Like most Christian pastors, I was frustrated with the commercialization of Christmas and the lack of spiritual meaning expressed during the holiday, UNTIL I served as a U.S. Navy Chaplain and understood, for the first time, that there is more than one correct way to celebrate Christmas. After all, President Ulysses S. Grant made Christmas a Federal Holiday in 1870, the only U.S. Federal Holiday that is also a religious holiday. Grant made this gesture to appease the South during Reconstruction, but that’s a whole different article. As a federal holiday, Christmas is celebrated by all Americans, whether or not they are Christians. So, instead of Christians clutching their pearls that non-religious people are celebrating Christmas wrong, it’s healthier to acknowledge that there actually is a legitimate secular celebration of Christmas and be happy that non-religious people are getting time off work to spend with family and friends. To be honest, many secular Christmas traditions are healthy and promote family and community values. Here are a few examples:
•Building a gingerbread house with Grandma and baking Christmas cookies.
•Watching football bowl games with the family.
•Watching a Christmas movie at the theater or at home with family.
•Donating to charitable causes out of our joy for our good fortune.
•Decorating our homes to promote neighborhood spirit.
•Giving Christmas presents to those we love.
•Having fun at Christmas parties with co-workers.
I spent two Christmases deployed with the U.S. Military: one with the Navy in Okinawa and the other with the Marine Corps in a hot, sandy place where combat pay was authorized. What I noticed was that service members didn’t miss the spiritual aspects of Christmas. They could still pray and attend Christmas Eve Services even in difficult circumstances, and they did! But what they missed the most was being separated from family and missing out on their family Christmas traditions. When I stopped and evaluated that most secular Christmas traditions promote healthy values, I quit clutching my own pearls and was happy for a Federal Holiday where all Americans could practice love and family values. After all, Jesus came into the world on Christmas Day to provide hope for everyone, not just the righteous few. Maybe someday they’ll recognize that Christmas is more than a Federal Holiday and come to see that Jesus has the power to save them. That is my Christmas prayer this year.
