“Tis The Season Of The Spirit"

If we’re going to keep Christ in Christmas, we might wish to start with the way we conduct ourselves during the holidays. Without missing a beat you can find dozens of performances of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” on stage, in the movies and reading material. We can find dozens of performances of Handel’s “Messiah” and dozens of “The Nutcracker”, “It’s A Wonderful Life” and others in big cities across the nation in the month of December. There’s plastic crèches on neighborhood lawns, big nylon balloon characters blown up, trees and nativities set up everywhere. Christians celebrate in red-and green glory, with lights and candles and gifts and prayers and church services. And in the Spirit of the season, let us make a solemn vow: Not to insist, in the name of piety, on rubbing the faces of those who don’t believe in Christ’s divinity on the anniversary of his birth. “Humbug!” you say. Isn’t that what ole' Scrooge cried out before he got a chance to experience the spirits the night practicing a little empathy, and that’s the best word to sum up today’s uproar over the demise of Christmas. As cars zoom by with green trees, even antlers, attached to the top of their roofs and worshipers fill the pews to listen as John the Baptist prepares the way of organized outrage suggests that Christmas is being driven out of existence. Who’s trying to kill it? Secular humanism, atheist zealots, the Liberal orthodoxy or hundreds of others? Let’s face it, whenever people start throwing around science-fair phrases it’s best that they want their opinions to sound inviolate because they are not. It’s crazy out there! The silly annual examples are touted out: the schools censor Christmas carols and parties and giving to the less fortunate and scream “Let’s call it a holiday!” The townships insist that evergreens decorated with lights is an offense and just a holiday tree. No one searches their souls about how we came to this. Quite frankly, it has little to do with separation of church and state or liberal politics and everything to do with the way the blunt cudgel of Christianity has been heedlessly used, the tyranny of the majority.

Ever since the trials of witches in Salem to the talking-head evangelists of present day, we have a rich tradition of faith-based bullying in this country. There is a lot of health and wealth being preached. And many have been audited by the IRS and have been found in numerous violations. Sort out the facts for yourself—read the Bible. It will tell you the truth. Current research estimates that nearly 80 percent of Americans are calling themselves Christians; the remaining are Jewish, Buddhist, Muslims, agnostics and others. Truth being told, this is a Christian nation by majority choice. Christmas is being observed precisely where it is supposed to be: in our hearts, our beliefs in Christ Jesus, in our homes, with our family and friends. Are 80 percent of the people all wrong? Did we all get the wrong memo? No! The “Word” is clear and written down a proof positive. The savior was born, he did live, and taught messages, preformed miracles and as a Messiah died for our sins—as written in the Bible.

Perhaps, someday we will be a country and a culture accepting of differences that all will feel their traditions are honored. In the meantime, if the secularized greeting of the perfume spritzer in the department store affects your celebration of the birth in Bethlehem and a Savior, you’ve really lost your way. For most truly religious peoples, observing the feast is not about shouting “Merry Christmas” at passersby, store clerks, neighbors, acquaintances to show that you believe, even if they do not, an exercise in smug superiority disguised as faith. It is an interior process of faith and belief in Jesus, the lessons the child born in a manger would teach once grown. If you are really worried about keeping Christ in Christmas, exhibit some tolerance and charity, kindness and generosity in those who don’t believe as you. The ultimate feeling comes from within the heart, the soul, your beliefs. And when someone or group try and tear down the word Christmas, file a lawsuit against “O, Holy Night” being in a play or sang at some function remind them of the real point is taking the lyrics to heart: “Truly he taught us to love one another. His law is love and his gospel is peace. So, in the spirit of the season, when you hear “Happy Holidays” offer people a cheerful and loving “Happy Holidays” and a “Merry Christmas” which signifies love, peace, joy and much more—well, after all, ‘Tis The Season for both.