Rediscovering Christmas

by Editor · December 13, 2006

Commenting on a recent �Santa Claus Parade� in his English hometown, an Internet blogger remarked on the succession of floats on display. One that agitated the blogger in particular represented Christianity.

The self-described agnostic commented: �I was annoyed that the Christians were piggy-backing on Christmas, until the next day, when I remembered��

This is as good an illustration as any that what we Catholics call the feast of the Nativity has been appropriated by secular society�even those whose philosophy actively denies the divinity of Jesus Christ. Some atheists even deny that Jesus ever existed, yet cheerfully participate in the jolly season that for nearly two millennia celebrated his birth.

The blogger pointed out that the early Church supplanted the old Roman pagan feast of Saturnalia with Christmas. This is not without truth. We do not know on which date Mary gave birth to Jesus. Whichever date was going to be appointed for the celebration of the Nativity, it would ultimately be arbitrary.

It is not important whether the date for Christmas was set with an evangelisation strategy in mind, or whether it was based on some arcane guesswork. What is important is that we do have a date on which we can celebrate the birth of Our Lord.

Many Christians are justifiably alarmed that the feast of the Nativity has been hijacked by commercial interests. Business has a big stake in Christmas. Retailers� annual figures live or die by their Christmas turnover, and the commercial media depend on Christmas advertising.

The business people who turn a big profit on the back of Christmas come from many religious backgrounds, or none. Some doubtlessly are exemplary Christians themselves, but such people will usually draw a boundary between the publicly commercial and the private devotional nature of Christmas.

Whether we like it or not, Christmas has become a commercial monster, and most of us participate in it as we feed the shops with our Christmas bonuses and credit facilities in our expedition for acquisitions and presents. The exercise barely warrants reference to our Saviour.

Those who lament the absence of Christ in Christmas do have a point in as far as its commercialisation�pious carols piped through malls and nativity scenes on sale notwithstanding�has very little to do with the Christian faith, or the humble birth of the Christchild in Bethlehem.

The notion of changing commercial and public behaviour by �putting Christ back into Christmas� is commendable. Such campaigns can bring results, even if these are ultimately hostage to the profitability of concessions.

More importantly, we need to appeal to our fellow believers and those who are open to the Gospel to celebrate Our Lord, not Santa Claus.

There is nothing wrong in acknowledging the pleasurable (and sometimes stressful) dimensions involved in the trappings of secular Christmas: exuberant shopping, jovial parties, brightly wrapped gifts, ho-ho-hoing Santas, jingling jingle bells, and dreaming of a white Christmas wherever we are.

At the same time, we Christians must make time and space to observe with devotion and communicate to others the true meaning of Christmas: the celebration of the birth Christ Our Lord.

When we speak about putting Christ back into Christmas, we must above all do so in our own lives.