Krismas

From Tetrakatus Productions - The Art of Jacob Walker

(You may also wish to visit the other official Krismas Web Page or the Krismas for Kids page)

What is Krismas?

Krismas is a secular holiday that celebrates the myth of Kris Kringle, commonly known as Santa Claus. It happens on December 25th of each year, and is also closely associated with Krismas Eve which occurs December 24th. Krismas is part of the "12 Days of Secular Celebration"

Krismas is about celebrating most of the modern mythologies surrounding Christmas, except for the mythology of the birth of Jesus as a savior.

Krismas is about giving gifts, especially those “from the heart”; it is about the magic of childhood; it is about peace on earth; and it is about goodwill towards humankind. It is about the universal truths of goodness that surround this time of year.

Who should celebrate Krismas?

Anyone who wishes to extract from Christmas all the traditions that they deem to be good, without needing to feel like they need to believe in the Jesus savior mythology might want to celebrate Krismas.

I suspect that many atheists, agnostics, neo-pagans, Buddhists, Hindus, or other non-Abraham followers may want to celebrate this holiday. Some Muslims and Jews may also wish to celebrate this holiday. There may even be a few “liberal” Christians who see the benefit of celebrating this holiday.

Why was the name "Krismas" chosen?

First and foremost, the name was chosen because it sounds nearly identical to Christmas. If someone had Trademarked the name “Christmas”, we’d probably be sued. But as far as we are aware, that name is in the public domain :-) The idea behind having a nearly identical name is that you can wish someone a Merry Krismas without needing to explain a whole new holiday, in fact the other person will probably just assume you said “Christmas”. So this holiday can blend into our current traditions very easily, without getting people who may not have the same beliefs as you all riled up. But you still don’t have to accept the part about Jesus being a savior, or even the existence of Jesus if you so choose.

On the other hand, if you wish for people to know that you aren’t celebrating Christmas, you can bring up that point up also. So this name gives people the most choice. If you really wish to buck the Christmas trend, and have a different name all together, I recommend you celebrate the solstice, HumanLight, or just New Years.

Also, Kris Kringle is one of the names for the original American concept of Santa Claus, so we though it would be appropriate for this modern holiday.

Who Created Krismas?

The idea of a secular celebration has been around for a long time; I suspect it is as old as Christmas, as free thinkers have existed since the dawn of humanity, despite religions' efforts. In fact, many visitors to this site realize that they have been celebrating Krismas for many years, but just didn't have a name for it.

The current concept of "Krismas" was co-created by Will Shetterly^[1] and Jacob Walker^[2] (independently of each other) in 2004. Both people had basically the same idea, and the named holiday was born. In addition, it has been discovered that several other people have come up with the same basic idea attached to the name over the last several years.

Why was Krismas created?

I loved Christmas growing up. I treasure those memories. I treasure the mythology of Santa Claus, Rudolph, Elves, etc. I treasure the idea of giving gifts, the beauty of Christmas lights and the smell of Christmas trees. This is what Christmas was about to me. These are the secular mythologies and symbols that we have made Christmas about.

I really didn’t think much about the birth of Jesus while growing up; it was just another mythology surrounding the time, and I never believed in Jesus as a savior. As I have grown, I have come to believe that the notion of Jesus being a savior, and many of the ideas of fundamentalist Christian churches, and the Catholic church to be detrimental to peace, acceptance and love in our world. So I didn’t want to support them any longer. It also would not be true of me to celebrate Christmas when I really don’t follow what many people consider the MAJOR tenant of that holiday. So I decided to create a new holiday that I would support the tenants that I believe are good and righteous.

In the recent years there has been a movement by many fundamentalist Christian groups to “pull” Christmas back to being a religious holiday only. I think that is fine. We can have Krismas, they can have Christmas.

Can people celebrate BOTH Christmas and Krismas?

