Which Is It For You – Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:27)
The debate heats up around the season of Christmas every year, but this year, it’s really gotten hot thanks to Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee. Governor Chafee decided this year to refer his state’s Christmas tree as a holiday tree. It so riled his electorate that many of them showed up at the official Statehouse tree lighting ceremony singing “O Christmas Tree”, while carrying cards saying, “Saving One Christmas Tree at a Time”.
So which is it – Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Either side can hurl Scripture to convince the other side that their point of view is correct. For example, in this politically correct world where neighbors might be offended by the Gospel, some believers might remind us that Christmas isn’t mentioned in the Bible. They might even use the words of Jesus at Matthew 22:21, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” In other words, chill out – the Gospel isn’t being diluted just because we’re trying to get along in today’s world.
The more conservative believer, like me, however, bristles at the notion that “Merry Christmas” should give way to “Happy Holidays”. It has nothing to do with political correctness and everything to do with defending the Gospel. We might stand on Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.”
So why is the debate so large this year; and so heated? The truth is all the debate has less to do with Christmas and more to do with a cultural war that is raging in our country; and the reason the debate over Christmas is so hot is because the broader cultural war that is going on is as hot as it has ever been. The newspapers are teeming with stories on abortion, gay marriage, the death penalty, the recent attack on military chaplains’ right to pray in Jesus’ name. Think about it. There seems to be no middle ground on which Americans can stand anymore. You either live in a blue state or a red state. You are either on the left or on the right.
Perhaps that’s where the answer to this conundrum really lies. We need to think independently in determining how we feel about what’s going on in our country. Our ultimate position on the cultural issues that are being raised in our country should be defined less by what our leaders say, and more by what the Word of God has to say. Bible study coupled with earnest prayer will help us determine the position that we need to take.
I feel sorry for those who don’t know Jesus because they cannot understand the peace that he’s talking about in the verse that I chose to begin this column. And if the world doesn’t know him, then the world can never understand what the big deal is with Christmas. Remember. Many of them don’t go to church for Christmas. They go to Wal-Mart!
Regardless of whether it’s Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays for you, stay true to your faith, keep Christ in the center of your life, and enjoy the peace that can only come from knowing him.
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I think its sad how many places (such as department stores, malls, grocery stores, public schools and the like) don’t want people using the term Christmas. Where once employees could with customers a Merry Christmas, and schools had Christmas concerts, this not the case anymore. A lot of stores prefer/ require that their employees wish people happy holidays/ seasons greetings, and now public school concerts are called anything but Christmas concerts. I get that stores and schools don’t want to offend people. But know something? I bet most people won’t be offended by being wished a merry Christmas, or a school having a Christmas concert. And as Christians, we need to stand up for what we believe.
I cringe at the removal of Christ from Christmas. Traditional values are fading away. Listining to Christmas music on the radio, they purposely leave out any religious songs like “O-Holy Night”. You can only hear those on BBN radio. It is offensive how our country is being driven to not offend. Who are we anymore? The conservative awakening is happening after too long.
Holiday means Holy Day … Christmas is a Christian holy day and not all residents of this country are Christian (and the US is not a Christian nation … see the Separation Clause of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution), so we loose nothing by saying Happy Holidays (Happy Holy Days) … and honestly, do you think God has any real interest in such things. Further, this debate pulls us away from Jesus’ commandments … to love one another and to care for the least of these.