I remember a line from a joke in the Reader’s Digest way back in the seventies. It said, “Go down to the person box and see if the person person left any person.” You may have had to be alive and aware of the world at that time to get the joke, but all of this politically correct malarkey started to really get popular around then. I think it’s gone way too far, especially about Christmas.
I am going to say Merry Christmas. If you are Jewish, I hope you will tell me, “Happy Hanukah.” It’s appropriate. It is Christmas for Christians and it won’t stop being Christmas because someone might be offended. The same holds true for any celebration at this time of year, no matter what the culture. I’m not offended by that.
I am going to have a Christmas tree. It’s not a holiday tree in my house. You can have a holiday tree if you want, but mine is still a Christmas tree. No one should be offended by calling it a Christmas tree, but if you want yours to have another name, I’m ok with that. Just don’t tell me that mine is named the same.
I have Christmas lights. If I had a yard display it would be Christian in nature. I don’t mind seeing others with Santa and/or reindeer. I expect the same courtesy for my choices. I have to say that of all these things the lights (in California, anyway) may be the easiest to rename. Many people leave them up…and light them…year round. That I don’t get, but it’s their electric bill.
I absolutely hate it when people change the lyrics of any song. When the change is because one word might be offensive to some person, somewhere, it really makes me mad. I write poetry. I write it the way I want it to stay. I feel that song writers should be given the same courtesy, whether it’s politically correct or not.
There is only one reason I will accept changing the lyrics. Many of our most favorite sacred songs for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany were not written in English, and the translations are well over a hundred years old. I can see the point of translating them again, into modern English. Other than that, leave them alone.
As a Christian, I find it important to keep Christ in the holiday. This is important to me, my family, my individual church and the church overall. I do object to people ramming Christ down the throats of those who have other beliefs. I also object to others blocking me from celebrating what I believe.
If you want to take Christ out of the holiday, that’s fine. Just don’t demand that I do the same.