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Matthew Warner

Where’s the Christ in Christmas?

Every holiday season, I predictably hear a whine coming from behind my Christmas tree.  No, it’s not a faulty light about to burst into flames.  It’s the whine of one or two Christians protesting as hypocrites those who celebrate Christmas without worshiping Christ.  As they say, the holiday is to celebrate the birth of Christ, after all.  How can all you heretics partake in the trappings of the holiday with a clean conscience?

Let’s set aside for the moment the historical roots of the holiday, the timing of which are arguably non-Christian.  And let’s also set aside the compelling theory that, in an effort to stamp out paganism, the church scheduled the celebration of Christ’s birthday to coincide with one or more non-Christian holidays.

It comes down to this.  The holiday season is a time to renew ties with your loved ones, and Christmas is a time to exchange gifts with those loved ones and to celebrate that love.  I think that’s how non-Christians view it.  It’s how I view it.  And I can’t believe that Christ, who was all about loving one another, would object to such an activity.

Where’s the Christ in Christmas?  My answer is, Who cares?  Yes, I may go to hell for saying this, but ultimately, I think that strengthening one’s ties to his fellow man is more beneficial to the world than engaging in worship.

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