Sure! In fact, one could argue that most people are already celebrating both and don't realize it. The Christian majority in the U.S.A. celebrate Christmas as the story of when Jesus was born, and most also celebrate the myth of Santa Claus (Kris Kringle), which we are calling the celebration of Krismas. But, while both could be celebrated, I suspect that Krismas is more likely to catch on with those people who wish to have an alternative to a Christian holiday.

For those interested in celebrating a redefinition of Christmas, I now have a Christmas for Everyone page.

Criticisms about Krismas

Any new idea is bound to get criticisms, and that is good, as an idea should be able to survive within the marketplace of ideas, and one can not address an issue, until the issue is brought to light. So I have created a page that addresses criticisms I have heard about Krismas.

Other Webpages about Krismas

Yes, there are a growing number of pages, articles, blogs, etc about Krismas. I have a links page that lists all the ones that I have found so far, including the other Official Krismas Web Page.

Krismas Gifts from Me to You

Intellectual ideas are some of the most powerful things in the world, and ideas can be given for such a low cost, but worth greatly more than their cost. The following I give freely to all who visit here, may you enjoy these gifts. If you prefer to be able to buy these pre-printed, I have most of these available at the "Official" Krismas Shop.

Krismas Cards

I have made several Krismas Cards which you can either print out for free, send via email, or buy from Cafe Press. If you are going to print your own, you may want to get the pre-folded Avery Greeting Card Paper for best results. Click here to go to the Krismas Card page

Krismas Tree Ornaments

I have created a page of Krismas Tree Ornaments that you can download for free. These can either be cut by hand, or with a 2" Circle Craft Hole Punch and can be hung with Ornament Hooks. If you want something more professional looking, I also have Ornaments for Sale at CafePress.

Krismas Stories to Enjoy

• The Night Before Krismas - An adaptation of Clement C. Moore's original poem.
• A Krismas Carol - An adaptation of Charles Dickens original story.
• Kris Kringle Comes Tonight - Coloring Book - A slightly silly coloring book and children's story I created using public domain images.
• Life and Adventures of Santa Claus The original L. Frank Baum Story (Not yet adapted)

Kommercial Krismas

One of the key foundational pieces, for me, about Krismas is giving from the heart. I personally think that a Krismas present that is hand made, or a service that you do for someone is worth more than either expensive or cheap consumable gifts. I also believe that going into debt for the holidays gives a person less ability to give later. And donating to a good cause is something that is truly a gift to humankind. But these are all just personal feelings.

I do realize that for Krismas to grow as a recognized holiday, there needs to be products that people can get. I encourage people to make their own Krismas ornaments, etc. But sometimes it is nice to be able to buy something also, so I am listing here websites that sell products that are specifically geared around Krismas. If you have a website that is dedicated to selling Krismas products, just let me know and I will place a link here to your site.

• "Official" Krismas Shop, on Cafe Press.
• A Krismas Necktie, you can buy online.

What about the Frequently Unasked Questions?

While this page attempts to address the most frequently asked questions, I have placed up a page of "Frequently Unasked Questions" which contains further information that I thought was relevant.

How can the Krismas Creators be Contacted?

If you have suggestions for this website, stories, or ideas on how to improve the Krismas concept, you can email krismas@tetrakatus.com.

Also, it is unfortunate that I probably need to mention the following, but for those who wish to send me hate mail or threats, I will either ignore these, or track back who they came from, and report them to the appropriate authorities. Emails such as those, will just reinforce my belief that Christianity is an ignorant belief system, and that those sending me the hate or threats are hypocritical (which is easy to be when the text one follows is paradoxical). What is even sadder, is that both followers of Christmas and Krismas hold many of the same tenants, such as love, family and peace. But, if the creator of the Flying Spaghetti Monster can get death threats from people who supposedly follow loving their enemy and their neighbor, I'm sure it is quite possible I could receive them too.

Sources Cited

1. ↑ Put the Kris back in Krismas! blog entry by Will Shetterly (as originally posted December 9, 2004)
2. ↑ Thoughts - Krismas blog entry by Jacob Walker, posted on December 28, 2004