Clearing up for those needed. Things Christians SHOULD, and SHOULD NOT get worked up about around Christmas.
YES:
Menorah + Christmas tree do not = balanced decorations
Why it's probably worth it:
A menorah is a religious decoration. A nativity scene is a religious decoration. A Christmas tree is not a religious decoration.
Christmas tree instead of nativity is "Well we don't want to put up anything religious."
Okay. Then take down the menorah. It has to be both or neither.
NO:
WalKMartcy's says Happy Holidays in their advertisements instead of Merry Christmas! Boycott them!
Why it's misguided:
Retailers' primary purpose for the holidays is to run specials, generate sales, etc. This holiday agenda has nothing to do with the Christian notion of what Christmas is to be about. So... if they want to turn their promotions around this season into being 10% off for the holidays rather than 10% off because of the birth of Christ... let'em.
The local Kim Kardashian perfume vendor shouldn't really factor that much into whether you observe the season in your particular house of worship.
YES:
Holiday specials about "the true meaning of Christmas"
Why it's probably worth it:
The
last TV special that actually addressed the meaning of Christmas was
the Charlie Brown one. Not saying it's been a long time, but I think
there's a scene where they're sitting around smoking Lucky Strikes. It
seems like instead there are a lot where Christmas is about reconnecting
with a deadbeat estranged father, finding a nice boyfriend, or
successfully accomplishing the task of spending a harmonious evening
with your family.
There's one "true meaning of Christmas"... everything else is fodder for a Harriet Carter mail order coffee mug assortment.
NO:
It's not Xmas! It's Christmas!
Why it's misguided:
Do people sometimes use this because they don't want to mention Christ? I suppose. But more often it's likely because it takes up less space. And, as countless articles on the interwebz will tell you, chi, which is the Greek root of the letter X, and was the first letter of the Greek spelling.
There's more important things to get worked up about, such as...
YES:
We're out of egg nog.
Nuff said.
