The following is an excerpt from an article in Salon.com. If you are not a Salon member, you may still view the entire article by watching a brief ad first. In the heart of the Bluegrass, a Bible Belt preacher is rallying people to political action around what he calls "basic religious values." Think you can describe his politics? Think again. This man of the cloth wants "regime change" in Washington. The Rev. Albert Pennybacker, a Lexington, Ky.-based pastor, is head of the Clergy Leadership Network, a new, cross-denominational group of liberal and moderate religious leaders seeking to counter the influence of the religious right and to mobilize voters to change leadership in Washington. Pennybacker, affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and a pastor of 35 years, is tired of the conventional wisdom that equates religiosity with conservatism. Nationwide, he says, the religious right often squeezes out the left in public debate. The group is 1,000 members strong -- and growing.

If you haven't read it before, I recommend reading Marcus Borg's essay "Christmas in the Present Tense." Some who grew up celebrating Christmas, now finds their feelings about the holiday complicated by doubts that the story of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem is really literally, factually true. This essay might help you find a new, deeper meaning to the holiday. Beliefnet.com: "Sometimes we find ourselves focusing on whether Jesus' birth stories are historically factual. Was Jesus really born of a virgin? Was there really a special astronomical phenomenon at the time of his birth? Did wise men bearing gifts really come to the place of his birth? For some Christians, whether or not these stories are factually accurate is crucial. In their minds, the stakes are high: the truth of the Bible and the divinity of Jesus. But this debate puts the emphasis in the wrong place. For the truth of these stories is not dependent on their historical accuracy. Rather, these stories are 'poetry plus, and not science minus,' to echo a Swedish proverb. As 'poetry plus,' they use the language of poetry, and yet they are more than poetry in that they also make a truth claim. At the same time, the language of these stories is not inferior to the language of factuality because it says more than such language can. "

In church on Sunday, I learned that, in addition to being the 4th Sunday in Advent, it was also St. Thomas Day. I had not been aware of this before, but it also fits in with the other "light in a time of darkness" holiday themes at this time of year. St. Thomas' Day: "The Day of St. Thomas, celebrated on December 21, is also the day of the winter solstice, the year's longest night and shortest day. St. Thomas is commemorated on this day because he was the last one of the apostles to become convinced of Jesus' resurrection -- he was the one who for the longest time remained in the 'night of unbelief and doubt.' " Father Art noted in his sermon that, in a book by Jennifer Hecht entitled Doubt, the author quotes a Zen master: Little doubt, little insight. Big doubt, big insight. No doubt, no insight. Interesting. I've seen those bumper stickers that say "Feed your faith--starve your doubts." The implication there seems to be that doubt is something we need to avoid, or at least shake off quickly. I don't agree. I think we need to pay attention to all of our internal stirrings, positive and negative, and find out what they are trying to tell us. And as I am trying to think of how to finish this comment--sleepy, but not wanting to have to pick up and finish the thought tomorrow, what keeps popping into my head is the text refrain from a story my kids heard in preschool. Every time the bear hunters encounter a new obstacle, be it long wavy grass, thick oozy mud, or a big dark forest, we find: Can't go over it Can't go around it Got to go through it Doubt is kind of like that. Going over it or around it is not as useful in the long run as actually going through it.

In the PBS Religion and Ethics Newsweekly there is an interesting interview about the origins of Christmas and how the celebration has changed over time: KIM LAWTON: Americans can often have a romanticized notion of a "traditional" Christmas. But you might want to give that old-fashioned Christmas wish a second thought. ACE COLLINS (Author, STORIES BEHIND THE GREAT TRADITIONS OF CHRISTMAS): It was a horrible holiday. Women and children couldn't go in the streets. The New York City police department in the 1800s had to add extra people to their police force just to combat the looting and violence on Christmas. LAWTON: Ace Collins is author of the new book STORIES BEHIND THE GREAT TRADITIONS OF CHRISTMAS. This year, he was telling Christmas stories at the Louise Mandrell Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. He says up until about 200 years ago, Christmas celebrations in America largely reflected the pagan origins of the holiday. Mr. COLLINS: It was a time of Mardi Gras on steroids. LAWTON: The raucous Christmas partying is rooted in a time when pre-Christian cultures marked the winter solstice -- as many pagans still do. Romans, for example, had a week-long festival of self-indulgence, dedicated to Saturn, the god of fertility and the harvest. Saturnalia was a time of orgies, drunkenness, and plunder. The earliest Christians, meanwhile, didn't generally celebrate the birth of Jesus. They focused on his death and resurrection. The Bible itself doesn't indicate when Jesus was born. Click here to read the rest of the article.

