Where Has Christmas Gone?

By Mary Beth Bonacci
Herald Columnist
(From the issue of 12/15/05)

If I hear "Happy Holidays" one more time, I’m going to scream. As some of you know, I sell real estate in my "other" life (the one that pays the bills). I’m in the process of sending out Christmas cards to my clients. And yes, "Christmas" is the operative word here. Good luck in the real estate world — or any other segment of the professional world — finding a printer selling client cards that don’t wish them a "Happy Holiday Season."

I get the thinking. We don’t know what holiday our clients celebrate in December. Maybe it’s Hanukkah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa or Festivus. We need to be sensitive to diversity.

But here’s the thing. I know my clients. And I know what they celebrate. They celebrate the birth of Christ — Christmas. And I see no reason my "holiday" cards shouldn’t reflect that.

"Happy Holidays" is everywhere. Christmas trees are being re-christened "holiday trees." Schools take "holiday breaks" and host "holiday programs" where they sing de-Christianized "holiday carols." Stores announce "holiday sales" and promote "holiday gifts."

Where has Christmas gone?

Most of us see this infestation of the generic "holiday" as just a case of political correctness run amok. I know that, for many years, I did. But I’m beginning to see it differently.

Not everyone is making the switch from "Christmas" to "holiday" voluntarily. Many schools fear lawsuits from the ACLU if they use the word "Christmas" to describe any school activities. Several school districts around the country have actually faced such lawsuits. In 2000, the Covington, Ga., school board was prevented from using the word "Christmas" in their calendar. ACLU attorney Craig Goodmark said that such a designation would convey a "hostile" message to non-Christian families.

And so, in such an environment, school districts cave in to political correctness. Plano, Texas, elementary schools went so far as to prohibit students from writing "Merry Christmas" on the cards they gave to each other and banned the use of red and green napkins at the "winter party," deeming the colors to be "Christmas symbols."

This is not "political correctness." This is open hostility toward Christianity.

Ninety-six percent of Americans celebrate Christmas. Ninety-six percent. Why are we dancing around, trying not to mention a holiday that over nine out of 10 Americans will be observing? Is it really so offensive to those who don’t? Jewish talk show host Dennis Prager doesn’t think so. He recognizes that America is primarily a Christian nation and he has said that he finds it ridiculous that the observation of Christmas could be offensive to him.

Look, if I lived in Israel, I would expect people to greet each other with "Happy Hanukkah." I would expect to see menorahs and other Jewish symbols. If I were in a Middle Eastern country, I would expect the people around me to celebrate Ramadan. To think that I would find those national celebrations offensive is beyond ludicrous to me.

Christmas is important. It is the commemoration of the defining event of human history — the day that God entered the world as a human child. To relegate its celebration to just one of a number of winter "holidays" is to devalue it — and to devalue the 96 percent of us (I remind you yet again) who find that celebration important.

Fortunately, Christmas is making a comeback. The tree on the west lawn of the Capitol will once again be called the "Capitol Christmas Tree" instead of the "Capitol Holiday Tree." Likewise, the tree in Boston Common was renamed after complaints about its "Holiday Tree" moniker. Right here in Denver, our mayor reinstated the "Merry Christmas" sign at the City Hall display after residents complained about the "holiday" change. Last year, Denver’s Parade of Lights banned religious (i.e. Christmas) displays. This year, thanks to the efforts of local churches, that ban has been lifted.

Please don’t dismiss the disappearance of Christmas as merely benign political correctness. It isn’t. It is one more effort to banish Christianity from the public square.

I’m doing my part. I’m sending Christmas cards. I’m making a point of smiling and saying "Merry Christmas" to all who wish me a "happy holiday." Most people seem relieved and more often than not, they respond in kind.

Please do the same. Make a point of referring to Christmas. Send Christmas cards to your Christmas-celebrating friends. Let your local schools and retailers know that you, and 96 percent of those around you, are celebrating Christmas and you would appreciate their acknowledgement of that fact.

It’s not about a "holiday." It’s about the birth of Christ.

Copyright ©2005 Arlington Catholic Herald.  All rights reserved.