Although there are efforts at every level to remove all vestiges of Christ, God, and Christianity from public life no where has the movement been more obvious or successful than in removing Christ and the very Christmas Story from the public celebration of Christmas. Currently the emphasis seems to be on removing the very word “Christmas” from “Christmas.”
To me the reason is obvious, “One cannot even say the word “Christmas” without mentioning “Christ.” To completely get “Christ” out of “Christmas” the name of the very holiday that is being celebrated must be changed.
In recent years, those who would take “Christmas” out of “Christmas,” for whatever reason have developed a strategy of “political correctness” and “let’s not mention Christmas because it might offend someone.” The word they would substitute for “Christmas” is “holiday” and the phrase they would substitute for “Merry Christmas” is “Happy Holidays.”
A recent column appearing in the Dec. 24, 2004 Wall Street Journal contained an illustration of just how far the pendulum has swung. It pointed out that “the mayor of Somerville, Mass., apologized for mistakenly calling his December celebration a “Christmas party. He should have called it, he said, a “holiday party.”
Now there would be those that would say that something like that can’t happen here in the land of “Ozark Mountain Christmas,” “Old Time Christmas,” and the “Adoration Parade.”
“That might be the way we wish it were but is it the way it is?”
The Dec. 24, 2004 edition of the Branson Daily Independent contained a letter from a lady who, while eating in a local restaurant with her husband, received the greeting of “Happy Holidays,” from their server. It’s the same greeting that a lot of us, and, probably tens of thousands of visitors to Branson, received during “Ozark Mountain Christmas.” When her husband said, “I think you mean ‘Merry Christmas'” she quickly responded, “Oh, we can’t say that unless the customer does.” I would echo the words that the writer of the letter used to describe the incident, “How sad.”
In my mind, the name “Ozarks Mountain Christmas” creates a different expectation than would “Ozarks “Mountain Hanukah,” “Ozark Mountain Kwanzaa,” or “Ozark Mountain Holidays.” If we are going to tell our employees what greeting to give doesn’t it make more sense to encourage those celebrating “Ozark Mountain Christmas” to say “Merry Christmas” than “Happy Holidays” if for no other reason than it is consistent with the theme and promise of “Ozark Mountain Christmas?” When one adds the “values” that people identify with the Branson Brand and the “faith” of the “Branson Promise” the use of the term “Merry Christmas” becomes even more appropriate.
On Jan. 26, I am going to make a presentation to the Chambers Board of Directors asking them to specifically, “Establish a policy of trying to keep “Christmas” in “Christmas” by, at a minimum, encouraging the use of the term “Merry Christmas” in lieu of “Happy Holidays” in connection with the Chambers involvement with “Ozark Mountain Christmas” and in other situations where it is the intent of the Chamber to specifically express “Christmas” wishes or greetings to those celebrating the holiday of “Christmas.”
If the council deems that this issue is under our purview, and I believe it is, because of not only the message of Christmas, but the fact that “Ozarks Mountain Christmas” is of critical importance to the small businesses this council serves, I would request that this council send a recommendation to the Board reading as follows:
“The Small Business Development Advisory Council supports the position that the Board establish a policy of trying to keep “Christmas” in “Christmas” by, at a minimum, encouraging the use of the term “Merry Christmas” in lieu of “Happy Holidays” in connection with the Chambers involvement with “Ozark Mountain Christmas” and in other situations where it is the intent of the Chamber to specifically express “Christmas” wishes or greetings to those celebrating the holiday of “Christmas.”