Happy Hanukkah! Some reflections for you to peruse: USCJ: Hanukkah:The Gift of Hope: "What can we possibly give one another this year that will be meaningful in times such as these? No one person can bestow peace, although it may well top most of our wish lists. Likewise, no one person can redress the economic disparities in our own communities and throughout the world. So just what gift would make a real difference in someone's life? After 9/11 we all began to feel significantly less secure, less trusting. We now look twice at fellow passengers on buses and trains, and we say a silent prayer when driving our cars over bridges and through tunnels. Many have watched their investment accounts shrink and have stopped imagining blissful times in which their retirement funds, together with social security, will carry them comfortably through their golden years. The world political situation seems to worsen on a daily basis, from continuing violence in Iraq, to bombings in Turkey, to increasing anti-Semitism in Europe. In addition, while the informal Geneva agreement crafted recently by Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abed Rabbo demonstrate that dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians is still possible, the official situation in Israel continues to be grim. So what can someone give me what can I give others? that will make a difference? One of the commodities in shortest supply this year is optimism. We read in Psalm 30: Ba'erev Yalin Bekhi V'la'boker Rinah -- Tears may linger for a night, but joy comes with the dawn." This is this message we must spread " the gift of hope." From a homily for Hanukkah at Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Chandler, Arizona: First of all, the lights of Hanukkah have nothing to do with the sun's return. Instead they remind us of another kind of inner light, the hope and courage of our human hearts. We may have banished the darkness of the night with our cities of light but we have not banished inhumanity, terror and cruelty from our world. It is because of the other darkness, that of the human heart, that we must light candles. To remind us that it does not have to be so. Some years we light the Menorah in peace and good will celebrating our gifts, our sacred community, our family and the joy of the human heart. Other years we have to light the candles in protest against the cruelties and violent darkness that is found in the human heart. The Grander View: "Rabbi Michael Lerner reminds us that the Hanukkah story, like so many of the stories from both sacred and secular traditions, is about people recognizing that they have the power to transform what is to what ought to be. 'What is,' in this case the 'what is' as depicted in the Hanukkah story, was the life of a people controlled and isolated by a government that feared diversity - the Greeks wanted homogeneity. But as we have seen from the legends of old all the way up through the challenges of today, the depth and diversity of life cannot be stymied, the complexity and variety of life will never stay stagnant." Tikkun Chanukah Supplement - a reflection guide in Adobe PDF format (396K). You can download Adobe Acrobat Reader here.

I have looked up some links, which you may pursue further if interested, that describe how solstice is being celebrated: Becoming | Calendar | Winter Solstice 2003: "In this, the darkest time of the year, we come together in silence to meditate on the past, honor the present, and look to the future. The Winter Solstice ritual will be followed with food and socializing (talking allowed). We may also take the yule story-telling tradition to heart... there will be a semi-organized sharing of stories/poems/whatever." Winter Solstice 2003 with Starhawk Winter Solstice 2003: "This special moment reminds us of the miracle and wonder of our place in the universe, and calls us to recognize & honor the universal forces which make us One with the spirit of Divine, Cosmic, Earth-Nature, and all Living Beings. Feel the energy which links us and which creates a miraculous Whole circling the entire globe. This inter-connecting psychic energy creates a clear, luminous circle of trust and love, and permits us to have an intentional contact with the energies of Solstice & other participants. Thru this ceremony" -- Beliefnet.com: "Seeds of Light 1. Place a large candle unlit in the center of the table or floor. 2. Sit in front of it, or if doing this in a group, have everyone sit in a circle around it. Everyone present should have their own small candle. 3. Turn all lights out. Experience the feeling of sitting in utter darkness--the silence, the stillness, the inwardness. If children are present, have them say out loud what it feels like (soft, scary, cold). Ask them to imagine what life would be like without the sun, and share their answers aloud. 4. Now consider all the gifts the sun brings us. Again, if children are present, have them call out what comes to mind. 5. Contemplate how the seed of light is even now being born within the womb of darkness. (An adult can explain to children how the wheel of the year is now turning towards the light.) Light the central candle with a taper. 6. Now each person in turn lights their taper from the Sun candle and wishes out loud for three things they would like to have happen in the coming year: make a wish for yourself, a wish for someone you know, and a wish for the planet. 7. Now the room is filled with light and warmth. Finish the celebration with seasonal song, circle dance, or food. 8. At the end of the gathering, individual candles can be snuffed out with the reminder that the flame continues to burn brightly within our hearts. If possible, let the central candle stay alight throughout the night (with obvious safety precautions!) to welcome back the Sun."

