by Naomi Blackman

Created on: May 11, 2008

On a lovely crisp day, walking through the snowy winter wonderland that I have come to know and love so well, I look around and see the spirit of Christmas bringing joy into the hearts of all. On my usual journey home, I pass by a beautifully lit up school yard, where children are playing around a ten foot tall Christmas tree adorned with lights and baubles; a shining star, reminiscent of the story of Christ's birth, shines golden atop the tree. The children are patiently waiting for the best day of the year to come, when Mr. Claus brings happiness into the homes of all the good little boys and girls right? A group of five children are not playing. I ask them why and one little boy responds, "I'm Jewish, those two are Muslim, she celebrates Kwanzaa, and he doesn't believe in Christmas". Not all the good little boys and girls have happiness in their hearts and homes at this time of year. Christmas has exploded into such a publicly dominant holiday that, slowly but surely, other religious holidays are being forced into the darkness. There should be a holiday that includes everyone: a holiday to replace the discrimination that Christmas has shown towards non-Christians. I call this holiday Defero, the Latin word for community. Defero will be a day where people come together to celebrate integration and cast away religion-specific objects into a great bonfire of equality; objects that have caused so much grief in the past such as Menorahs and Christmas trees. If we take favour to Defero by abolishing and criminalizing Christmas, along with all other religiously affiliated holidays, we will rid ourselves of the isolation that has long been brewing in our society.

I have come to the conclusion that there is no longer any good to be had from symbols, objects, and texts made specifically for one group of people. The idea of separating ourselves into different groups of belief systems is a Neanderthal way of living that has become a complete detriment to society. Those who believe that we should not cast our friends into the shadows should stand up with me on the day of Defero and let burn their Qu'ran, Bible, or Torah in a great fire, the way that these texts have let others burn for so long.

I am well aware that Christmas is a time of huge consumerism, and that many people may argue that putting and end to Christmas will cause a great fall in the economy. What these people are ignorant of is that Defero provides an even greater opportunity for people to consume.

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