The War on Christmas...

Once again this year, although to a lesser degree than we have seen in recent years it seems, we have heard right wing Christians decrying the "war on Christmas" and how "they" are trying to take Christ out of Christmas. Makes you wonder who "they" are.

It can't be the big retail chains like Target or Walmart or K-mart. In each of these stores this year I have seen nativity scenes for sale, Christmas cards featuring images of the 3 Wisemen or the baby Jesus. I have also been told to have a "Merry Christmas" by employees at each of these stores. Here in Nashville and the surrounding cities I have visited I have seen city sponsored Christmas decorations, have heard Salvation Army workers ringing their bells, and witnessed just about every other sign of Christmas you could think of. Where is this war on Christmas?

I think if you want to find a war on Christmas you must first look in many of our Churches. You see "The war on Christmas" has been created as a way for Churches to claim they are victims and through this victimization promote their political and fundraising goals, sounds like an attack on Christmas to me.

You see saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" is not an attack on Christmas, it is in fact an acknowledgement of the changes our nation has gone through over the past couple of centuries. Changes instituted by our founders who recognized that this was a nation of immigrants and that our greatest strength would come from the influx of new ideas these immigrants would bring with them. Saying "Happy Holidays" just means that you acknowledge that we are not all Christians (many Christians, including all of the early Christians, don't celebrate Christmas anyway) and that we don't all celebrate the birth of Christ, it does however say that we want you to participate in the joy and sharing and caring of this season no matter what you choose to celebrate. "Happy Holidays" is one of the most evangelical statements that can be uttered at this time of year, but all of the "War on Christmas" people who are conducting their own little war against Christmas have turned this phrase into an attack on the beliefs they claim to hold.

If the "War on Christmas" makes you long for the good old days before Christmas was under attack and people didn't try and take Christ out of Christmas by calling it "Xmas" then you are going to have to go back a really long time. Take a look at this Christmas Card from 1910 that uses the term "Xmas" instead of Christmas. Examples of using the word "Xmas" in the English language date back to at least the 1700's and examples using "X" or "Xp" as a representation for Christ go back much, much further. The argument that "Xmas" is a way of taking Christ out of Christmas is simply a false argument, it is a lie, and lying about Christ and Christmas seems to be the best way I can think of to take Christ out of anything.

Let's face it, the biggest attack on Christmas is something the people shouting about this never mention. It is the replacement of Christianity with capitalism in such a way that it isn't obvious it is happening. You want to keep Christ in Christmas? Then stop buying gifts and give of yourself. Give to everyone, especially those you think of as your enemies or as undeserving. And don't give expecting anything in return, and I mean anything, no thank you, no God bless you, nothing, give just to be giving. After all, that's the eexample that Christ set for us all.