The War on Christmas

As a Christian, I’m sick of hearing about the War on Christmas. The war on Christmas has nothing to do with people from another religion or immigrants from another country. It has nothing to do with saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. What’s it really about? Dollars. The war on Christmas is one waged by American Capitalism, something we all seemingly subscribe to.

While Bill O’ Reilly is credited with starting this crap almost two decades ago, the War on Christmas actually started over 350 years ago when one of the most organized American attacks on Christmas occurred in the 17th century. Who led this attack? What blasphemous organization? The Puritans. Yep, the Puritans banned celebrations of the holiday because it did not accord with their interpretation of the Bible. Let me say that again – they banned celebrations of Christmas, because it did not accord with their interpretation of the Bible. Seriously. In 1659, the Massachusetts Bay Colony enacted a law called “Penalty for Keeping Christmas”. The notion was that such “festivals as were superstitiously kept in other countries” were a “great dishonor of God and offense of others. Anyone found celebrating Christmas by failing to work, feasting, or any other way… shall pay for every such offense five shillings.” That’s right. You honored Christmas by working, not feasting and not celebrating in any other way. It’s too bad Bill wasn’t around in the 17th century. He could have put those Puritans in their place.

Saying “Happy Holidays” doesn’t denigrate a single Christian. It takes nothing away from the Birth of Jesus Christ. What does take away from celebrating the Birth of Jesus? What takes away from the sanctity of the season? What takes away from the message of Christ?

Excess. Too much of everything. Too many presents. Too many lights. Too much eating and drinking. Spending too much money on all of those things. There’s a big difference between the joy of celebrating the birth of Christ and a fat man in a red suit urging you to buy more presents, which most Americans, including Christians, seem to go along with. Nothing quite says Christmas like fighting with another shopper over the last available “cool” toy for this year.

I’m American and I subscribe to capitalism, but capitalism is ruining Christmas. When stores have Christmas decorations up before Halloween, when those same stores have a combination of Christian and secular Christmas music playing NONSTOP starting in early November, when the biggest shopping days of the year occur right after Thanksgiving on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday something is wrong. And by the way, all of those stores cater to what they think we are going to buy the most of and what they believe they are going to make the most profit from. It’s pretty simple. Money rules, and most Americans, whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Atheist, Agnostic, or some other religion seem to agree. We love spending money during the holidays.

If you are getting your religious advice and “good feelings” (or lack thereof) from Costco, Target, Starbucks or Walmart, perhaps you should reconsider your source. Maybe the War on Christmas is within yourself. Many so-called Christians buy into the whole capitalistic nature of our secular Christmas celebrations here in America, and you know what? That’s OK. But don’t blame Jews, or Muslims, or Immigrants, or Atheists, or Hollywood or Corporate America for the lack of support of a Christian Christmas holiday. Instead, look in the mirror. Are you doing anything that actually has to do with the birth of Christ or his teachings? What are you doing to celebrate Christmas, besides buying your wife a new necklace (and maybe your mistress a new bracelet), your daughter a new iPhone, your son a new Xbox, bragging (or whining) about your end-of-year bonus and drinking with your friends? Maybe you are celebrating Christmas just like Representative Thomas Massie (R – Kentucky) by sending Christmas cards showing you and your family all packing heat and asking Santa for more ammo? That’s the Christmas spirit!

No one is hating on Christians and no one is hating on Christmas. The last time I checked, we still celebrate Christmas with a national holiday. I note there are no national holidays this year (or any year) for Hanukkah, Kwanza, Boxing Day, Diwali or even Festivus.

It’s time for people to take a pause, exhale and relax. How many of us still occasionally watch the Charlie Brown Christmas special? First released in 1965, it too wrestles with the dichotomy between the birth of Christ and the commercialization of Christmas. Is the show secular or Christian? Snoopy’s doghouse captured first prize in the Christmas decorating competition, but what most of us remember is the scene with Linus, as he quotes from the Gospel according to Luke:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

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I think both the Gospel of Luke and Linus got it right – “On earth peace, good will toward men.” Aren’t those words we can all agree on?

With that, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas, and the happiest of Holiday Seasons. May you find peace, and practice good will toward others, no matter your religious beliefs, or the time of year.

Addendum:

• Thanks to my friends Annette and Colleen, along with my wife Cathy for providing editing and review assistance for this blog.