I don’t know if
you have heard about the war. It has now landed on our shores, it is the War on
Christmas. No, there are not bodies of
shopping mall Santas laying about, nor have people been showing up throwing
things at homes with Christmas lights on.
There haven’t even been people showing up protesting outside of
Christmas Tree lots. But there is a War
on Christmas, or so I am told.
Only it is not war. I don’t what it is, but it is not a war. And it is not against Christmas, it is
against exclusion. It has taken on
stupid proportions. This “War”
interrupted the after dinner conversation a few weeks ago. A friend of mine just had show me posts about
“The War on Christmas.”
The difficulty with all this, is that
not only is it vulgar hyperbole – to liken people’s dislike of the name of a
holiday to a war is vulgar – I see both sides missing the point. So for our side, the Christian side, the
objection is not against Christmas, it is against this insistence that
everybody celebrate it.
And if you really think about, would
you want to be the one to explain to God that we have turned the celebration of
Christ’s birth, into a glut of materialism.
Would you want to be the one to explain that while there are still
people dying from disease, hunger and brutality we are celebrating the presence
of God on earth by spending money like drunken sailors on the latest gadgets,
fashions and toys? What we do at
Christmas time, denies the central message of Christ.
But even still, the War on Christmas,
is not a War on Christianity. It is an
objection to our insistence that those around us conform to our culture and
morals. The War on Christmas is an
objection to the back handed racism of you are welcome here as long as you do
what we want you to do. So understand
that the War on Christmas is something that I think we as Christians should
support. For this “War” is a struggle to
include others.
Now for the other side, I did write
that both sides are off on this particular issue. Despite how much Christmas has been morphed
into an obscene celebration of materialism, and how much we ignore the
traditions of others, it is part of our culture. Banning Christmas will not change much. It will not shift our focus back to gathering
with our loved ones, nor will it help others to celebrate their traditions even
better. And no, it will not hasten the
acceptance of your particular view on God, spirituality and the like. The best we can hope to do, by excluding
something, is make less room for others.
Personally, I am ambiguous at best
when it comes to Christmas. We have
appropriated an other’s culture in celebrating the birth of Christ in the dark
of winter. I have not seen much in the
way of the Church making comment about the commercialization of this
celebration. So, I see an emptiness, not
surprising for me, that while we keep a tradition of Christmas, we often miss
the original intent.
Yet! I see within this strange and
uncomfortable tradition, people taking one day a year and making a declaration. The declaration may not be that Christ has
been born on this day. The declaration
may be that in this time of the year, when the weather outside is frightful, we
gather together to enjoy the company of each other. Even if does mean that Christmas evening ends
with the entire family is out in the front yard with garden implements raking
through the snow trying to find cousin Dick’s car keys. It is declaration to each other that this
gift I give you is a symbol of the value you have in my life. It is declaration that often unseen, often
ignored, that there is a greater reality that goes on around us.
So, I do not need you to participate
in Christmas. I would welcome it, but if
you do not want to join in this Christmas, that is your choice. But don’t think
that making me forgo “Christmas” will make room for other cultures, other
traditions, or other points of view.
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