Peace on Earth

The spirit of Christmas is-and hopefully always will be-about goodwill and generosity to others and peace on earth.

Nick Rahall

The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has felt compelled to remove its holiday trees this year. Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky requested the addition of a holiday menorah, and the airport responded by removing the trees so they "wouldn't appear to be exclusive." Of course, both sides have consulted their attorneys and undoubtedly there will be litigation. So much for peace on earth!

I've married many couples where the partners are of different faiths (or where one of the partners has no religious affinity, but the other does). The folks in Seattle could learn a lot from them. These couples understand that love is more important than dogma and symbolism and that the heart of all spirituality and religion is pretty much the same. They have melded their various holiday traditions to reflect the harmonious life which they pledged to live with one another. It's pretty simple, really. No need for attorneys!

Having grown up in a staunch Catholic home and now professing a more "spiritual as opposed to religious with a bit of Science of Mind and Spririt and Feng Shui thrown in" outlook, I have managed to mesh my life with my partner, Jeremy, who is Jewish. When he tells me the story of Hanukkah, the menorah and the Maccabees, it sounds little different in scope than the Christian upbringing I lived. Of course the facts differ radically, but the essence boils down to family, love, miracles, and of course--food! Who wouldn't embrace such a holiday?

Last December, my friend Kim (who is also one of Lyssabeth's wedding officiants) had her children create both Christmas cookies and marshmallow menorahs. The kids see absolutely nothing crazy about this, which is as it should be. This year, there will be a menorah on our mantel, 6 feet away from our Christmas tree (which we also call laughingly call the Hanukkah Bush when it suits our purpose.) We will have a Hanukkah party where we might decorate Christmas cookies, spin the dreidel and read The Night Before Christmas to my two-year old granddaughter. It's all about celebrating with family our love and good fortune and I'm willing to bet that similar joint traditions will be carried out in many homes.

And that is a lesson from which our religious leaders and government officials should learn.