Last week, I was spit-fire mad. Stomping around the house, I was prepared to ram Christmas down America’s politically sensitive throat. I’d heard enough of the ACLU’s whining, tolerated too many Americans insisting simple Christmas decorations violated, offended or threatened their ethics.
For the last year and half, I’ve lived in Shanghai, China, under Communist rule. But even Mainland China — a nation that outlaws God and shuts down churches — plays “The First Noel” in the food markets! The city is flooded with waves of voices heralding Christmas cheer in every language.
And what does my own country do? The land of the free and the brave turns Christmas into a political battle. I was ready to return home to a maelstrom of inspiring holly-jolly activity. I planned to bake gingerbread and sugar cookies until California’s electric department issued a warning I was depleting precious reserves. Caroling carols, heralding and harking till my throat gave out, I planned to serve platters of Christmas cheer to guests until they choked on sugar-coated goodwill. I would post people next to the Salvation Army bell ringers, shouting blessings to weary Christmas shoppers. I was ready to slap Christmas banners and messages onto Kinko’s counter and order 150 posters — billboard size it! I was angry. I was determined, and frankly…I was wrong.
It took a Jewish lady to point that out. We were talking about tradition. She was upset because her teen-aged son ate pork the previous week. He wasn’t being rebellious, just a hungry, growing boy without kosher options. I asked what would happen now, and she replied “nothing.” For them it was about tradition, not God. And I quietly thought to myself, without God, why keep the tradition?
Then, I realized: we do it. Every year, we drag out boxes of tangled electric lights, keepsake memorabilia hand-crafted by our children, and at least one fat man in a red suit. America celebrates Christmas in a frenzy of gift exchange and calendar-crowding activities. But without God, what does the tradition mean? Yes, the season conjures images of family and charitable deeds. We smile sincerely at people who annoy us the other 11 months of the year, and extend invitations to friends to whip up some wonderland cheer. You don’t have to believe in God to believe in Santa. You don’t have to believe in anything to celebrate the season. But that’s not Christmas.
Christmas shouldn’t be celebrated in just any place. It’s not a shopping season. It’s not a secular holiday. It’s not even about family tradition, or whether or not we throw a party. That’s holiday stuff — I’m talking Christmas now. There shouldn’t be Christmas banners dangling discounts in department stores, or reluctant guests at Christmas parties in public schools or public offices. The political activists in America are right about that. No one should have to attend a Christmas party. And, God Bless America, don’t we have the right to refuse? We can stay home, hit the town or go to any one of a thousand places.
You should, however, be able to invite a guest to your private Christmas celebration and that guest ought to have enough manners to reply that he or she doesn’t normally celebrate the holiday but your invitation will be a welcome treat. And if it isn’t, well, don’t go. You should be able to pass out a Christmas card bearing a nativity or a blessing without being sued or slandered. You should be able to say, “God bless you this beautiful season” and not be shamed into thinking you're offending anyone. Simple as that.
Non-Christians can’t expect the world to be empty of God. And Christians shouldn’t apologize for believing there is something bigger in this world than them. Don’t expect a Christian to ignore Christmas, and don’t expect that you have any right whatsoever to change, hinder or control our hearts and minds.
Christmas is ours. It’s the birth of our Christ; the beginning of God’s greatest sacrifice for us. It is the moment we joined so intimately with God that we should weep with joy. One child was born who would grow into the most memorable man to walk this earth, our God made flesh. It is divine, miraculous and wonderful. Christmas belongs to no one but the Christians and it's time we took it back. It’s time we decide what we really believe. It’s time to celebrate!
Of course, we don’t own the season. So to the rest I say: go ahead and keep the holiday bubbling with joy, exchange presents, roast the chestnuts, and drain the nation’s power supply with dazzling strings of bulbs. Keep Frosty on television, keep Santa in the windows, and (oh please!) keep the holiday sales discounts! But keep it in perspective: What you are celebrating isn't really Christmas unless you believe. So to re-spin an old yarn — Yes, Virginia, there is a God. And it’s His birthday.
© Copyright 2003 Catholic Exchange
Stephanie Spalding is an American journalist and photographer residing in Shanghai, China, with her husband and two children. She is a former news editor and recipient of a Missouri Press Association journalism award. Currently, she writes for a Shanghai publication The Courier.
