'Humbug'

I found this a very interesting topic, especially since I also hate the way Christmas in many Western countries, including my own, the UK, seems like nothing more than a time for shops to offload the greatest part of their stock. However, in the West, I believe, Christmas is about considering the plight of the needy and those who may be less fortunate than yourselves. It is this spirit that seems to be absent when Christmas is celebrated in China.

What I would like to say about the young scholars who fear for the culture of China is what most people who denigrate Christmas in the West are told: "Humbug". You needn't fear the encroachment of ideas that come from other sections of humanity. There are Buddhists, Hindus and others of many persuasions in the West and elsewhere who choose a mode of thought that appeals to them and their way of thinking.

The problem this group seems to have is that they have a profound insecurity in what they believe themselves. They ought not to petition against what others do, especially since it is done out of harmless fun and not even as a recognition of the values that Christmas represents. What some people seem not to understand is that the world for better or worse is more pluralistic and being born in any one "nation" has less and less importance in terms of one's spiritual identity.