Happy Holidays!

Who would have ever thought two little words would stir such controversy?  When I was a kid in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, the Christmas season at our house was filled with music.  We would put a record (do you remember those) on the stereo (a piece of furniture that happened to play music) and listen to classic Christmas recordings.  One that I remember most is Andy Williams singing “Happy Holidays … while the merry bells keep ringing, happy holidays to you.”  

Of course as a child I could never understand that the subversive Mr. Williams was really trying to remove the true message of Christmas and usher in a generation of political correctness that would ultimately prevent me from freely practicing my Christian faith.  (That was sarcasm, for anyone who might have missed it).

When I write this blog each week, my goal is to encourage you and remind you that your life really does matter to God.  And while I am not afraid of controversial subjects, I usually don’t deliberately go there in this venue.  But reminding us that our lives matter to God sometimes requires shining some light on things that distract us from that reality.

Which brings me back to “Happy Holidays”.

I am willing to stipulate a couple of things.  First of all, political correctness and sensitivity are sometimes taken to ridiculous extremes.  Secondly, there is ample evidence that, in some circles, the message of Christ is the least tolerated of all religious perspectives. Notice that I said, “in some circles”.  That is an important perspective for those of us who are Christ-followers.

Which brings me back to “Happy Holidays”.

As an unapologetic Christ-follower, I am disturbed by much of what I am hearing during this season.  What may surprise you is that I am most disturbed by what I am hearing from the Christian community.  I am hearing Christians calling for a boycott of any store that posts “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” in the window. There is even a song on YouTube with pretty pictures and a catchy tune that begins with the lovely sentiment of “I believe in Christmas” and then moves to a refrain of “If you don’t see Merry Christmas in the window, no, you don’t go in that store”.  As of the time of this writing, it has been viewed almost 1.2 million times.

As an unapologetic Christ-follower, I always want to remember that the true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ.  I also want to be consistent in my commitment to daily (as in all 365 of them) displaying the character of Christ in my words, actions, and attitudes.  When I saw and listened to that little song on the internet, my heart was not filled with the joy of my Savior or a reaffirmation of the true meaning of Christmas.  My heart was filled with something else.  The best word I can come up with is grief.

In my years as a pastor, I tried to help people understand that grief is a normal response to any sense of loss.  So what is my sense of loss with this whole “Happy Holidays” controversy?  My sense is that, within a well-intentioned zeal to remember that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of a baby in Bethlehem, we may have lost focus on the reality of Who that baby really is. We have lost a sense of His character, His heart for a broken world, His reputation as one who was accused of being a “friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34).  Our lives really matter to Him, and accurately representing Him really matters to me.

Coming next week – The Truth about “Happy Holidays”