The near genocide of the ingenious people and the attempt to onlinepletely wipe out their religions and cultures is one of the darkest chapters in America’s short history. I don’t think that teaching our children all about how the pilgrims and Indians were bestest buddies is appropriate, and is in fact quite damaging to them. It was a real shift in perspective to me to learn that for many Native Americans Thanksgiving is a day of mourning.
That being said, I don’t think many people these days are celebrating the pilgrims and Wampanoag sharing their harvest. Much like language, holidays evolve and the people who celebrate them change. It’s been 400 years since that first Thanksgiving, and 150 years since Lincoln made it an official national holiday. A lot has changed for us as a culture. These days Thanksgiving is celebrated as a time to be grateful, and to be with family (in theory, anyway).
As for Christmas, in much the same was as early Christians took over Pagan holidays for their own, non Christians have made Christmas their own. Yes, Christmas is celebrated by Christians, but it is also widely celebrated as a secular holiday, with Santa and all the trimmings, even by those who aren’t religious. Many people chose to ignore the religious aspects, and instead embrace the spirit of generosity towards others, and the magic of childhood. Christmas is celebrated in many places, even in Japan, which is prominently atheist, Shinto and Buddhist (although not to the same level we take it here). While there are many many people and religions that don’t celebrate Christmas at all, it isn’t just for Christians.
It must be frustrating and a bit overwhelming at times, to have a holiday you don’t celebrate constantly being shoved in your face, especially in light of what it means to you. I know it is probably a real annoyance to people who don’t celebrate a particular holiday to have the whole country shut down while others celebrate it.