Can I just say it?
Sometimes I’m embarrassed to be known as a Christian - & especially when it’s something Christmas-related. I LOVE Christmas & I may even think that it is the most wonderful time of the year. AND I might find myself reading that last sentence in a lilting sing-song voice.
There are so, so many wonderful things to love about Christmas & to celebrate – especially as Christians. It is after all “our” story – the story of the Incarnation that is so integral to our faith – and one that we are to share with others.
But instead of celebrating the glory of the story, I’m afraid that we too often forget the story; at least we sound like we’ve forgotten. And I’m not even talking about the commercialism of Christmas – although whenever I hear some “preacher” (from the pulpit or from their Facebook page) admonishing the rest of us to “keep Christ in Christmas!” I pretty much always remember something that my friend presented one Sunday morning many Christmases ago. She stepped to the microphone & started her own personal rant about keeping Christ in Christmas. She told us that it just wasn’t possible because He kept breaking out of that one single day and insisted on spilling over into the rest of the calendar. She told story after story of how neighbors did Christmas-y things on any old day of the year. Her conclusion: we shouldn’t try to keep Christ in Christmas, but instead we should let His spirit flow through us and affect how we live every single day.
But I got sidetracked there for a bit…
What was it that I was feeling grinchy about?
Oh, yes, it was about how we seem to have forgotten the best themes of the Christmas story – like peace on earth, good will to men and that we’ve been given good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Instead of celebrating, we’ve turned to complaining - and about the silliest things! What kind of person, I ask you, would be upset because someone uses the wrong words to extend good wishes? This is most perplexing to me – that Christians would get mad because someone wishes them “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”! Unbelievable. And that we would jump on some wild crazy conspiracy story & have big arguments about what a decorated tree should be called! Oh, Tannenbaum, you sacred thing. Wait; tannenbaum actually means fir tree, so maybe we should get upset when someone uses a spruce tree or a pine tree or some other species of evergreen. No, siree; it must be a fir tree.
Yah, yah… now I’m just being downright silly.
But I keep distracting myself. I was starting to talk about that horrible evil of saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". May I confess something? I am guilty & have been for many years now. I think I remember when I first started the practice. Maybe I was feeling extra sentimental & celebratory & generous as I was getting my Christmas cards ready to go out. I must have been thinking that I wanted my wishes of good will to be more expansive than just about Christmas – so I began to write Happy Holidays on my cards & letters. *gasp* Another year I was feeling nicely sensitive as I noticed that several of our friends were going through rough times so it felt really flippant to say “Merry, merry Christmas” when I knew that their Christmas would be anything but merry. Little did I know that I would be guilty of participating in the war on Christmas by offering an alternate wording instead of the “sacred” greeting!
As my world expanded, I also began to realize that there are some people who don’t celebrate Christmas & it was my great privilege & honor to count some of them as friends. It didn’t really make sense to wish them Merry Christmas, but maybe I could learn about what kinds of holidays they do celebrate & could wish them well some other more pertinent way. Had I taken another step toward the slippery slope of tolerance & mutual respect?
Okay; maybe I’ve stepped over the snarky line, but yes, I think it is silly to be upset if someone wishes me greetings of the season, but not in the exact words that I want them to use. It’s sort of like being invited to a party, but complaining that the invitation is written with the wrong color of ink. They didn’t have to invite me to the party, you know! Just like people don’t have to wish me any greetings at all! Hello!
Besides shouldn’t we who call ourselves Christians be the ones to take the lead in expressing good tidings of great joy? Why would we expect the pagans to do it?
Bah humbug!
