Happy Holidays vs Merry Christmas

Tis’ the season for controversy. Every year a battle begins over whether retailers should use the term “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas” when they “Deck the halls” for the season of giving. I will admit, for the longest time, I was a Christian who was angry that anyone would dare replace Merry Christmas with a politically correct term as “Happy Holidays”, but after some reflecting, this year I see it differently.

To lay all my cards out on the table, I do not think it is fair that anyone be forced to be politically correct. Since “Christmas” is still the Federally recognized holiday, it is quite right for retailers, schools, and yes, even Government offices, to use the term “Merry Christmas”. Until such time that the holiday is either no longer a Federal Holiday or the holiday’s name is actually changed.

That being said, the whole battle between Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas is really quite offensive to me. You may be shocked to hear that I don’t agree with any kind of legal force or push of using either of the terms. “But Josh, you are a Christian, how can you not support Merry Christmas?” I do support Merry CHRISTmas, but I can’t support what mandated legislation would make it.

Christmas is a time we as Christians celebrate the birth of our Savior. Once that is absent, it becomes just another holiday. It is true that because of the great gift that God gave to us, we celebrate by giving gifts to others. But our materialistic society has made it about the materials. I believe then that for the purposes of preserving the meaning of Christmas, we should distance it as far away from the retailers as we can.

In 2006, Target began an ad campaign that wished everyone Happy Holidays. I let myself get caught up in the hype and was outraged that Target would give in to the pressures of the politically correct and dare take away Christmas. Then, after a grassroots boycott campaign, Target had replaced the Happy Holidays with Merry Christmas just two days before. Everyone cheered for success. I too gloated in the satisfaction that we had won. Really however, we lost.

What the Christianity community did by getting Target to change their ad was conceding the fact that Christmas was all about the money and the gifts. We all know that the people who run Target could care less what people see Christmas as. They are just in it to make a profit. And so I say again, why do we put so much energy to force the world to set our Christian standard? We shouldn’t.

When someone says Happy Holidays, I can smile back and say “Merry Christmas” because I know they truly wanted me to have a happy holiday. But when a Target employee or a Target sign says “Merry Christmas”, I know they are only trying to make me feel good so that I will by a product from their store. They want to convince me that my Christmas can only be Merry if I have the latest gift and if I in turn give a great gift to someone else. By forcing them to say “Merry Christmas”, we have essentially lost Christmas to commercialism once again.

And so I’m wondering why we are so offended by Happy Holidays? Are these greetings really a blatant attempt to destroy “Christmas” or is it just some lame Politically Correct way of saying some empty greeting? Even Merry Christmas has little meeting even when it come from Christians! It’s just something we say at this time of year.

Why not let the retailers have their Holidays. Why don’t we as Christians stand out by hanging our Merry Christmas on the door and setting up our nativity scenes. Why don’t we have our Christmas Eve candlelight services and sing our Christmas Carols. Then, when those that hear and see what we are doing ask us why, we can say “because Jesus is the reason for the season” and mean it. Say that to someone while you are filling your cart with all the latest toys and gizmos and see how much credibility you have.

Why does it amaze us that the world approaches the Christmas season with a world point of view? Let them have their world view and their “Holiday” trees. That doesn’t keep us from celebrating CHRISTmas and promoting the greatest gift in all humanity. Perhaps a little more “Happy Holidays” will wake Christians out of their own complacency and realize that we are just as to blame as anyone else for the loss of the true meaning of Christmas.