In 2009, several retail giants, in an effort to be politically correct, took the word Christmas out of their November and December advertising campaigns. After much criticism, bad press and boycotts, most of those retailers sang a different tune in 2010.
I wrote a column back when all of this was going on. So I pulled it out of my file cabinet, revised and updated it, and thought I’d share it with you: Imagine if There Were No Christmas.
I’m always in search of the perfect word, the one word that says exactly what I’m trying to say. The perfect word usually has just one or two syllables. Its meaning is well-known. It’s never trendy, overused or outdated.
Editor and author, Chuck Sambuchino, understands the importance of word choice. He says, “You’re a writer because you’re obsessed with making your ideas clearer, tighter, fiercer.” That’s what finding the perfect word is all about.
We’re being told once again that Christmas is a bad word, when really it’s the most perfect word of all. Hop online and you’ll see that many people think saying “Happy Holidays” is much more respectful than saying “Merry Christmas.” One article states, “We must break the habit of saying ‘Merry Christmas’ to strangers.” Another article says that until recently saying “Merry Christmas” was the same as saying “have a good day,” but now it causes division.
Let’s imagine, for a moment, a world with no Christmas. Imagine December being as uneventful as May. Imagine having no thoughts of buying or receiving just the right gift. Imagine having no family gatherings or lighted trees; no home-baked cookies or candy canes; no Christmas carols or bedtime stories.
I don’t want to live in a country where the Festival of the Dead is celebrated, but the birthday of a Savior is ignored; where Santa Claus and an elf on a shelf are exalted, but Jesus Christ is considered taboo.
If not for Christmas, guilt for our sins would torment us for all eternity. There would be no second chances. God’s forgiveness would be unattainable, because a sufficient sacrifice for our sins was not made. There would be no hope of heaven, because no amount of good works can earn us a residence there.
Believers in God would be forced to follow Old Testament laws, without ever finding God’s grace in the New Testament. “For the law was given through Moses,” but “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).
If not for Christmas, the invisible God would remain invisible. But in Christ, we see God.
Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:8-9). John said, “No one has ever seen God,” but “the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:18).
So, you see, Christmas is the perfect word. And “Merry Christmas” is the best greeting of all!
