I prefer the greeting "Merry Christmas" over "Happy Holidays." In my judgement "Merry Christmas" more clearly expresses the core meaning of the season we celebrate in December. Now before you jump all over me about swallowing and elephant and straining at a gnat let me explain my thinking.
First let me say that I am very much aware that the term holiday is a contraction between the word holy and the word day and has as its original meaning holy days and as such "Happy Holidays" was a greeting with strong religious undertones. However, the etymology of the word is not as important as its contemporary usage. Today the word "holiday" has virtually no vestiges of its original meaning left. Instead it has become a term used to refer to any and all holidays. President's Day is a "holiday;" Independence Day is a "holiday;" and in my Australian friends refer to their vacations as "being on holiday."
Now Christmas is a holiday but for the Christian it is that and so very much more. It is a holiday that has its roots in the birth of Jesus Christ. Indeed the whole holiday exists because Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Now some might claim that the Christmas holiday season is fraught with elements that have nothing to do with Christ's birth and I would have to agree. Somewhere along the way at various points of history some "pagan" celebrations were baptized and incorporated in the Christmas tradition as we celebrate it today. This includes things such as Christmas trees, yule logs etc. Even more elements (many fictional) were added in the 1800's and early 19thy century.
I am also aware that the Christmas season has become a major part of our economic landscape. Many businesses owe there finical health and some even their survival to the days leading up to and including Christmas. Hence there is an enormous economic element tied to the celebration of Christ's birth in our economy.
I have no major quarrel with any of these but in my mind all of those are irrelevant because they are nothing more than nice addendum to the principle reason for the Christmas season and that is the birth of Jesus. You can strip all of these away an still have Christmas. If you remove the Christian core from the holiday season all you have left is a meaningless commercial event. However, when all these addendum are stripped away the one thing left to be celebrated is the birth of Christ.
It is important to me that the core purpose of the Christmas season and that the word "Christmas" it's self doesn't, as the word holiday has, loose its meaning. Merry Christmas reminds us that we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Christ, the son of the Living God and Savior of man. No other seasonal greeting communicates the core meaning of the holiday season.
So with that I say, Merry Christmas to all.
First let me say that I am very much aware that the term holiday is a contraction between the word holy and the word day and has as its original meaning holy days and as such "Happy Holidays" was a greeting with strong religious undertones. However, the etymology of the word is not as important as its contemporary usage. Today the word "holiday" has virtually no vestiges of its original meaning left. Instead it has become a term used to refer to any and all holidays. President's Day is a "holiday;" Independence Day is a "holiday;" and in my Australian friends refer to their vacations as "being on holiday."
Now Christmas is a holiday but for the Christian it is that and so very much more. It is a holiday that has its roots in the birth of Jesus Christ. Indeed the whole holiday exists because Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Now some might claim that the Christmas holiday season is fraught with elements that have nothing to do with Christ's birth and I would have to agree. Somewhere along the way at various points of history some "pagan" celebrations were baptized and incorporated in the Christmas tradition as we celebrate it today. This includes things such as Christmas trees, yule logs etc. Even more elements (many fictional) were added in the 1800's and early 19thy century.
I am also aware that the Christmas season has become a major part of our economic landscape. Many businesses owe there finical health and some even their survival to the days leading up to and including Christmas. Hence there is an enormous economic element tied to the celebration of Christ's birth in our economy.
I have no major quarrel with any of these but in my mind all of those are irrelevant because they are nothing more than nice addendum to the principle reason for the Christmas season and that is the birth of Jesus. You can strip all of these away an still have Christmas. If you remove the Christian core from the holiday season all you have left is a meaningless commercial event. However, when all these addendum are stripped away the one thing left to be celebrated is the birth of Christ.
It is important to me that the core purpose of the Christmas season and that the word "Christmas" it's self doesn't, as the word holiday has, loose its meaning. Merry Christmas reminds us that we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Christ, the son of the Living God and Savior of man. No other seasonal greeting communicates the core meaning of the holiday season.
So with that I say, Merry Christmas to all.
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