A few years ago, a number of major department stores made news by instructing their employees not to say “Merry Christmas.” Public schools have winter breaks instead of Christmas vacation. City and state governments are scaling back their holiday displays or giving equal time. Christians have tried hard over the years to make Christmas a time everyone can enjoy. The Spirit of the Season is love and giving and family. Still, some people are offended by the idea of Christmas. They remember what many Christians seem to have forgotten - that this Jesus whose birth we celebrate claimed to be the Son of the one true God. He was God incarnate, Emmanuel, “God with us.”
Is that offensive? Yes! Yes, Christmas is offensive when you get right to the point of it. I’m afraid it isn’t the non-Christian minority who is missing the point of Christmas. It is the Christians themselves. Christmas is not just a holiday; it is a “holy” day. It is a day when we remember that God loved us so much he sent his only Son into the world to die as a sacrifice for our sins.
The real meaning of Christmas is not merry to those who do not understand or accept it. Nor are they “persecuting” Christians when they say, "keep your holiday greetings to yourself." If we have nothing more to offer people than a simple “Merry Christmas” then we indeed have "hid our light under a bushel.” So instead of being angry that not everyone “gets” Christmas, be thankful for what you yourself have been given. Remember the true meaning of Christmas - the offensive, special, exclusive meaning. And don’t be offended by people who don’t share your traditions. Remember that you have something more precious than traditions to share with them.
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:23