The Written Word
for December 24, 2000

Much has been written about the kidnapping of Christmas by the world of commerce. This has indeed happened but is it such a bad thing?

Historically, Christmas wasn’t all that big a deal in the Christian Church. The big day was – and indeed remains – Easter. The death and bodily resurrection of Jesus is what goes to the heart of the Christian faith. Christmas didn’t become a great feast until Victorian times, and late Victorian times at that. As we know from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, having Christmas Day off was not always the rule.

The Christmas tree, a pagan custom, came to Britain thence North America in the 1850s because Victoria’s consort, Prince Albert, was homesick for this Christmas custom.

Things don’t happen without a reason. Society clearly needed a Christmas probably because it got sick and tired, as a whole, of a year filled with fighting, death, pestilence and hardship. The birth of Christ and the gifts of the wise men (which occurred long after Christ’s birth, not the same night as the carol and legend supposes) became a natural event to worship. Here was peace and goodwill and lots of good music, albeit all religious, to make it sound and feel good. Moreover it happened in the dead of winter when people really wanted something to break up the annual never-ending cold spell.

I don’t believe for a moment that the commercial interests took over Christmas as seen by Christians. That remains. We go to church, sing our carols and rejoice in the birth of our Saviour. What has happened is a huge appendage to this feast and, I would argue, people mostly non practicing Christians pushed the holiday into the commercial world. The appetite for the commercial is, as witness last minute shopping and the "Boxing Week" sales is insatiable and the world of sales is simply answering the demand.

In fact, I think more people are coming back to the Holy Christmas because they see the need to have more out of this than a Bacchanalian and very expensive feast. Churches are filling again. Now I know that many see empty churches but they’re not as empty as they were. There is a spiritual revival afoot.. The children are coming back to Sunday schools. A new need – the need for personal comforting – is evident.

If it is true that any sort of advertising .is good, the advertising of Christ’s birthday must be seen, by Christians, as a positive thing.

This Christian, at any rate, sees it that way and wishes all of you, of whatever faith or lack of it, the very merriest of Christmases. I hope for you that you take from this huge festival something of more value than the presents you receive and that a little of Christ’s message of peace and good will comes to you and remains with you.