I wonder,
The other day I heard a rumor that a retail manager threaten to fire an employee if they said “Merry Christmas” one more time to a customer. A sad reflection of the world we live in. Just yesterday I was in a local franchise restaurant that was decorated with wreaths, fake evergreen trees, a toy train, wrapped gifts, tinsel with a dash of fake snow here and there. Not only did I not see “Merry Christmas” anywhere, I didn’t even see “Happy Holidays” either. How’s that for a paranoid retailer?
I don’t get it (or do I?). Is it really all about not offending non-Christians?
What has Christmas become to the world around us? What’s the real issue about saying “Merry Christmas”? Is it really all about being respectful of other world religion holidays or is something else going on? Is it more accurate to say that Christianity has given up its front seat in our culture today and this is one of the resultant effects?
Here is an interesting quote regarding Christmas from the internet encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas
Well it seems this very objective web site has defined Christmas as originally being Christian (that’s a relief since “Christ” is embedded in the word Christmas) but also recognizes that non-Christians have come to love and enjoy the holiday as well.
Hmmmm . . .so, what would retailers do if the Christians decided to abandon December and choose another month to celebrate the birth of Christ? And, de facto, we took our propensity for gift purchasing for our friends and family with us? Would there be enough non-Christians left who celebrate Christmas (apparently for no reason) to maintain the December season of economic prosperities for retailers?
If we choose a month that had no other world religious holiday being celebrated at that time, (August maybe?), where there would be no temptation to pluralize the event and call it “the Holidays”, would we “be permitted” to say “Merry Christmas” without the risk of offending someone else?
I wonder if a move like that (moving Christmas to another month) would adequately “cull us out from the herd” so that we might then be considered a significant minority group. Then, might we be worthy of having specific marketing strategies developed catering to our aberrant errant Christian worldview?
Would those retailers suddenly become “friendly” to the Christians and put up “Merry Christmas” on their stores to attract the Christian market share if we all moved to a distinctly separate spot on the calendar?
“Merry Christmas” I guess to the majority, alludes to a worldview that no longer has a front seat in the world we live in. The world as a whole (the United States very specifically) is drifting away from its belief in and reliance on God/Christ. Gone with that is respect for Biblical truth and principles. As a result it must (to avoid embarrassment and humility) logically revolt against the very core of what has previously given meaning, purpose, and value to life and therefore as well . . . Christmas.
Well, what ever. If you see me out and about, please, wish me a Merry Christmas. For myself and many people I hang with, it’s special to us.
Stay close to Jesus!
Bob
