To businesses: Don't replace 'Merry Christmas' with 'Happy Holidays'
For Christians, Christmas is not just another holiday — it is the celebration of the incarnation of God. It marks the moment when God took on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ to redeem humanity. This foundational truth of the incarnate birth and the resurrection is at the heart of Christian faith and worship.
The significance of Christmas for Christians is profound, and its exclusion or commercial dilution in favor of generic phrases like "Happy Holidays" or secular celebrations should be deeply concerning, even offensive, to those who hold the true meaning of the holiday sacred.
The birth of Jesus: The heart of Christmas
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Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. His coming was the fulfillment of prophecies that spanned hundreds of years and the hope of salvation for all people. The Apostle John encapsulates this profound truth in the Gospel, saying: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
Christmas shows us that God is not distant, but rather that He has come near to His creation to bring redemption. This incredible message of hope, peace and love is for all people.
Over time, Christmas has increasingly been commercialized — a time for shopping, for sales, and for family gatherings. Yet for Christians, these aspects of the holiday often pale in comparison to the true joy of celebrating Christ’s birth. However, when Christians hear "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas", it can and should feel like a deliberate erasure of Christ from the very holiday that bears His name. I, for one, am tired of Christian traditions being minimized in favor of inclusivity, often for the sake of commercial gain.
Why Excluding Christmas Should Offend Christians
1. Christ’s incarnation is non-negotiable: To Christians, Christmas is not just another holiday — it’s the celebration of the moment when God Himself took on human form. This truth is foundational to Christian theology and understanding of the world. When commercial businesses dismiss the religious significance of Christmas, they aren't just excluding a holiday — they are diminishing the very heart of the Christian faith. For many, this is not just a matter of tradition but of spiritual identity.
2. A cultural and religious heritage: Christmas has been celebrated by Christians for nearly two millennia. It is deeply intertwined with Christian history, worship, and community. For Christians to see this holiday reduced to a generic "holiday season" is to witness a slow erosion of a cherished part of their identity and heritage. It’s offensive to Christians when their sacred observance is treated as simply another seasonal event like any other, stripped of its religious meaning.
3. The erasure of religious identity: The growing trend of secularizing Christmas — by replacing "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays" — represents an attempt to neutralize religion in the public sphere. For Christians, this is more than a simple inconvenience; it is a direct challenge to their right to express their faith freely. When the core message of Christmas, centered on Christ's birth, is sidelined, it can feel like an attack on religious expression itself. Christians may feel marginalized in a society that continues to demand a non-offensive, inclusive approach, yet excludes their deepest beliefs.
4. The rise of a “tolerance” that excludes: Many businesses claim to adopt "Happy Holidays" as a way to be inclusive of various religious groups. But this form of inclusivity often means excluding those whose practices are tied to a specific religious tradition, such as Christianity. Ironically, this practice of forced “tolerance” is itself a form of exclusion, where Christianity is expected to quietly step aside to make room for every other tradition.
5. The hypocrisy of businesses with other holidays On the other hand, businesses that use the "Happy Holidays" greeting often engage in celebrations of other holidays or observances that similarly exclude certain groups, highlighting the hypocrisy in their supposed quest for inclusivity.
- Pride Month: While Pride Month celebrates the LGBT community, it is clear that businesses supporting it may alienate other groups who do not share the same views on sexuality or gender identity. Championing Pride can be seen as selective inclusivity, where the needs of one group are prioritized over others, suggesting that businesses are more focused on appeasing popular social movements rather than genuinely embracing a broad spectrum of beliefs and values.
- New Year's Day: Similarly, New Year's Day is a global event, but it is not universally celebrated at the same time or in the same way. The Gregorian calendar, which sets January 1 as the beginning of the year, is not followed by all cultures. For example, the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and the Chinese New Year occur on different dates and are celebrated with distinct traditions. By emphasizing a "New Year" celebration that is rooted in a particular Western tradition, businesses may inadvertently exclude those whose cultural or religious practices do not align with the Western calendar.
- Other secular holidays: Many businesses also market heavily around secular holidays like Thanksgiving or Halloween, which, while widely celebrated, have their own set of cultural and historical baggage. Thanksgiving, for example, is controversial for its association with the mistreatment of Native American peoples, while Halloween can be seen as promoting pagan or occult practices. While these holidays may have broad commercial appeal, they are not universally embraced by all communities.
A call for respect and authenticity
For Christians, the exclusion of Christmas from the cultural conversation is more than just an issue of words — it is a matter of honoring God. Christmas is a time to proclaim the central truth of the Christian faith: that Jesus Christ was born to save humanity. When businesses opt for generic greetings that erase this message, it’s not just a missed marketing opportunity, it’s a cultural denial of something that is sacred to millions of people.
Christians should not have to apologize for the religious significance of Christmas or for wanting to celebrate it in its fullness. The commercialization of Christmas is not necessarily a bad thing, but when it overrides the spiritual core of the holiday — when businesses reduce it to a generic, consumer-driven "season" — it is a disservice to both the Christian faith and to all customers who value authenticity and meaning in their celebrations.
Instead of choosing to secularize Christmas under the banner of inclusivity, businesses should embrace the authentic diversity of their customers' traditions. Respecting the Christmas season as a central and sacred observance for Christians doesn’t exclude other traditions — it simply acknowledges that not all celebrations are the same, and that some, like Christmas, are inextricably tied to a specific religious identity.
Ultimately, Christians should not simply "tolerate" the exclusion of Christmas. They should be offended, but also advocate for a more authentic, respectful acknowledgment of their faith. To do so is not only to preserve the significance of Christmas but also to create a world in which diverse beliefs can coexist, each respected for its unique contribution to the cultural and spiritual fabric of society.
Peter Demos is the author of On the Duty of Christian Civil Disobedience and the host of "Uncommon Sense in Current Times." A Christian business leader from Tennessee, Demos uses his biblical perspective and insight gained from his own struggles to lead others to truth and authenticity in a broken world. To learn more, visit peterdemos.org.
