegiances,” as you allege. The instances of it happening involve ideological zealots on both sides; it isn’t a societal reality.
I imagine medieval Europe, along with the squalor, may have experienced a “Christian Christmas,” but I doubt that cities have since at least the 19th century.
Your essay makes sense as a metaphor but not as a description of reality, but I am happy to wish you or anyone else a joyful, meaningful, and merry Christmas. For my part I am thankful not to be caught up in that mishugas. But I am part of the same society.
Merry Christmas! I agree that Die Hard qaulifies as a Christmas movie without a question. I recently watched Wonderful Life for the first time and loved every minute of it - a variation of sort on a Christmas Carol, but even better, more touching. In a time of inversion of good and evil, Christmas has become a time of reflection for me, in a similar (and yet very different) way the Yom Kippur is.
Brilliant.
A wonderful holiday essay. Hussein shows how the »mysterium tremendum et fascinans« becomes fascinoma—we've become so enchanted by Christmas that, after investigating, cataloging, measuring, and dissecting it, we’ve lost sight of its Living Source. His question cuts deep: How do we bring back to life what died in the act of being coined? How do we recover »the Aura of the Good«?
Brilliant and inspirational. Thank you.
Please find a delightful way to celebrate the Festive Season via this reference:
http://cms-revelation-magazine.adidam.org/books/danavira-mela/3
When His children were still young he used to watch the Its a Wonderful Life movie every year, giving copious praise to the central character.
They used to watch the Dickens Christmas Carol movie every year too. It was always the version starring Alastair Sim