“Happy holidays!” This has become the standard greeting of the Christmas season. From all indications, it is the politically correct greeting that secularizes (removes all religious reference to) the season. It is designed to avoid offending those who do not care for the religious nature of Christmas.
But all this doesn’t really make sense to me. Here’s one definition of a holiday: “a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official (more common) or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations or festivities.”
We have holidays that celebrate significant events or persons. Independence Day is a holiday that celebrates American independence. And we have Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and many more. There always is a specific reason that makes the day a holiday.
Christmas as a holiday celebrates the birth of Jesus, whom Christians acknowledge as the Savior of the world. He is God the Son come in the flesh with a specific mission, a mission that leads to his own sacrificial death on the cross. The purpose was to secure salvation for sinful humanity. This salvation becomes effective in a person’s life when he or she turns to Christ by faith and humble surrender to his leadership.
And so we celebrate Christmas. Christmas is observed because of the significance of the person whose birth is remembered. “Listen carefully, for I proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people: Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2.10–11 NET). The exact date of his birth is irrelevant. What matters is the fact of his birth.
To remove the “reason for the season,” removes the whole point of the celebration. There really is no “holiday” if there is no Christ. The celebrations become empty and purposeless. What is there to celebrate? If one does not acknowledge the Christ of Christmas, why bother with the holiday at all? Why not just maintain one’s ordinary way of life and do away with all the stress that a Christless Christmas brings? And there is no need to take offense at those who do celebrate Christ on Christmas.
–Keith Y. Jainga