Warning – independent thought may lead to cancellation. There are days that I worry what others will think about my thoughts. It is these days that I choose not to think or at least not to think out loud. Other times I deem myself to have reached a plane of philosophical depth that my thoughts, when revealed, cannot be dismissed. Then there are regular days that my thoughts are pedestrian, no, really, they are about pedestrians, how not to hit them at a crosswalk, how not to become one by driving recklessly and losing my licence etc. These are the days when thought is limited to the things that present themselves throughout the day. No depth, just trying to make it to tomorrow.

I’ve been thinking this past Christmas season.

I am a little afraid that sharing these thoughts might get me cancelled or, at the opposite end of the scale, might be too pedestrian to be considered worth reading. Maybe someone will deem them on a plane of philosophical depth so high that I will be revered by scholars and everyday people for years to come. I wasn’t thinking but rather dreaming when I wrote that last sentence. Still, I have done a lot of thinking, and I have come to the conclusion that my thoughts need to escape the confines of my simplistic brain before they take over and leave me stuck in Christmas for months to come.

Christians need to stop complaining about Christmas.

Cancel me now! I will take that risk when I say no one should be attacked for saying, “Happy Holidays”. Yes, I prefer ‘Merry Christmas’ as I celebrate Christmas. Yes, this time of the year is linked to the birth of Christ. However, it is also linked to a jolly looking (okay fat) grey haired bearded fellow created by Coca-Cola. At the same time, we have other celebrations like Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, Bodhi Day. If you go back a month to November you will find people who celebrate Diwali, and one time per Gregorian calendar Muslims will observe Ramadan. Have you ever greeted someone with the appropriate words pertaining to their religious holidays?

But this is a Christian country.

I shutter as I say this because it suggests that the one powerful enough to control the land is the one that sets the standard for speech. I can get on board with that if Christians would stop being appalled at the treatment of fellow believers in China or Iran for instance. I know I have stepped in it now, but I told you I’ve been thinking and that my thoughts can range from pedestrian to ones that are philosophically deep. Okay, I have to admit that philosophically deep is in the eye or ear of the beholder which means I probably have never met the standard for philosophically deep but I will try to at least get you thinking. The truth is, we live in a secular society based on Judeo-Christian laws put into place by people who embraced the value of this type of morality but not all embraced Christ nor did they expect all to be Christians. While Christmas was simpler in the past and more Christ centered for the vast majority, the commercialism did not come from people with other belief systems, it came from people who would identify as Christian, at least by birth and maybe even by belief.

So, as you know I’ve been thinking.

It’s a year away but, how can I put the Christ back into Christmas? I know one thing I won’t do; I am not going to get offended when someone says, “Happy Holidays”. As a matter of fact, I might even say, “all the best during this holiday season” because I don’t know what that person celebrates. When they return the greeting, I will ask them what they have planned which hopefully will lead them to ask the same thing. At that point I have the opportunity to share what I celebrate at Christmas. No arm twisting or shaming to force people to say, “Merry Christmas”. No offence because my holiday wasn’t part of their greeting or parting remarks. Just sharing my faith, a faith that invites not dictates, pursues not punishes, offers not offends.

If you are reading this from a country free to live out your faith, try to imagine what it is like to live in a country that tells you what to celebrate and how. If you are reading this from a country that will not let you celebrate your Christian belief, pray for us because while no one, not even our government, can take Christ out of any part in your lives, we seem to worry that not saying, “Merry Christmas” can take Christ out of Christmas.

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)

I am now thinking, am I cancelled, did I tickle the boundaries of philosophical depth or did I just say something very pedestrian?