Okay, full disclosure here –

I get annoyed by the Facebook posts, and other media sources, regarding the “War on Christmas” that seem to be so present during this time of year.  They all seem to be so wrought with media hype, and offer yet another way to draw a line between “us” and “them”.

If anything, these types of things cause me to consider a bigger picture of what the war on Christmas really is.  As Christians, we celebrate Christmas because of Jesus, and the birth of hope, love, and sacrifice to our world.  In my opinion (and I may be completely alone in this), the “War on Christmas” is present every day, not just in the month of December.

Let me explain.  When we eliminate forgiveness of others from our lives; yet, claim Christ as our Savior, then we are at odds with the very reason we celebrate this season.  Through Christ’s birth, life, and death, He set the ultimate example of forgiveness, and the model to which we should mold our lives.

When we fail to speak of Christ and share how He has changed our lives, we completely diminish the truth of the reason why He was born into our world.  It seems we tend to get more riled up about a Starbucks red cup, than we do at sharing our passion for the blood of Christ that ran red down the Cross.

When we get caught up in the verbiage of whether it is proper to say “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays”, we miss the opportunity to speak these precious and truthful words:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.  -Isaiah 9:6

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -John 3:16

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. -John 19:30

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. -Luke 2:11

The energized quests for sales during this season, the stress of whether we should stay home or go somewhere on Christmas day, and the worry about whether we have done enough, bought enough, or decorated enough, all seem to be polar opposites of Christ’s humble birth.

When we hate simply because we think we should, our witness of the love of Christ grows dormant.  His love is not sewn when we choose hatred.

Personally, I have never been told not to say “Merry Christmas”, nor have I ever been offended by someone saying “Happy Holidays”.  I believe there is real Christian persecution going on in this world, I really do.  However, I refuse to believe that purchasing overpriced coffee drinks in a plain red cup (which I am totally guilty of) is far from persecution.

The “War on Christmas” (or so it is called) that media outlets seem so driven for us to consume is much less troubling to me than the real war on Christmas that we struggle with each day.

Jesus is not found in a red cup, nor is He represented by whether we choose to wish someone “Happy Holidays”, “Merry Christmas”, or not.  Christ dwells within our hearts, and in Him, we are rooted in love.  Let us not forget that.

The real war on Christmas is on full display in the battlefield of how we treat other people, how we fail to forgive, how we focus on things other than Him, and how we silence the opportunities to share the redemption of Christ.

 Author’s note:  So, I know some of you who have taken the time to read this might be a little bothered by it.  That is okay.  I stumbled and stewed over my words and reason why I felt the need to express my opinion.  I am FAR from a theologian, and I struggle daily with being a good and faithful servant.  This is just my own rambling thoughts of something that has been on my mind for a while.  Thank you for reading it, and I am open to learning from you and your opinion!