It is that time of the year again. It is a time when several religions are celebrating holidays. It is a festive and joyous time. Many of the stores you visit have a greeter there to say “Happy Holidays”. For most of us, including myself, this makes me smile and I generally offer the greeting back. But there are those that this makes them cringe. For these individuals the only acceptable greeting is Merry Christmas and don’t you dare insult them by offering any other greeting. They call it the war on Christmas (do even have to say how terrible it is that the celebration of the one that is supposed to bring peace is mixed with imagery of war?). What I find most fascinating about this that they believe the holiday of Christmas is in danger. I have no data to back this up, but of those I know Christmas is celebrated by a lot of people. I even know people who are not Christian who celebrate Christmas. So what are they so afraid of? Do they really believe one of the most internationally celebrated holiday’s is really in danger of being ended?
No, I do not believe they believe that Christmas is really in danger because as long as there are professing Christians I believe there will be Christmas. I think what they fear is America being a diverse nation of many faiths and beliefs. They fear that some how moving from Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays will take away something from them. The reality is that it only taking away from the perceived power of the Christian majority. It is about a sense of self importance. Something inside them that says what I do and believe is more important than what others do and believe and if you don’t believe like me then tough luck cause you are going to have to.
I believe there is also a group that fears the secularization of Christmas. Sadly I do not think there is a way to stop this. Now for me Christmas is an important religious holiday and I believe that it should remain a holy day set apart for special worship among Christians. After all it is the day we celebrate the birth of the Christian savior so it is important and I get why there would be a push to save it from commercialization. What I do not understand is the tactics used to do this. The focus is on retail businesses which say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”. So what the war on Christmas is trying to do is force stores to celebrate Christmas. Now this sounds like a further secularization of the holiday by reenforcing the idea that Christmas is not in church but at the stores and in the malls.
Regardless of the motivation I am insulted for people of others faiths and no faith. I am appalled that people calling themselves Christian would feel that Christmas should be a war and that it should be forced on others. I ashamed to be connected with those that feel the holidays of Christians is more important than that of other faiths. It is disrespectful plain and simple. If you wish to celebrate Christmas and keep it a holy I say go to church on Christmas Eve/Day. I say decorate your house in religious Christmas symbology. I say give Christmas presents and light the advent wreath at your house (I know we do at my house). As for the public lets leave it at Happy Holidays and respect those that are of others faiths and beliefs.
First, I must say that I agree with the conclusion you voice in the last paragraph. As repulsive as the idea of connecting the terms ‘Christmas’ and ‘War’ are, the phrase ‘War on Christmas’ is an accurate one. What is so unfortunate about this war is that it has already been lost to what has become the closest thing to a truly ‘Global Religion’. That being the worship of the “All-mighty Dollar”, which is worshipped in stores everywhere, 365 days a year.
Like the Chinese principle of ‘conquering by assimilation’ where invaders are invited in with the knowledge that with a little time they and their descendants will become as ‘Chinese’ as the rest of the population, materialism has quietly assimilated the people of all religions. What is Christian about ‘Santa’ (or the ‘Easter Bunny’ for that matter)? What is Christian in the symbol of a triangular tree decorated with expensive ornaments of popular culture? What is Christian in measuring the love given in a gift by it’s ‘dollar value’? Jesus has already willingly been removed from the holiday by the very people who claim to be his followers.
It would seem that the best alternative Christians can have to saving the ‘Christian holiday’ is to put the ‘Christ’ back into their own homes and stop trying to compete with the new global religion of materialism. As long as there is money there will be stores. As long as there are stores the worship of the dollar will continue. It seems like burying one’s head in the sand to expect ‘Merry Christmas’ as a greeting at the door of the temple of Materialism. Rather than fight it we should be celebrating the fact that it is still a holiday which promotes ‘Peace on Earth, good will towards all mankind’. We definitely need more of those!
Hi Joey, it looks like you may have seen Jon Stewart’s clip too! I have to disagree with you partly, however. Some Christians feel their belief is under attack, when, for example, they’re actually FORBIDDEN to say “Merry Christmas” as one of my friends reported she is in her job as assistant manager at a major food chain. Here, her freedom is being curbed — some would allege the business is free to do so if she is representing the business — but still, there’s something a little draconian about threatening someone with firing if they’re caught saying “Merry Christmas” even to someone who has greeted them that way first. As for me, I’m happy to say Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah / Chanukah, but I don’t mention Kwanza, because I read, and admittedly need to do more research to verify, that Kwanza is a “fake” African holiday someone started in the 1950s or something, but if someone said Happy Kwanza to me, I would in no way be offended.
Also, demonstrating an embarrassing religious ignorance, a town in Massachusetts in trying to be multifaith celebrative is also displaying a crescent in honor of Ramadan, which er…ended in September this year.: http://wellesley.patch.com/articles/5-things-you-need-to-know-today-dec-3-3#c
Happily and Merrily, Ben
well said, Ben.
I’ve never been a believer, I’m from a secular country and am probably an atheist and I study world religions and have been in this discipline for sixteen years …. but as a traditional Christian holiday, we say Happy Christmas as I call other religious festivals by their traditional name. Personally think ‘Happy Holiday’ sounds trite and consider atheist billboards embarrassingly silly. But they make me cringe more than any Christians I know.