JR, growing up, you were never told - something like We are here to share ourselves; our compassion and understanding, with our fellow man. We are here to make the world a better place through our actions, and our interactions. We are here to be an example and a loving presence. We are to shine G-d's light to all mankind..." ?
It's been about 10 years since I celebrated the holiday and even now, that's the over all consensus of the non-commercial versions of the holiday.
The thrust here is almost completely religious, and it's very difficult for secular institutions here to even try to divorce the overall Christian teachings from that, even for school.
Nikolaus came on the 6th of December, kids get a gift or two that day, and gifts are on the 24th for some groups here, and on the 6th of January for others. Today was when most people remember that Y'shua was born, and later died for our sin.
My kids know how we celebrate and what we celebrate, and we do not condemn the others for their habits. "This is what we do. That is what they do. It doesn't make either of you more or less German or American than them. We do what we understand based on Scripture, and they do too."
If someone wants to know why we do what we do, we are more than happy to share that with them. However, most everyone stays out of everyone else's religious lives here. That's as personal here as someone's sex life is back home.
Even with us not celebrating, all the family gets together on the 2nd Christmas Day/Boxing Day. We have a meal with the family and just spend time together. We don't get a lot of time with everyone in one place at the same time. While everyone's off from work you might as well. Businesses are closed, there's nothing else to do. Who wants to sit at home and twiddle their thumbs? (Quiet laws prohibit yard work or loud housework)
If we go further back than Victorian times, it was a time mostly spent in worship. Not many people decorated, or had gifts or anything like that. So 3 full days that you were in church, whether you were a regular attendee or not (most were).
Where the overall thrust back home may be the commercial aspect, the overall thrust here is religious. However, with it being a very multi-cultural area here, no one huffs or puffs if you just say "happy holidays and a good slide into the new year" (Frohes Fest und ein gute Rutsch!). They know not everyone's on the same page, but everyone's too polite to shove in whatever holiday they're celebrating. They're all covered under that one, including all the various Christian ones.
For those that are Jewish, Messianic or not, it's a non-issue. We have time off from work, businesses are closed, and it's Hanukkah. Win-win. That doesn't happen many years. There's no time off for Hanukkah here, but there is every year from Christmas to New Year's.
As far as the OP, I did see where there are more and more people not celebrating the holiday because of the overall commercialized aspect.
...Some people who have downscaled their Christmas celebrations say the change made them saner, more relaxed and less indebted.
...Ingram says some gentle etiquette is required when a person decides to stop gift-giving in a family that expects it. "Opting out of the commercialism of the holidays works only if everybody buys into it, and that's where it gets tricky," she says. In some cases, it might mean forgoing a family gathering where gifts are exchanged to avoid an "incredibly awkward" moment....
Just say no to Christmas? USATODAY.com
For us, the ease of stopping the gift giving was that I moved overseas. No one can afford to send large packages to a non-military affiliated address. The prices from both USPS and UPS went way up. So, we might send cards instead.
This year was easy peasy. The folks at Kindergarten know we celebrate Hanukkah. It was a non-issue. My family know and have started celebrating Hanukkah as well. My sister is interested and starting to read up. My brother has celebrated for a while.
It's the other folks in the extended family we just have to extend a little more grace towards. Make the road smooth and not come across as little malcontents out to find the pagan behind every corner, under every rock and leaf. Or that we somehow think we are better than them. (nope, we're all faulty humans)
I think this year has been the first that my extended family members have returned the gesture. That says
a lot, considering how strained our relationships tend to be this time of year.
