Tidings
Do They Know It's Hanukkah?
The Christmas wars have changed focus in the last few years. There are still the reruns of fights over displaying nativity scenes, stars of Bethlehem, and less religious displays like Christmas trees on government-run spaces. Hundreds of lawyers are standing by, waiting for a city council to squelch caroling or a school principal to crush a candy-cane handout.
But since 2005, when the "war on Christmas" reached a fever pitch, some organizations and many individual Christians have put more emphasis on the season's greeting. At the grocery store last year, I was surprised by the indignation of a fellow shopper when the clerk wished her "Happy Holidays." The woman glowered for a moment, then responded, without a hint of merriment, "Merry Christmas."
Apparently she wasn't alone. One organization is selling bumper stickers that read, "This is America! And I'm going to say it: Merry Christmas!" and "Merry Christmas! An American Tradition." (I don't remember the American part of the Christmas story, but I haven't re-read Luke 2 yet this year.) Also for sale: "Just Say Merry Christmas" bracelets. ("They're guaranteed to ward off the evil spirits of the ACLU grinches," says the ad.)
Just say Merry Christmas? To everyone? Regardless of whether they actually celebrate Jesus' birth? To borrow a line from Band Aid (creators of the worst holiday song of all time), "Do they know it's Hanukkah?" For the story of Hanukkah ironically sheds light on the aggressive "Merry Christmas!" trend.
In 167 B.C., the Maccabees rebelled against the Syrian king Antiochus IV, who desecrated the temple in Jerusalem with an altar to Zeus, and tried forcibly to Hellenize the Jews. After years of fighting, Judas Maccabeus and his small band of guerillas drove the ...
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Tidings
Ted Olsen
Ted Olsen is Christianity Today's managing editor for news and online journalism. He wrote the magazine's Weblog—a collection of news and opinion articles from mainstream news sources around the world—from 1999 to 2006. In 2004, the magazine launched Weblog in Print, which looks for unexpected connections and trends in articles appearing in the mainstream press. The column was later renamed "Tidings" and ran until 2007.
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Linda
I am tired of everyone telling Christians they can't say Merry Christmas in the last couple of years and this article continues the P.C. theme. It's P.C. instead of J.C.! How about some tolerance for the Christian tradition from Secularists, Buddists, Jews and others for a change since our culture is so "tolerant." Isn't this why we are buying presents? Have some guts and speak up you Christians. Get radical or get eradicated by a pagan cultural tsunami!!
Ali Goold
In response to some of the more negative comments made....I thought that this was a really thoughtful and interesting article. I don't think it was about 'putting us in the mood for Christmas'. Instead, reminding us of the kind of Messiah that we believe in. Jesus never forced peoples hand. As a Scot (which is still a part of the UK!), we don't have the same national debate about whether to say 'Merry Christmas' or not - but Christmas is largely a secular celebration these days, with very little thought for Jesus. So please don't be thinking that Britain is better just because we still utter the phrase 'Merry Christmas'! Also our scoiety does give a lot of thought to other religions. In public schools, our teenagers study religion form a neutral standpoint, whilst also studying a variety of moral issues. 50% of this is Christianity whilst the other half is about learning what other religions believe. The focus is not to proselytise but to inform.
Isukapati vidyanadh
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