Janese Johnson

Growing up in a small town in the Midwest did not help lessen my ethnocentrism because everyone lived a similar life, ate similar foods, and celebrated the same holidays.

Other cultures were either far away or long ago. I didnít think much about it, and ignorantly believed that everyone celebrated the same holidays. Because our community seemed to have a strong secular flavor, I didnít even really know that some of these holidays are Christian holidays.

As I got older, I moved away. The city was quite thrilling for me because of all the differences. I could not get enough of the ethnic festivals that were held every weekend. I wanted to learn about the different cultures.

But I still was in my ethnocentric bubble, still not registering the richness of othersí culture. I still somehow believed that mine was the one that everyone that I knew acknowledged.

My first bubble-popping experience that helped clear away some of the ignorant cobwebs came in my early twenties. I was married, and we had a Jewish friend living with us for some time. He was with us during Christmas.

I decorated the house as I had always been raised to do. He shared with us that this was the first Christmas he had ever experienced. My first reaction was a reaction from ignorance: I thought how lucky he was to be experiencing Christmas. But then when he shared Hanukkah with us, I realized the preciousness and richness of his cultural celebrations. My bubble started to dissipate.

Since that time I have been fortunate to meet many different wonderful people who are from a variety of different cultures. My life has been enriched with the experiences that I have shared with others from different cultures and traditions. Their devotion and commitment have shown me and reminded me of the importance of celebrating from our heart and soul ó not from a perspective of obligations and consumerism.

Many people these days are feeling overwhelmed and stressed throughout this holiday season because of the pressure that they feel from our ethnocentric Christian culture. It is in the air everywhere to buy, decorate, and buy some more. A friend just shared with me that she feels bombarded everywhere she goes. She feels guilty every year because she doesnít really want to celebrate Christmas any more, but she goes through the motions because she feels that she has to.

Have we lost the heart and soul of this tradition and holiday of Christmas? And if so, what can we do differently so that we may truly connect to the essence of love with family, friends and the greater community during this holiday season?

John Denver made a really dear and touching CD, and in one of his songs he sings, ì I donít care if you believe in Christmas or if you have presents underneath the tree, but if you believe in love, that is more than enough to come and celebrate with me.î

Whether you celebrate Christmas from a non-Christian point of view or to celebrate Jesusí birth, it really is about Love.
All faiths and traditions have celebrations that represent a deeper and more profound love.

Let us celebrate the love that we have for one another no matter what our faith, tradition, race or economic status.
We are all here together, and we have so much that we can learn from each other.

May your holiday season, no matter what holiday you are celebrating, be a joyous and heartfelt time. Happy Holidays!
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Janese Johnson has been doing intuitive counseling nationally for more than 20 years. She may be contacted at janesej-at-buncombe.main.nc.us.