A few days ago, I posted about the holiday card my husband and I created. Here is the text of the card: "Ages ago, our ancestors, cold and fearful for their very survival, watched the winter skies for signs of the sun's return. Each winter, we are still reminded that even in dark times, hope is waiting to be reborn inside each of us. And, just as the flame of one candle ignites another, so does hope become stronger and more brilliant as it spreads from one heart to another...until a better world is not a distant hope but a reality we have the power to create together." Here are the outside and inside images of the card. Part of what inspired the creation of that card, was the desire to expess a theme that was common to a number of different winter celebrations--the idea of light and hope returning to the world in a dark time. But it was also inspired by a connection we made to world events. For many of us, the Bush administration has seemed like a "long, cold, lonely winter" (nod to George Harrison). Personally, I would love to see a real celebration of hope at solstice time, one which could be shared by all those who are working towards the end of the "Bush winter". Especially with the recent events (the capture of Saddam Hussein), it would be wonderful to see a clear, positive expression of hope and unity. I'm thinking something along the lines of the candle light vigils that took place around the world before the war in Iraq. But the focus, rather than protesting any one thing--saying what we are against--would be our shared hope that we can do better. This year, Winter Solstice takes place on Monday, December 22. I wonder how one could get such an idea to catch on...

It was certainly surprising—surreal, even, to wake up this morning, look at the Yahoo home page, and see the headline that Saddam Hussein had been captured. Alive. What would this mean? Would this actually help George Bush enough that the world might have to suffer through four more years of his “leadership”? And why was I so focussed on the political aspect of this? Why was I not thinking of the troops who are in danger, away from their families? Was I going to remain glued to internet news sites and blogs today, and, if I did, what would be the effect, really? I need to go to church, I thought. But, oh, look at all that snow. It’s cold out there, and slippery. And, did I mention cold? Lots of snow to brush off the car, and I’m not sure where the snow brush is. But, I really do need to go to church. I need the time to contemplate, to step back and see the big picture. And, the kids have colds and are cranky and won’t stop screaming at each other. Okay, I’ll admit it –that last part is what clinched it for me. When I arrived at church, I discovered that today is the day they are doing the Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols. This is something I only learned about for the first time last year. According to Wikipedia: The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a format of Christian worship service celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and traditionally celebrated at Christmas. The story of the birth of Jesus is told in nine short Bible readings, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols and hymns. The most famous version is broadcast annually from the chapel of King's College, Cambridge on Christmas Eve. My first thought when I realized we were doing the Lessons and Carols today was not very mature or spiritually lofty. "Oh, great. Lots of readings. Lots of "pew aerobics!" But, I quickly realized that I needed this right now. I needed to slow down, be still, step back and look at the bigger picture. This series of readings is good for that. It starts with fortelling of Jesus' birth in Isaiah, and moves through the Annunciation to Mary by the angel Gabriel, Jesus' birth, to his baptism in the River Jordan, when he proclaims the coming of the kingdom of God. What are the "take-home" lessons here? Change happens, but it takes time. God often moves slowly--more slowly than we would like. Political change is also slow and difficult, and, if you focus on the actual moment to moment ups and downs, can be really discouraging. What else? The caption for lesson three was "God promises that a child will be conceived who will be