Shelter Island Reporter Letters to the Editor: Jan. 5, 2024

Our diversity 

To the Editor:

Responding to Tom Young’s letter of Dec. 21: The beauty of the “holiday season” is its inclusion. The “holidays” include Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa. Not everyone celebrates Christ’s birth or resurrection.

The inclusion of diverse beliefs and religions has nothing to do with a “woke agenda.” It’s a recognition of our diversity.

STEPHANIE LEBOWITZ, Shelter Island

Coming together

To the Editor:

It saddens me when a fellow Shelter Islander writes in to protest “Happy Holidays” as part of a “woke agenda.”

First, our neighbors may or may not be Christian. Jews celebrate Hannukah, Kwanzaa is becoming a popular holiday for Black Americans, and most cultures who live in the northern hemisphere have some celebration around the Winter Solstice for the return of the sun and the New Year.

“Happy holidays” as a greeting is simply a way to embrace our fellow human beings as part of our community and friend/work circles. Secondly, when asked who he was, Buddha simply responded, “I am awake.” I take this to mean he was paying attention to what matters, here and now.

So, being “woke” is simply to be aware of and acknowledge that our common humanity transcends color, religion, gender, etc. How is that such a bad “agenda?”

Finally, Christians celebrated Christmas in December from the Fourth Century to blend in with Roman celebration of Saturnalia, a time to acknowledge the turn towards light.

Christ was most likely born sometime in the spring. So, we are commandeering a pagan Roman festival. And Christ would be the last to complain about “Happy holidays,” wouldn’t He?

So, good will to all! And here is hoping 2024 is a year of our coming together as a community at every level.

WENDY TURGEON, Shelter Island