“Do you like Christmas music?,” my teachers, friends, peers ask every year. A looming interrogative met with an unsure, unsteady, yet mandatory answer.
“…yes,” I reply, a trace of a nervous grin on my lips.
For myself, confidence is not something I would associate with Christmas. For others, Christmas is their whole world. Once December first rolls around, their calendars are marked up with exclamation points and hues of green and red.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love the celebration, the festivities, the decorations, the songs. I mean, I love the entire “holiday season”, from October to January.
But sometimes the American Christmas can overshadow many other important holidays, traditions, and festivities for many communities across the U.S..
American culture is constantly criticized for being bland. It is so stereotypically white, still derived and generated from distinct European roots, millions of people across the globe find the U.S. to simply have no culture at all.
From hot dogs and burgers for the Fourth of July to a hoard of turkey and American nationalism for Thanksgiving, our “distinctive” culture is found in holidays.
And, unfortunately for some, fortunately for most, Christmas is taken to the next level.
The entire festive stigma around the holiday is evident, found in the conventional decor, food, traditions, fashion, and catchy albums. Year after year, Frank Sinatra sings his classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, and Eatha Kitt’s “Santa Baby” can be heard over the radio every morning.
And it’s no surprise Mariah Carey’s legendary “All I want For Christmas is You” gets teenagers singing at football games in September.
Christmas is a beautiful holiday to spend with family and friends, and generates so much joy for three months straight. However, it seems Americans have created their own subculture around the religious celebration.
And for the people who don’t have Christmas at the top of their priority list, it definitely feels like their culture and values are always overshadowed, overlooked, and therefore, not cared about.
For example, Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday, is celebrated around Christmas every year, and menorahs and dreidels are often incorporated into the Christmas decorations, playing into the festive fever.
It lasts for eight days, and families often celebrate with presents, prayers, and a lot of food, like latkes and jelly donuts.
Kwanzaa, a holiday celebrated by African Americans, occurs directly after Christmas, on December 26. It lasts for seven days and teaches good principles to follow, like responsibility, creativity, and faith.
The holiday does not substitute Christmas, but the celebration is often looked over.
Chinese Lunar New Year is also celebrated during the winter months, in January and February. It’s a festival, splashed with red and gold tones, celebrated with explosive firecrackers, red envelopes, and a plethora of rich cultural dishes and food.
This country is based on the collaboration of immigrants, coming together to build “the American Dream”. Diversity is a policy often associated with the U.S., but it’s often covered up.
American culture does not have a definition. No guidelines, no rules, no permanence.
But it has Christmas, the fraying strand we often grasp onto in our historical tapestry.
And while Christmas might be the U.S.’s popular staple when it comes to traditions, America is full of hidden diversity and veiled cultures, celebrated in secret and intimacy.