known as "God with us." The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." I read these words, and looked at the little baby in the row in front of me. Actually, I had been looking at him the whole time he was awake--his wide blue eyes and big smile. I can't help myself, if there is a baby near me, we always have these silent conversations. Eyes wide, smiles, eyebrows raised... God promises that a child shall be conceived who will be known as "God with us." Looking at babies, it is so easy to see God with us. Looking at bigger kids, or at adults, it gets harder. But I guess that means we need to try harder. In the past few years I have begun to examine the meanings of these stories more closely. Of course, I have had a little help from the writings of Marcus Borg, and the writings and sermons of Unitarian Universalist ministers. One sermon that really stayed with me was one by Mark Belletini, entitled, "Turning the World Upside-down": "The way I see it is this: when you worship a poor third world baby in a cattle-feeder, instead of a muscular and violent head of state on his throne, you begin to turn philosophy on its head, and certainly all theology. And, to say (as the Christians eventually did), that this weak child nursing at its mother's breast is a wonderful picture of G-d, you get another upside-down image…not the common image of G-d as Caesar in the sky, controlling the weather, the fates of individual human beings, and meting out punishments and rewards according to bribes, but G-d, or the Ultimate, if you will, as a helpless child in a dirty, splintery cattle feeder. Luke turns the world upside-down again for us by saying that the first people to whom this birth is announced are shepherd lads. Shepherds in those days had the same reputation as heroin addicts have in our own day…they were desperate, shady, sad and not-to-be-trusted folks, ready to sucker you at any moment for all that you are worth. Yet Luke says that even if, in Caesar's world, folks like this usually end up in prison on a cross, in the world imagined by Jesus the Chosen One, each person has intrinsic worth, worth that cannot be earned, bought or bribed or destroyed by prejudice or circumstance. Thus, giving the news to the sheep-herders totally turns convention on its head. " Mark referred to the Magnificat, which is the prayer/song of Mary in response to the angel Gabriel's message that she would bear a son who would be called "Son of the Most High": My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden, For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm: He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree. He has filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He has sent empty away. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy; As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity forever. For many years I heard or read the words of the Magnificat without really thinking about the meaning. One gets used to a certain rhythm and cadence, and expects it year after year, and sometimes it is easy to just let the words wash over you without having them actually "sink in". And, until a few years ago, I had no idea that shepherds were held in such low regard--in the Christmas books they always looked so holy. And Mary always seemed so serene and other-worldly. I never really had a sense of her as a young (teen-age), poor girl who was truly amazed that someone of "low regard" like herself was being lifted up. But that is the story, and I long for it to be true. I mean, true today, in our own lives. Some things need to be turned "upside down". I want to see the lowly lifted up, and the mighty taken down a rung or two. Can it--will it--happen? I think so. But I think it will be important to keep stepping back, looking at the "big picture", being patient, and always keeping "God with us." Sometimes it means looking a little harder to recognize God's presence in those around us. Even in cranky big kids.

Bishop John Shelby Spong to speak at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Columbus, Ohio: January 24, 2004 I just put up a web page with the information about Bishop Spong's speaking engagement at St. Stephen's. Please feel free to bookmark the page linked above, and pass it along to anyone who might be interested.

