Merry (Southern) Christmas
We're halfway there, so let's celebrate.
It’s very early in the morning of June 25 as I write this, so I bid you all a Merry half-Christmas. Or whatever it is we should say here in the Southern Hemisphere at this time of year.
Before you write me off as crazy, consider this: If we were at this same point of winter, just a few days after the solstice, in the Northern Hemisphere, we’d be celebrating actual Christmas on December 25, so surely it only follows that we do the whole ho-ho-ho thing today.
I know this is controversial. The last time I mentioned it, I was berated for besmirching “Christmas in July”, which is celebrated by some very worthy charities.
That’s not my intention at all. I’m just pointing out that it’s today, not July 25, that’s six months from Christmas in both directions and just a week away from a new year (albeit the financial one).
In any case, December 25 itself is a contrived date most likely borrowed from a pre-Christian festival.
And, of course, Christmas is celebrated around the world in places where Christianity is not really a thing. I’ve swapped gifts with a Buddhist in South East Asia and admired a huge, beautifully decorated Christmas tree located next to a “Santa Shop” in a mall in Abu Dhabi.
Looking at the state of the world, and mulling likely events between now and actual Christmas, I reckon a small celebration today wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Any excuse to be jolly, I say.