I probably shouldn’t even be expressing this wish for anyone at this season of the year, because it is not “politically correct”. But “happy holidays” or merry christmas doesn’t make much sense to me, because there isn’t much of a case for celebrating any holiday at this time of the year if it doesn’t have anything to do with Jesus Christ. And of course Jesus was not born in December, and the anniversary of his birth was not celebrated or otherwise observed by Christians in the early church. And most of the traditions and stories that are now associated with this seasonal celebration are secular in their sources. (See my statement regarding Christmas and its significance on my website for a complete review of these traditions.) And the entire celebration has been turned into a cause for materialist consumption and spending.
Buy buy buy: Merry Christmas
I don’t need any more “stuff” in my house to have a “merry” time at this time of the year. It would really be nice if my wife could regain her strength and ability to walk after suffering a broken hip earlier this year, but there is nothing that I can buy that will enable her to do that. Our families are somewhat “broken” and scattered, so some of the resources of “merry” family gatherings are not easily arranged or available to us. Some of you may be in similar circumstances at this season of the year. And you may be faced with the added pressures to try to celebrate this holiday by buying, buying, and buying a lot more “stuff” that ultimately won’t last very long or satisfy the basic human needs for joy and peace.
The best message of good will that I can offer to you at this time of year is to find your joy and peace in sharing the love of God in Jesus with your relatives and friends. And it won’t be done by sharing gifts of “stuff”, but by sharing gifts of loving support and encouragement and practical resources to meet the challenges of daily life on this “battlefield” of world events.
My Merry Christmas message
May God bless you with his joy and peace at this time of the year as you receive his gift of grace in Jesus Christ and share with others. This may not be a “popular” message of good will for this holiday season, but it is my message. I would be glad to welcome your comments regarding this matter, so let’s talk about the appropriateness of this message Merry Christmas and any of its alternatives.