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One Last Salvo Over The 'Christmas Wars'

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By Derek Maul

Published: January 3, 2007

Brandon, FL - Brandon, FL - Brandon, FL - Christmas is not officially over until Jan. 6, also known as Epiphany, the day the Magi offered gifts to the infant Christ. I like the traditional calendar because it helps keep things in perspective, a kind of spiritual antidote to December's consumer feeding frenzy.

This is also a good time to reflect. So I'd like to review this year's "Christmas Wars." There's still time to learn from our mistakes and maybe avoid unwrapping the same tired reactionary arguments next year.

* Fights over nativity displays in public places.
* Holiday trees removed from airports then re-erected just as quickly.
* Store clerks forbidden to use the phrase "Merry Christmas."
* Store clerks required to use the phrase "Merry Christmas."
* ACLU representatives spouting nonsense while the similarly ignorant dub them "Agents of Hell."
* School districts too nervous to acknowledge The Greatest Story Ever Told.
* Confrontation replacing the joyful celebration of "Peace on Earth."
* Politicians who act as if "Merry Christmas" is their personal campaign slogan.
* Merchants who believe the Holy Family were contracted to work directly with the folk over at marketing.

"We're not afraid to use the term 'Merry Christmas,'" Wal-Mart spokeswoman Linda Blakley told USA Today back in November. "We'll use it early, and we'll use it often."

Many people took the offensive. HelpSaveChristmas.org for example, prompted indignant Americans to order their own "Help Save Christmas Action Pak" to add a little clout to their angst. "Get two bumper stickers, two buttons and both 'memos that helped save Christmas' -- your complete Action Pak -- PLUS help sponsor five church, school or civic leaders to receive these powerful memos! Click here or see below. Receive one Help Save Christmas Action Pak for any gift of $25 or more!"

Oregon blogger LynnS wrote the following in response to a Portland activist. "Stop using Christmas as a weapon. … If Jesus came down to Pioneer Courthouse Square today you'd probably hold a gun to his head and demand to see his green card."

OK, I'm a Christian; most people know that. I'm fairly bold and shameless about my faith. But I remain far from convinced that God wants me to climb on board this particular bandwagon, especially when I think about exactly what the diehard right has been working so hard at trying to save. Here's a partial list:

* Equal face time for the Prince of Peace right up there with Rudolph, Frosty, Santa, MasterCard, Discovery, Visa and the elves.
* The use of a displaced refugee family as a promotional tool for holiday shopping. You have to admit they do make compelling window dressing.
* Garish reproductions of the Light of the World canned in tawdry illuminated plastic figurines.
* God's implied endorsement of conspicuous excess, personal greed, the abuse of consumer credit and unrestrained consumption.

So why add to the confusion any more? Why insist on playing the same game as everyone else? Why fight so hard to force faith into a common mold with the rest of society? Why treat God as little more than one more interest group to mollify? Isn't Christianity supposed to be counter-cultural? Jesus certainly was.

Truth and light need no permit from city hall to accomplish the work of healing and grace. Jesus didn't come to shop. Christ came, how did he put it in Luke's gospel? "To preach good news to the poor … proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Luke 4:18-19

So I'm thinking maybe you can have Christmas, or at least THAT Christmas, the one we all seem to be so anxious about. I'm not so sure that we need it back.

It is time that Christians thought seriously about enjoying that mythical line of separation rather that struggling so hard to erase it, or to pretend that it isn't there, or to drag ourselves so completely into the mess that is North American consumer culture that the gospel of truth ceases to have anything novel or revolutionary to say anymore.

Stick that in your stocking and put it under the tree. Oh, and by the way, God's richest blessings in the New Year.

Derek Maul is a writer who lives in Valrico. You can reach him at derekmaul@gmail.com.

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