Don’t let the Grinch, Goblins, or Scrooge steal your full Joy at Christmas!

The over-secularization of Christmas and what we can do about it.

Published in the Kankakee Daily Journal December 13, 2023

I generally tend not to write controversial opinions, but this column is an opinion column. What I’m going to write, I think, will strike a chord with many of the Daily Journal readers, but I also know some readers will disagree, and that is fine. As a matter of fact, over the years, many people have shown support for views, and some disagree. However, few of you write me. On this one, whether you agree or disagree, I would love to hear from you.

My “thesis” is for the most part in the public arena Christmas  by becoming an increasingly secular holiday many people are being robbed of the Joy that can come from the celebration of the birth of Christ (along with more secular aspects.) Tt does not have to be an either or situation.

And since this is a business column, I also contend that it can be bad for your business to ignore thousands of your customers’ sincerely held beliefs. By the way, I also believe that the Jewish Holiday of Hanukah needs to be considered. But, in this column, I’m focusing on Christmas.

These days songs, movies, holiday shows, and decorations in the stores proclaim, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” But as mentioned above, with the move towards a more secular holiday, I think we have lost a great deal, whether you are religious or not. To a large degree, I think the entertainment media has intensified this trend.

Christmas was established as a legal federal holiday in 1870 and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant. Over the years, many challenges to the Holiday have been made in the courts, based on the “Establishment Clause” of the Constitution in the First Amendment, but these challenges thankfully have failed.

But a rather puzzling trend, to me and many others, is the “why” behind the move towards an almost total secularization of Christmas. I have examined recent research documents by the Gallup organization and the Pew Research Center that indicate the number of even self-identified religious people celebrating Christmas as a significant religious holiday is decreasing.

In general, the studies from these highly regarded research organizations show the younger you are, the more politically liberal you are, or living in the East or West tends to predict a rather radical decline in religious affiliation. That having been said, each year, tens of millions of Americans, whether Protestant or Catholic, celebrate both aspects of the Holiday. But the religious celebrations, unfortunately, have moved almost exclusively into the churches or homes. As a result, in my opinion, we are poorer in spirit and morale as a society.

Over the last few years, there was even an attempt to do away with “Merry Christmas,” which justifiably saw a strong reaction from millions of Americans. Saying “Merry Christmas” and for our Jewish friends, “Happy Hanukah” seems to be back in fashion again. But all is not well! In some ways, it is not surprising that the mention of Jesus and Christmas has almost disappeared from our public consciousness.

In an era of diversity and inclusion, there is an alarming paradox. Sometimes, those who cry the loudest for inclusion are among the most adamant in their “sanitization” of Christmas. I think too many businesses that seek to avoid “offending” any of their customers are unknowingly disrespecting millions of religious people who frequent their businesses.

A few years ago, one of the major national retailers essentially forced the Salvation Army off their property. At that point, I reduced my shopping at that retailer by 95-100% of the time.

Don’t misunderstand me; I enjoy holiday decorations, Christmas trees, and “secular” celebrations. I get the idea behind Santa, Snoopy, and Rudolph, but it feels like eating an overdose of chocolate and cotton candy in the end. After a while (having grown up with traditional religious celebrations), I want a “steak” occasionally.

Let me give a few examples of how far we have drifted away from a proper societal balance. Of course, we have the freedom to do whatever we want at the individual level regarding our religious beliefs. But many of you will likely agree we are impoverished by this almost total secularization.

“Christmas” parades have Snoopy, Rudolph, a reformed Grinch, Frosty, and all sorts of holiday symbols, with Santa in his Sleigh at the end. But rarely is there any mention of Christ. Fortunately, in some local parades, where community groups sponsor floats, a church might show the nativity scene- but at national parades, not a chance. Other examples include:

• Holiday “feel-good movies” about Christmas tell us it is about friends, family, and love, which is true, but the mention of Jesus is not to be found. The great Hallmark Christmas collections are fun to watch, but they seem too afraid to offend any sponsors or viewers by mentioning the birth of Christ.
• Big-time commercial displays in stores like Macy’s in Chicago include Santa’s Workshop, Nutcracker sugar plum fairs, Rudolph, and more, but Jesus–no, they couldn’t do that.
• School programs have been “sanitized” of any Christian songs in fear of lawsuits based on the widely misunderstood separation argument.
• The other day, we went down to my alma mater,-the University of Iowa, for the free annual tuba concert on the steps of the Old Capital Building. It was great, except out of the 15-20 Christmas songs, Silent Night was the only Christian carol included. It received a rousing applause from the audience of several hundred people.  But overall the concert was a little too “Wokish” for me.

Okay, now let me light a candle of hope for those readers who would like to restore a better balance. There are dozens of ideas, but I’ll share a few observations. I’m not advocating being pushy or overbearing, but on the other hand, dare to display what you believe is the “reason for the season.”

• I am grateful that the Nativity scene is still displayed at the 102 intersections in Bourbonnais.
• If you own a business or a home, consider inserting Christian symbols and displays. What I have noticed, though, is that it is tough to find Christian displays other than online.
• While it is too late for this year, I would encourage some entrepreneurial business in Kankakee County to be the “go-to place” for selling a wide variety of Christian products to stock up. Then advertise the availability of these items.
• Last Christmas here in Cedar Rapids, I was overdosed on Snoopy, Santa, and Rudolph, and I felt a bit empty. So, I built a 5 x 6-foot manger silhouette display for my front yard. The response has been very positive.
• Don’t shy away from celebrating with Joy, cheering others with “Merry Christmas” and a “God Bless You” and giving to the needy at this time of year.
• Our daughter and her husband have grown into kind, generous adults. But one thing I think I would do differently if I had young kids or grandkids from 7 or 8 and up would be to change the giving equation. Say we decided to spend $200 on gifts. What I would do this time would be to spend $150 for her and then allocate another $50 for her to give away.

We would not dictate who she would give to, but give her a wide variety of choices such as: the Salvation Army kettles, a child in need, in our case (because Barbara grew up in Haiti), a gift for a Haitian child or child of a missionary. Another often neglected group at this time of year is lonely older adults in nursing homes.

• No one is perfect. But one of the best ways to display your Christian Christmas beliefs is to live the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control all year long.

How you choose to celebrate Christmas is up to you, whether totally secular or totally as a religious holiday. But most of us are somewhere in between. I think there is a place for reasserting the centrality of the Christian message in Christmas. Even if you’re thinking “Bah Humbug” after reading this, may I still offer a Tiny Tim: “God Bless Us Every One.”

Don Daake, MBA, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus at Olivet. While at Olivet, Don taught courses in marketing, advertising, entrepreneurship, statistics, and business strategy. He now lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.