Yesterday I posted that December 8 is Bodhi Day, the anniversary of Buddha's enlightenment. I almost forgot, until someone mentioned it in an online discussion group, that December 8 is also the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and a Holy Day of Obligation in the Roman Catholic Church. I wanted to at least post briefly about this Feast Day, if for no other reason than to clear up a common misconception (didn't mean for that to be a pun, but there it is!) Unitarian Universalist minister Mark Belletini described the confusion about the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in a sermon in 2001, when he related: "This week, I have gone around asking all my friends, and asking members of this congregation I met in the halls, a simple question. I asked everyone to tell me what a certain Christian religious doctrine called "the Immaculate Conception," means in plain English. Without exception, I was told that the phrase Immaculate Conception refers to the idea that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was born, his conception occurring without male seed. But, you see, this is completely false. Look it up in the dictionary if you don't believe me. The doctrine has nothing to do with Jesus or sexuality. Only Roman Catholics teach this unusual tenet, and then only for the last 150 years. It refers only to the state of Mary's soul when she was conceived, conceived through the ordinary sexual intercourse of her parents, Hannah and Joachim. The doctrine asserts, however, that she had no stain of original sin on her soul, unlike, apparently, the rest of us. This is an arcane teaching, certainly, for those of us who have decried the whole strange concept of original sin for centuries. Yet everyone I talked to this week--and please believe me when I tell you that all of them are well educated indeed--told me otherwise. " So, what does the Church teach about the Immaculate Conception? I will include some excerpts here for people who are interested in learning more. But I will do so without comment for now. I have a hard time with the concept of "original sin", as well as many other points of doctrine related to Mary, yet she is still profoundly meaningful to me. I have always, for as far back as I can remember, felt drawn to the Blessed Mother, and although the content of my beliefs has changed over time, Mary's significance to me has not. But I would like to devote some thought to that in another post... --- The Immaculate Conception, a solemnity, is the patronal feast of the United States. It is one of the few Holy days of obligation on the Church calendar -- that is, all Catholics are obligated to attend Mass on this day. As this feast occurs early in Advent, it is a perfect time to consider Mary and her important role in the celebration of Christmas. In 1854, Pope Pius IX's solemn declaration, "Ineffabilis Deus," clarified with finality the long-held belief of the Church that Mary was conceived free from original sin. In proclaiming the Immaculate Conception of Mary as a dogma of the Church, the pope expressed precisely and clearly that Mary was conceived free from the stain of original sin. This privilege of Mary derives from God's having chosen her as Mother of the Savior; thus she received the benefits of salvation in Christ from the very moment of her conception. (The picture above shows her mother, Anna, with the infant Mary within her womb.) This great gift to Mary, an ordinary human being just like us, was fitting because she was destined to be Mother of God. The purity and holiness of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a model for all Christians. --- Rev. Daniel E. Pilarczyk, Archbishop of Cincinnati writes: But the same Immaculate Conception of Mary that served to underline the universality of sin in the past serves today to teach us about the universality of redemption. The same Christ whose love and obedience to the Father preserved Mary from sharing in the universal human disaster, this same Christ makes Himself available to the desperate world of 2002. The redemption that kept Mary sinless is still there to take away the sin and the failure and the aimlessness of every human being who is willing to accept it. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception implies the universality of original sin, but it also reflects the doctrine of the efficacy of Christ, of the universality of redemption.

Tomorrow is Bodhi Day Bodhi Day--Usually observed December 8 or the Sunday immediately preceding, is the date, according to Mahayana tradition, of Siddhartha Gautama’s realization and presentation to his fellow seekers of the Four Noble Truths: 1. All beings are subject to suffering. No one escapes... suffering is universal. 2. The cause of suffering is Ignorance. And Ignorance of oneself is the greatest Ignorance. 3. Ignorance, the cause of suffering, can be overcome, and 4. The way to overcome Ignorance is the Eightfold Path.

Happy St. Nicholas' Day! Saint Nicholas ::: Who is St. Nicholas?: "Widely celebrated in Europe, St. Nicholas' feast day, December 6th, kept alive the stories of his goodness and generosity. In Germany and Poland, boys dressed as bishops begged alms for the poor—and sometimes for themselves! In the Netherlands and Belgium, St. Nicholas arrived on a steamship from Spain to ride a white horse on his gift-giving rounds. December 6th is still the main day for gift giving and merrymaking in much of Europe. For example, in the Netherlands St. Nicholas' Day is celebrated with the sharing of candies (thrown in the door), chocolate initial letters, small gifts, and riddles. Dutch children leave carrots and hay in their shoes for the horse, hoping St. Nicholas will exchange them for small gifts. Simple gift-giving in early Advent helps preserve a Christmas Day focus on the Christ Child."

