This year we have heard with increasing regularity, outrage expressed by Christian and non-Christian alike over the issue of Christmas. Many Christian groups are appalled by efforts on the part of some local governments and retailers to refer to the season as the “Holiday Season” or “Winter Break,” as if that wasn’t bad enough, the furor over calling trees “Holiday Trees,” rather than “Christmas Trees” has sparked even greater outrage. Some groups have called for boycotts of retailers that refer to this period as the “Holiday Season,” or wish people “Happy Holidays,” rather than “Merry Christmas.” So is this much ado about nothing? Yes and no is the not so simple answer. Christians celebrate December 25th (January 7th for Orthodox Christians) as the birth of Christ Jesus, in fulfillment of prophecy. It is perhaps the 2nd holiest day of the year, after Easter. Since the 20th century, however, Christmas has been secularized by non-Christians and non-practicing Christians.
The holiday, once revered for the birth of Christ, is now viewed by many as a day to realize their materialistic obsessions. It should come as no surprise, that true Christians lament the expunging of Christ from Christmas. After all, during what other December holidays do we erect a tree and decorate it? It is therefore foolish to call such a symbol a holiday tree, when this is a symbol of Christmas. Christian concerns over the secularization of Christmas are indeed misplaced, however. Rather than decry efforts by secularists and atheists to remove “Christmas” from the Christmas season, why not decry the commercialization of Christmas in the first place. Why for example do we exchange gifts on Christmas? Exactly what does this have to do with the birth of Christ? About as much as Easter Eggs and Easter Rabbits have to do with the resurrection of Christ.
The reality is, those who know nothing of Christ, don’t want to be excluded from the season and thus the secularization of Christmas began in earnest with the dawn of the commercial era and the holiday’s religious and spiritual significance was all but lost in the shuffle. For many who “celebrate” (i.e., exchange gifts) during Christmas, Santa Clause (i.e., Saint Nicholas) is far more important than Christ. Gift giving derives from a practice begun by Saint Nicholas (i.e., Sinterklaas) in modern day Turkey, who made a practice of giving gifts to the poor. In honor of Nicholas, a practice began of repeating his accomplishments on December 5th, the date of Nicholas’ death, which somehow came to be associated with Christmas. In some countries, however, these traditions have remained separate, such as in the Netherlands and portions of Germany, where Christmas has retained its religious significance and Dec 5th is a day of gift giving.
Christians therefore should recognize the fact that Christmas has become a secular holiday for non-Christians and would be to surrender “Christmas” and designate another day as the official date to honor the memory and spiritual significance of Christ’s birth. After all, no one knows Christ’s actual birth date, why not choose a time during the year when actual Christians can come together in worship and reverence, not for themselves and not for the purposes of finding sales and/or exchanging gifts, but for the purpose of honoring the man they claim to follow. Most scholars recognize that December 25th was most likely not the date of Christ’s birth, chosen simply by Rome, after the empire embraced Christianity and indeed was probably born in the late summer or early fall. Thus such a move would not be without precident.
Link to article in Atlanta Journal-Constitution
