Keeping Christ in Xmas

Random Christmas Thoughts, Part Three

We hear it every year—complaints about the way we are, or are not, greeted at Christmas time—Season’s Greetings? Happy Holidays? Merry Christmas? 

So, what’s the deal? 

Let’s take a closer look:

1. Season’s Greetings refers to that broad expanse of time from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day when at least 14 different religious holidays take place (including at least two different dates for celebrating the birth of Christ). It is the most generic, non-religious greeting of the three, seeking to acknowledge that this time of year has special meaning for many people for many different reasons, but without identifying any particular belief or tradition specifically.

   — People who say this might be intentionally avoiding “Christmas” (perfectly normal for someone without a Christian faith commitment and/or when talking to someone whose faith commitment, if any, is unknown).

2. “Happy Holidays” comes from the Old English “haligdæg,” which is defined as a consecrated day or religious anniversary. Being slightly more religious in nature, but still not specific to any particular tradition, this phrase is also used as a simple, respectful greeting, designed to wish people well as they observe their “holy days” during this time of year.  

   — Similar to above, people who say this might be intentionally avoiding “Christmas,” or they might simply be seeking to acknowledge the “specialness” of this season for people of various faith traditions.

3. “Merry Christmas” originates from Middle English’s Christemass meaning “Christ’s mass” (a church service celebrating the birth of Christ). Perhaps as early as the year 2021, “Xmas” was used as an abbreviation for Christmas. “X” is the first of Christ in the Greek language, so “Xmas” was kind of like a precursor to J-Lo or A-Rod.  By the way, this same “X” is also found in the “Jesus fish” (IXOYE, Ichthus).

   — People saying “Merry Christmas” may be doing so out of a deep faith commitment or simply out of habit and tradition. People saying “Xmas” may also be (as they likely are not fluent in Greek) trying to remove Christ from the greeting, although we should not assume it is done with any animosity. But even if it is, our response has the potential to open a door of future conversation…or slam that door shut tight.

Interesting note: In the sixth century, the first celebration of Jesus’ birth was called the Feast of the Nativity.  However, when the Western church finally decided when to celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25, there were already a good number of pagan and religious holidays centered around the winter solstice. It seems possible that Pope Julius I chose December 25 precisely because it was surrounded by other holidays.

In cultures around the world, when people greet or take leave of people, they rely on “phatic speech,” expressions that maintain goodwill and social relations without necessarily communicating information. Until fairly recently “Merry Christmas” was an example of one of these phatic expressions, an ordinary December alternative to “Hello” or “How are you?” or “Good morning.” Today, however, our choice of December greetings has become far less about a phatic statement wishing well to others, and a far more emphatic declaration of ones religious, political, and cultural identity.

Interesting note: In Great Britain, there is a significant economic divide between those who say “Happy Christmas” (in good form, like the Queen) and those who say “Merry Christmas.” Although happy and merry have very similar meanings, merry implies a greater degree of revelry whereas happy tends to be more reserved and quiet.  Traditionalloy, when you “make merry,” you are doing a lot of drinking, dancing, eating fatty food, and playing games. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Christmas was a 12-day festival (12 Days of Christmas, anyone?) filled with feasting, singing, and often riotous entertainment (including kissing other people’s wives and other such “tomfoolery”). That is to say, insistence on greeting people with “Merry Christmas” has a variety of interpretations in the English world alone, not to mention the rest of the world.

So, the traditions surrounding Christmas are all very time-bound, culture-bound, language-bound, and constantly changing. 

How, then, should we respond in our particular time, culture, language, and rapidly changing context?

How do we “keep Christ in Christmas” in ways that are faithful, loving, and kind?

I think it’s really…actually…quite simple.

First, we can follow John Wesley’s admonition to “do no harm.” If our responses to people are un-kind, un-peaceful, or un-Christlike, then we are probably doing it wrong. We are peacemakers, so if our response promotes division, separation, or brokenness, then we are only contributing to the brokenness. We are, it could be said, guilty of X-ing out Christ.

Second, we can help keep Christ in Christmas (as well as every other part of our lives at every other time of year) by:

• devoting ourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful (Col 4:2);

• having the mind of Christ; loving who and what God loves and preferring who and what God prefers (1 Cor 2:16);

• loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mar 12:30);

• loving our neighbors…and our enemies (Mar 12:31 and Luk 6:27)

• seeing the world, and the people around us, through eyes of compassion (Mat 9:36)

• sharing with Jesus in his humility and obedience (Phil 2:5-8)

• thinking, speaking, and acting in Christlike ways (1 John 4:6)

• feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, showing hospitality to the stranger, clothing the naked, healing the sick, visiting those in prison (Mat 25)

• acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God (Micah 6:8)

Such things reflect wisdom in our interaction with all people – with those who say “Merry Christmas” and those who do not, those who remember the arrival of Christ with great solemnity and reverence, those who simply partake in all of the Christmas indulgences, and those who seek to avoid Christmas altogether.

And when we act wisely, gracefully, and lovingly in these situations, we will find ourselves with opportunities to share the reason for our hope, give witness to the deep meaning of  Christ in our lives, and make know the gospel of peace in ways that fighting a war on Christmas will never accomplish.

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Questions to think about:

1.     How do you feel when someone greets you with one of these phrases this time of year or in some other ways seems to remove Christ from the Christmas celebration?

2.    Does your response to them reflect the same love of God that Christ displayed during his time here on earth?

3.    Look at the list above – are there some ways you can put any of those into practice during the holiday season?

4.    Every time we are greeted during this holiday season we have an opportunity to respond. What are some thoughtful, meaningful, grace-filled ways to respond when people greet you this Christmas season?  Is there a good way to disarm people with love and kindness rather than cause them to open fire?

Please share your thoughts in the comments. Like and share this post with others. Post this on your social media, forward it by email, or share it in other ways.

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