Over and over again, I see posts on my news feed about “keeping Christ in Christmas.” While many people do know the meaning of this phrase, it seems that society has clouded the judgment of others. When you think about keeping Christ in Christmas, you probably think about replacing Santa Claus inflatables with Nativity scenes. Or telling the “real Christmas Story” instead of Clement Clarke Moore’s classic.
Now, all of this is good and fine, but if you really want to keep Christ in Christmas, then maybe it’s time to reevaluate how you really feel about it.
It’s Not About the X
People get so fixated on the smallest things that they lose sight of what truly matters. Focusing on whether or not someone says Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays is not going to magically bring people to Christ. Getting into online arguments with people about Starbucks or Chick-Fil-A is not going to spread love or let people know what Christmas is all about.
Keeping Christ in Christmas isn’t saying, “Merry Christmas,” it’s smiling, and showing love to those who don’t say it.
Starts with the Heart
In the end, it always comes down to the heart. Christmas isn’t a pagan holiday by any means, no matter how commercialized it may be. In fact, Christmas is a time of year where everyone seems a little bit nicer, and everyone’s heart is a little bit more open. That little crack in the hearts of people of all sorts of religions is the perfect opportunity to open yours to them. People open their hearts in hopes of someone being kind enough to let a little light in. Christmas is a universal opportunity to do so.
God doesn’t care about our traditions, he cares about the state that our heart is in. And also if we bleed love or hate because only one can be true regarding how we treat others. Do you bleed love or hate?
Believe in Christmas
For many, Santa represents the secularization of the holiday. But for the true believers, he can represent the love, peace, and kindness that Christ longs for us to share with each other. Santa isn’t replacing Christ, he’s working as a disciple for love and generosity, which is what Christ himself represents.
It’s a personal choice whether or not you want to wrap gifts in paper with Santa’s face on it. It’s your choice whether your kids write a letter to the man or not. If you decide to not celebrate Christmas or to de-secularize it, then go for it. But as Romans 14:3 states, “Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.”
In short, to each their own. God loves us all the same, there is no teacher’s pet. We shouldn’t just accept the choices of others, but love them despite their choices. And remember, keeping Christ in Christmas is showing others the love of Christ. It’s not refusing a candy cane offered by a man just because he’s dressed in red and said, “Happy Holidays.”
Emily Medlock - xJGirlx 