The People Behind the Ban on “Merry Christmas!”

I'm surprised! December is almost half over and I'm yet to hear of any “Merry Christmas” boycotts. Am I just out of the loop? I'm sure there are some who are avoiding their favorite coffee shop because they use the wrong cups but overall there doesn't seem to be an issue this year. Still, I find myself thinking about (concerned about) the people who were behind the bans on saying “Merry Christmas” in the first place. What's going on in their hearts that they miss the joy that comes with acknowledging the "reason for the season"?

Who is it that would go as far as trying to ban the words “Merry Christmas,” from being said at Christmas? Some are people who are afraid of offending others and are perhaps even offended themselves at the mention of anything having to do with Jesus Christ. Where believers see the love expressed that day in a Jerusalem manger some seem to see anything but love and compassion, bristling at a narrative that challenges their belief about themselves and the world around them. For them a Nativity Scene represents exclusion and pain and even ignorance, anything but the idea of a light coming into this world that all might be set free.

Others suffer a pain of a different kind, for which the sounds of the season become a burden. For them the holidays represent emptiness or loss. Perhaps they come from a broken family with Christmas serving as a reminder of the physical and emotional distance that comes when a marriage or when any other close relationship fails. There are many out there suffering emotional distress because of mental illness or simply because they are alone. I can see how the words “Merry Christmas” might stir up internal turmoil instead of the uplifting intended by the person speaking.

Do I agree that “Merry Christmas” should be banned from the public square? Of course I do not. But as one for whom the season once represented the most wonderful depths of depression, I want to challenge fellow believers to do better. Don't just say the words. Act on their real meaning. On Christmas we celebrate God reaching out to us in a miraculous way so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Like our Lord let us reach out to others, including those who are offended by Christ. Reflect the light and the unconditional love that changes hearts. Live the truth that sets people free. Help others see the One in whom we might truly enjoy the season.