Iguana Wish You a Merry Christmas! Get it!?
Out of the ever growing pile of Christmas and holiday cards
I've received and collected thus far in December, the one with that painfully
"punny" punch line, adorned with a photo of an iguana, sporting a
bright red Santa hat, is my favorite. It
came from two good friends who recently returned from their honeymoon in the Galapagos Islands, hence the reptilian greeting.
As a Pastor, I get a lot of cards, have for many years, and
its always my joy to sit down and see what seasonal salutations folks from my
faith community and friends and family send. It's also fascinating to note the
huge change in what those cards look like now, their messages and spirit,
versus almost thirty years ago when I first began "doing" Christmas
for a living. Culturally, a lot has
changed since 1989, when it comes to how we celebrate holidays, or holy days,
or both, or none, on the 25th day of the twelfth month of the year.
So 28 years ago when George H.W. Bush was the President, the
top new Christmas song was "This One's for the Kids" by New Kids on
the Block from their "Funky Holiday" album. (Admit it--you bought
it!) The overwhelming number of Christmas cards I received were religious: with
angels and baby Jesus, three kings and Bible quotes. An occasional mimeographed
Christmas letter showed up in that past pile too.
Fast forward almost three decades and our current Commander
in Chief actually boasted in a speech three weeks ago: "I told you we were
going to start saying 'Merry Christmas!' again!", a reference to one of
his more curious campaign promises. (More on that soon.) The #1 holiday song today is Mariah Carey's "All
I Want for Christmas", which I just heard for the 6,432nd time, and, well....Of
the 40 cards I've received, just three are religious. Half say "Merry
Christmas"; others "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons
Greetings".
But there are very few stables or stars in the sky or silent
nights filled with a mother and child. The practice of institutional religion
has declined in just one generation for many reasons: church scandals, folks'
lifestyles, and technology, to name but a few factors. And yet according to some, including our
Santa In Chief or Grinch in Chief (depending upon one's viewpoint) this dearth
of overtly religious greeting cards is a reflection of America's "WAR ON
CHRISTMAS!" A certain cable news channel in particular (rhymes with
"sox") promotes this story every year, decrying how terrible it is
that no one can say "Merry Christmas" anymore or be overtly
"Christmassy" because its not "politically correct", that
in fact Christmas must be rescued from the clutches of our soulless secular
world!!
I'm sorry, but as a person of faith, I find this annual
cultural debate as appealing as a stocking full of coal, an argument that's as
fake as a $49.95 aluminum hued Christmas Tree from Wal-Mart. More than most folks, I am fully invested in
the holy and religious aspects of this season, the sacred story of
Christmas. I want folks to have a Merry
Christmas. I pray and hope that the pews in the church I serve will be packed
come the 24th. I love my Christmas
story. And yet, I also know this.
I live in a great nation where the practice or non-practice
of religion is free and voluntary. No
one is forcing anyone to say or not say "Merry Christmas"! There are
no anti-Christmas police patrolling the streets, handing out citations for
being of good cheer. Not now. Not ever. So I say go ahead if you want--have at
it! Shout "Merry Christmas"
from the rooftops. Send out a boatload of greeting cards too. String a thousand
lights across your house and I will come by and enjoy the show!
But I'd say do so remembering this: that there is no WAR ON
CHRISTMAS. There is instead, a sad and predictable need on the part of far too
many leaders and journalists, to make everything, even the holidays, into an
argument in 2017: a debate, a fight, a feud, a war. The irony is that this
"war" is being fought in the name of the prince of peace, one whose
birth we in my tradition believe, heralds a great day, some future day, of "peace on earth and goodwill to all
people."
And if the ancient story that I so love is not your story,
that's cool. Maybe you celebrate a different God story, like Hanukkah. Maybe
for you Christmas is a great time to just reunite with family and friends, to
rest and be rejuvenated after a long, long year, nothing more. Maybe the
holidays are hard for you, because you are really missing a loved one, or you
are sick or lonely, or worry that you won't be remembered in all the
"Merry Christmases" being said. Maybe you are not so sure about this God stuff
but as you look at the twinkling stars in a dark December night sky, you trust
somehow that a power greater than yourself is holding it all together.
Holidays. Holy days. December days. But a war? Not on my behalf. My prayer this year is simple: for just one
silent night. May you and your loved
ones find such peace this season too.
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