Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Hanukkah to all those lighting candles this week!

Artwork above by badsign769

The first year that I celebrated Hanukkah on the site was 2019.  I'd been celebrating most of the secular holidays for years, especially Halloween, Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day.  I also always visually celebrated Christmas, which although most definitely religion based, has also become a secular holiday for many.

I wanted to start including more holidays for several reasons. I could see from my stats that I had viewers from all over the globe.  I also knew that many of the models and artists that I featured, were  not only from different countries, but from different religions and cultures.  Inclusivity used to be a positive thing, but the notion, and the term, have been corrupted over the last decade.  This, mostly due to a few asshole and incredibly ignorant politicians.  Being inclusive, or God forbid being woke, is now something to be mocked and belittled.  

Myron

My passion for inclusivity began when I was in school in the 1980's.  I have very vivid memories of our grade school classes preparing for the annual Christmas concert.  I remember so many afternoons in December when the class, well most of them, headed to the auditorium for rehearsals.   Five students remained behind.  Although they were expected to attend and watch the concert, during rehearsals, they stayed back in the classroom and read.

I remember being so curious, and also so ignorant, about why they weren't joining us for choir practice.  I remember asking my teacher, who informed me that not everyone celebrated Christmas.  I was shocked.  As a forth grader, this was a totally new concept to me.  Over the next year, I learned about each of those five students.  One girl was from India, and was a Buddhist.  Another was a Jehovah's Witness, something it me years to get my head around.  The other three students were Jewish.

Seeing those five people left out, stuck with me, and informed how I interact with others in the world.  It's disgustingly ironic to me, how trying to be inclusive has become such a negative thing.  Above all, Christianity is rooted both in faith, and how you treat others. Loving others, even enemies, being kind and generous to others, especially the the vulnerable. To me, saying 'Happy Holiday's' is actually one of the most Christian things one can do.

Do unto others has for too many become do unto others, but only if they think and agree with you.  There was never any war on Christmas, this, like so many things, was made up to anger and rile a group just looking for reasons to be angry and explode.  It's one of many embers stoking a fire I pray one day soon is extinguished.  No matter where you live, or what you believe, Chag Sameach and may your holidays burn bright!