Return to story

Happy holiday needs no official validation

December 18, 2009 12:36 am

THE WAR ON Christmas isn't quite what it used to be, with cable news focusing on other things, like Tiger Woods and White House party-crashers. And after a few years of high-profile controversies, corporate America has rediscovered a simple truth--Christmas is good for business. The very stores and other businesses that shunned the word "Christmas" in reference to the holiday now seem to be embracing it, because, after all, the vast majority of December shoppers are celebrating Christmas.

Yet despite a thaw in the world of commerce, Christmas and its place in the winter holiday schedule is still one of contention. In November, a cashier at a grocery store told me to have a good holiday, and she was referring to Thanksgiving. Clearly there is a level of uncertainty when it comes to wishing anybody anything.

So as a conservative and a person of faith, this has always been a sensitive issue. Yes, it bothers me that state and local governments refer to Christmas trees as "holiday trees," and make every effort to strike religious references from the celebration we hold on Dec. 25. And, it is utterly dumb for symbols as simple as Santa Claus to be taken out of schools.

Over the past few years, I have re-examined Christmas and what it means to me and my family. I find myself trying to create a more insular Christmas--almost minimalist, if you will--shielded from the materialism that has tarnished the season for so many decades.

I have also had to recognize a bit of hypocrisy on my part as pertains to the role Christmas plays in our society. Eleven months out of the year, conservatives work tirelessly to keep government out of our lives, and to limit the influence of pop culture because of its progressive, morally challenged nature. Yet when December rolls around, we suddenly think these very same powers-that-be should adopt our values and beliefs.

Why do conservatives so eagerly look for validation of Christmas from the same powers we usually hold in such low regard? If we had our way, and Christmas regained the star power it once had, would it change or enhance what the season really means to us?

Over the years, we have strived to preserve an aura of a Christmas out of a Norman Rockwell painting. We fight to salvage an image that may not have been real to begin with. Furthermore, the validation of traditional Christmas in the public square is nothing more than a symbolic gesture--it has no meaning. If we rely on government and popular culture to serve as guideposts for what is and is not important in our lives, we truly are a lost people. The spiritual aspect of Christmas is not enhanced by government recognition of the holiday, and the legitimacy of the season is not in jeopardy if corporate America or Hollywood insists on "Happy Holidays."

For Christians, Christmas is validated through the celebration of the birth of Christ, which is celebrated regardless of whether government or popular culture wants to recognize it.

As I gain more years under my belt as a father, the more I would like to see the gaudiness and public intensity of Christmas recede. It is the religious aspect of Christmas that I hold dear: This is not something that I will share with government, department store, or mass-media culture. It will never be front and center in the public square--nor do I want it so.

However, the money-driven hoopla of Christmas, the in-your-face that starts around Halloween, does nothing to recognize the religious aspect of the season. Instead, it systematically chisels away at the holy aspects of Christmas, and makes it more difficult as a parent to instill these values in my children.

The quest to get Christmas recognized and validated comes directly from the "be careful what you ask for, because you may get it" file. I don't think we want to go there. The power of Christmas lies in its meaning; for those who celebrate it for its religious attributes, we do not need confirmation from any establishment that does not share these beliefs. For me and my family, a Christmas rooted in the birth of Christ and exemplified through giving to others is the perfect Christmas. I do not need government invited to this party, or, for that matter, taking up my cause.

Last week, as I stumbled through my front door with a giant Christmas tree over my shoulder, I could not help but think I had just done this. As I struggled to get the tree into the stand and stabilize the base before it tumbled onto my little boy who was on my heels, I was amazed at how fast time goes by. By the time the ornaments were on, I realized that these children so wide-eyed before me will soon be grown. I will wish I had these moments back.

Times goes by so quickly, and every moment not cherished is a moment lost. I often think like this around Christmastime, as the season gets more sentimental every year.

I guess that is why I see the yearly fight for Christmas in a different light now. Christmas is bigger than the mighty vanguards that come to its rescue, and much bigger than those who look to sentence it to irrelevancy. The more we realize the reasons why Christmas endures, the more special it becomes.

Chris Connelly was former chief of staff and communications director for the late Rep. Jo Ann Davis. He lives in Stafford County.