What Do “XMAS,” “Happy Holidays,” and “Seasons Greetings,” have in common with “_ _ _ _ _ _ mas?”They leave CHRIST out of Christmas.So what? What does CHRIST have to do with Santa Claus, Rudolph, presents, office parties, Christmas trees, Christmas wreaths, holly, sleigh bells, and turkey dinners?Not much.What does CHRIST have to do with CHRISTmas?Everything!Without CHRIST there can be no CHRISTmas. Oh yes, there can be a holiday, a season, even an XMAS but, without CHRIST there can be no CHRISTmas, in either fact or spirit.
What is so obvious about CHRIST and CHRISTmas?One cannot even say or spell the word “CHRISTmas,” let alone explain its actual history, meaning, or origins without CHRIST.The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia states that Christmas is “Christ’s Mass in the Christian calendar, the feast of the nativity of Jesus.”The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines “Christmas” as “A Christian feast commemorating the birth of Jesus.” Jesus who?Jesus, the CHRIST Child, the only begotten Son of God, born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago.
First there was Jesus CHRIST and because of CHRIST there is the celebration of His birth, “CHRISTmas.” According to the Encyclopedia Britannica “the Christian festival of Christmas was celebrated in Rome by AD 336.”Secular customs and traditions such as the Yule log, mistletoe, Christmas trees, holly, and the exchanging of gifts have developed since; but, first there was CHRIST.
Even the greatest current secular symbol, the “Ho, Ho, Ho” jolly old Santa Claus seen everywhere during the Christmas season, was first made popular in New York during the 19th century.He is a fictional combination of a Dutch tradition honoring Saint Nicholas and Nordic folk tales.The result is a kindly old man with a big white beard, dressed in a red suit, who gives presents to good boys and girls once a year.Oh yes, the tradition of “Sinterklaas,” a Dutch variant of Saint Nicholas, can be traced back hundreds of years; but, first there was CHRIST.
Why, there are even some who would try to replace the bright guiding light of the Star of Bethlehem with the red glow of the nose of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”Rudolph’s nose has been guiding Santa’s sleigh since 1939 when Robert May wrote a verse for a Montgomery Ward promotional comic book. In the late 1940’s his brother-in-law adapted the verse and used it in the song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer;” and the cowboy crooner, Gene Autry, made Rudolph famous but, first there was CHRIST.
When someone says “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings,” rather than “Merry Christmas,” one could actually ask, “What Holiday?” or “What Season?”Do we say “Happy Holiday” for the 4th of July or Memorial Day?No, of course not and yet, even before these there was that first CHRISTmas when the world was given the greatest gift of all because “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”If we keep the spirit of the Christ Child and His love in our hearts and share it with others, CHRISTmas, in its truest sense, will be with us everyday of the year. Merry CHRISTmas folks, Merry CHRISTmas.