Since holidays are approaching and many of us will be doing more shopping than usual--thus probably hoping to save money whenever we can--I feel that I probably should have a little "soapbox moment" here to suggest that there are some good reasons to bypass Walmart's "Always Low Prices". Jim Hightower, back in April of 2002, wrote and aritcle entitled "How Wal-Mart is Remaking Our World". He describes the contrast between Walmart's public image and the reality how the way the corporation does business. "Wal-Mart cultivates an aw-shucks, we’re-just-folks-from-Arkansas image of neighborly small-town shopkeepers trying to sell stuff cheaply to you and yours. Behind its soft homespun ads, however, is what one union leader calls "this devouring beast" of a corporation that ruthlessly stomps on workers, neighborhoods, competitors, and suppliers. Despite its claim that it slashes profits to the bone in order to deliver "Always Low Prices," Wal-Mart banks about $7 billion a year in profits, ranking it among the most profitable entities on the planet. Of the 10 richest people in the world, five are Waltons—the ruling family of the Wal-Mart empire. S. Robson Walton is ranked by London’s "Rich List 2001" as the wealthiest human on the planet, having sacked up more than $65 billion (£45.3 billion) in personal wealth and topping Bill Gates as No. 1." Here are some of the specific concerns: "Health-care benefits? Only if you’ve been there two years; then the plan hits you with such huge premiums that few can afford it—only 38% of Wal-Marters are covered. Thinking union? Get outta here! "Wal-Mart is opposed to unionization," reads a company guidebook for supervisors. "You, as a manager, are expected to support the company’s position. . . . This may mean walking a tightrope between legitimate campaigning and improper conduct." Wal-Mart is in fact rabidly anti-union, deploying teams of union-busters from Bentonville to any spot where there’s a whisper of organizing activity." ............... "Using its sheer size, market clout, access to capital, and massive advertising budget, the company also is squeezing out competitors and forcing its remaining rivals to adopt its price-is-everything approach. Even the big boys like Toys R Us and Kroger are daunted by the company’s brutish power, saying they’re compelled to slash wages and search the globe for sweatshop suppliers in order to compete in the downward race to match Wal-Mart’s prices. " ............... "By slashing its retail prices way below cost when it enters a community, Wal-Mart can crush our groceries, pharmacies, hardware stores, and other retailers, then raise its prices once it has monopoly control over the market. " Clearly I do not want to copy the whole article, but there is just so much there. I strongly recommend reading Hightower's full article for all of the details. It is hard to try to tell people, "I know they are more affordable, but you shouldn't shop there." Many people are struggling financially, and they try to save money wherever they can. But the Walmart way of doing business insures that people's wages stay low, because they force competitors and suppliers to cut pay and benefits in order to remain competetive. I truly long for the days when I didn't have to think about things like this--maybe simply because I didn't know better. But now that I do know better, I can't in good conscience play even a small part in aiding and abetting the things this company is doing. For more articles on this topic, check out Walmart Watch.

My husband and I have been working to create a holiday card that could be appropriate whether you were religious or not...one that was not specific to any one holiday, but touched on the universal themes of light and hope. We have finally finished the card, and have uploaded it to Cafe Press. I have also uploaded the outside and inside images so that you can download them and print your own cards if you like.

