I hate to rain on everyone’s parade, but this I Hate Monday will focus on The Big Day, aka tomorrow, aka Christmas Day.
The thing about Christmas – and saying anything negative about it – is that in the eyes of most it’s a sacred day. On the one hand, it’s widely viewed as the holiest day on the Christian calendar as people celebrate the birth of our savior. And for another, the Christmas season has become the annual savior of our fragile economy. And therein lies the problem. The two have become one.
With all due respect to both saving acts, they are not based on truth. Any encyclopedia or reference work will reveal that nearly everything about this allegedly Christian holiday is taken from pagan festivals in ancient Rome and other bygone civilizations. The December 25 date was borrowed from the Roman Saturnalia and other sun-worshipping celebrations that coincide with the winter solstice. It’s sadly ironic that the premier celebration of the Christian faith is a collection of false stories. I challenge anyone reading this to locate the verse in the Bible which pinpoints Dec. 25 as the day of Jesus’ birth (or any collection of verses which by inference does the same). I can save you some time by telling you it isn’t in there, but I hope you’ll take the time to search for yourself. Do you find it odd – in fact, significant – that the Bible does not record the date of this momentous event? If the date had been preserved, it would not be anywhere near late December, a cold and rainy season in the area around Bethlehem, a time when shepherds would not be out tending their flocks at night. You will likewise find no reference to three wise men. In fact, the “astrologers from the east” were bad guys up to no good who were sent by King Herod, another bad guy. In those days before interstate highways, their journey took awhile. They didn’t arrive at the manger to see the baby Jesus. In fact, they went to the “house” where the “young child” Jesus was by then living. And the star that led them there… well, since the astrologers were unwittingly complicit in Herod’s scheme (which eventually led to the wholesale slaughter of thousands of young boys), does it make sense that God sent that guiding star?
Even if we pretend for a moment that Jesus was born on December 25, any fair and unbiased observer would have to agree that very little if anything connected with Christmas honors Jesus in any way. The cartoon above says it about as succinctly as anything I’ve seen. As one newspaper editorial noted, “Christmas is the day the entire world celebrates Jesus’ birthday. And the only person not invited is Jesus himself.” For the business world, here’s my take on this holiday: “Frankly, we don’t have a lot of time for Jesus, but we will gladly and eagerly cash in on his birthday to make a profit.” I suppose we should all be glad that something rescues the economy from red ink and into profitable territory by year-end, but does it have to be done under false pretenses? Why can’t we have a national holiday that’s openly about good food, family togetherness, and gift-giving, but without the false veneer Christmas hides behind?
From the standpoint of history – and the pages of the Bible itself – it’s unfortunately rather laughable to say “Jesus is the reason for the season.” Or to bemoan the commercialization of this celebration, a counterfeit to begin with, and then urge, “Let’s keep Christ in Christmas.”
Frankly Virginia, he was never there to begin with.