Don't Disguise Christmas Celebrations with Euphemistic Names
A commentary by Larry Walker
United Church of God pastor, Bend, OR
Controversies
over public Christmas activities have made the news several times recently.
Some minority groups are advocating removing Christmas customs and celebrations
from schools and other areas of the public sector. Some schools and businesses
have dropped the "Christmas" label in favor of more generic
terms such as "winter party" and "holiday tree" instead
of "Christmas party" and "Christmas tree," to the
dismay of many who enjoy Christmas celebrations. So while some have caved
into the pressure from one side of the issue, others have changed because
of pressure from the other side.
I personally do not observe Christmas because of the pagan origins
of it and its customs. So it may come as a surprise that I agree with
the majority of Christmas keepers that changing the names to remove mention
of Christmas should not be done. My reasons for this are not the same
as theirs, but are biblically sound.
This is not a new controversy. It has been around for decades. In fact
it could even be traced back to the early settlers of the United States
who objected to the observance of Christmas for some of the same reasons
that I do. So why would I side with Christmas keepers on this subject?
Several years ago when my children were still in school, one of my
daughters came to me in late December to ask if she could attend the
school "winter party." I tried to tell her that, despite the
name, this would be a Christmas party. She insisted otherwise. So I told
her that I would not tell her what to do and that she could make the
decision herself. She decided to attend. When she returned home after
the party, I asked her how it went. She hung her head and sighed, "It
was a Christmas party."
Had the occasion been properly presented as a "Christmas party" instead
of a "winter party," her course of action would have been clear.
Instead, she was hoodwinked into attending because of the misleading
designation of "winter party."
The right or wrong aspect of Christmas observance is not the issue
here. The point is honesty. Children are especially naive and trusting.
To expect one thing because of what they are told, only to find out that
the opposite is true can be a very negative experience because of the
betrayal of innocent trust.
Honesty is a fundamental biblical value that we all can agree on. "You
shall not bear false witness ..." is in fact one of the Ten Commandments.
As the old saying goes, "Call a spade a spade." Calling something
what it isn’t is simply dishonest and misleading. Resorting to
euphemisms doesn't solve any problems; it just causes other problems,
as my daughter's experience illustrates.
The question ought to be whether the celebration of Christmas should
be a school activity in the first place. If the decision is in the affirmative,
then call it what it is. If not, take it out.
In our case the school's policy stated that children could be taught
about religious customs, but that religious celebrations in school were
inappropriate. I called this to the attention of school officials. Through
considerable discussion they reasoned that because Christmas is both
a religious and secular holiday, it did not violate school policy. Soon
thereafter the school policy was amended to remove the clause prohibiting
religious celebrations and Christmas parties have continued on as usual.
I was disappointed but not surprised by their response. One of the
fundamental lessons of human nature is that if people want badly enough
to do something they will find a way to do it, even if it means bending,
changing or even flagrantly breaking rules.
The oft-quoted mantra of "separation of church and state" allegedly
disallows classroom prayer, reciting the pledge of allegiance and displaying
Ten Commandment plaques in government buildings and other public places.
But Christmas always seems to be exempt because an overwhelming majority
of U.S. citizens want it that way.
Therefore, I don't expect local or national institutions to cater to
minority groups on such matters. I will deal with them on the personal
level, as I have for decades. But I do ask that we be honest and call
such things what they are so that people, children especially, may be
factually well-informed when making decisions regarding which course
of action to take.
  If
you would like to learn more on why I and many other Christians don’t
keep Christmas, then request or, download—or even
read online—these free, enlightening booklets: Holidays
or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Keep? and God's
Holy Day Plan—The Promise of Hope For All Mankind.
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