December 6 is St. Nicholas Day. We know some people for whom St. Nicholas Day is their gift giving holiday, and on December 25, they celebrate Christmas by doing something for the poor, like helping in a soup kitchen. Sermon "Getting In -- Or Fighting -- The Holiday Spirit" "St. Nicholas, from whom the Santa Claus story evolved, was a real man. He lived in the fourth century, in the early part of the fourth century, before there was a Christmas in Christianity. He was a rich man with a generous heart, and he would go around unseen — because it was important to him that this be done secretly — and give gifts, little bags of gold, to some of the needy people in his town. Eventually he was discovered, it was learned where the gold was coming from, and the story of St. Nicholas and his generous heart spread like wildfire. When St. Nicholas died around the middle of the fourth century, he died on December 6, and December 6th became known then as St. Nicholas Day. It was a day when Christians were supposed to celebrate the memory of this generous man with his generous heart, by giving gifts to the needy. It had nothing to do with Jesus or Christmas. The gifts weren’t to be given on December 25th. The idea was to give them to the needy on December 6th, and to give them anonymously." More about St. Nicholas and his connection with Santa Claus: St. Nicholas of Myra: "The best-known story involves a man with three unmarried daughters, and not enough money to provide them with suitable dowries. This meant that they could not marry, and were likely to end up as prostitutes. Nicholas walked by the man's house on three successive nights, and each time threw a bag of gold in through a window (or, when the story came to be told in colder climates, down the chimney). Thus, the daughters were saved from a life of shame, and all got married and lived happily ever after. Because of this and similar stories, Nicholas became a symbol of anonymous gift-giving. Hence, if we give a gift to someone today without saying whom it is from, it can be called 'a present from Saint Nicholas (or Santa Claus).' Some parents explain this to their children and invite the child to join them in wrapping a toy (either something purchased for that purpose, at least partly with the child's allowance, or else a toy that the child has outgrown but that is still serviceable) or an outgrown but not shabby item of the child's clothing, or a package of food, and then going along to donate it to a suitable shelter that will give it to someone who will welcome it. This gift is then called 'a present from Santa,' so that the child understands that this is another name for an anonymous gift given to someone whom we do not know, but whom we love anyway because God does. (Presents within the family can be 'From Santa' or 'From Santa and...')"

I want to share an excerpt from a Solstice/Christmas sermon. The author describes how looking at the historical and cultural connections between Christmas and Winter Solstice as well as other winter celebrations, can give the Chrismas a new and deeper meaning. This can be especially true for people who, like the author, feel a little hypocritical celebrating the holiday when, like the author, they "did not buy into the modern Christian package (virgin birth, 12/25 birthday, Jesus as the only son of God, all the miracles..." UUS > Sermons > 2002 > December 22 - "Modern Meaning from Winter Solstice Ancient Mythology and Ritual" by Becky Fockler, Worship Associate: "It is so interesting to me that religions and mythologies are so similar, here are common themes and archetypes that I’ve noticed in all these stories and rituals: Honoring Goddesses and Gods and God/men or other spirits/archetypes who come from “heaven: or the spiritual world often from a “Virgin” birth at the time of the Winter Solstice Celebrations of renewal, hope, change for the better in all of us and that we honor as a natural cycle within our lives. believing that there are multiple God and Goddess images or Jungian type archetypes representing the sacred or the collective unconscious, multiple aspects of some kind of heroic journey Cycles of life as represented in nature with a parallel to the human experience An appreciation of all of life as sacred and that the sacred can be represented in a multitude of ways OK, so back to the point. How has all this saved Christmas? For me, in 2 major ways: the commonality of the mythology and the earth based symbols). By looking a the big picture, the commonality of the meaning of the mythology, I can appreciate and honor the Christian story as another ancient myth celebrating the birth of the sacred in all of us that is commonly done at Winter solstice time. I can expand Christmas to celebrate all the Goddess births of God/men such as Jesus, Osiris, Thor, Saturnus, the Sun God, not as a literal birth, but as one of many of the never ending metaphorical and mythological hero stories that has existed for all times; I can see this as the same story that all of us participate in our personal journeys of rebirth of spirit, hope, and sacredness. This celebration honors and validates that we all are on a sacred journey and that it is wonderful. We can look to the ancient myths (including the Christian story) to help us along the way. "

This information is from the Candlegrove web site: Ancient Origins: Solstice: "Winter solstice this year. Winter solstice for 2003 will occur at 11:04 pm PST on December 21. If you want to be precise about it, please be sure to correct for your time zone. Planning for upcoming seasons? Here's a chart through 2020, but it's based on Universal Time, so you'll need to adjust it for your time zone. " The site also offers a deeper look at the meaning of Winter Solstice, and the ways it has been celebrated in different cultures: Many, many cultures the world over perform solstice ceremonies. At their root: an ancient fear that the failing light would never return unless humans intervened with anxious vigil or antic celebration. Click here to learn more.