I wonder if Satan sneers (and rejoices, if his evil heart could do such a thing) when he sees people who claim to be Christians bickering with non-believers over whether to say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”, and whether or not to put “nativity scenes” on public property.
For the record, I am a Christian. Our family does enjoy December 25th, but as a family day, not a “holy day”. We do celebrate Jesus–just not as a newborn baby on one day a year, but every Sunday when we participate in communion with our Christian family and with Christ Himself. According to the Bible, this is the only memorial He instituted for Himself. Nowhere in the pages of that Book can I find Him asking us to celebrate His birth.
So, I don’t want to fuss and fight over how we greet people for the holiday, or any of the rest of it. Insisting on “keeping Christ in Christmas” is insisting on putting Him where He never asked to be.
Are we honoring Christ if we make up our own celebrations from bits of paganism and fantasy and lack of Biblical knowledge; if we call it a “Christian” holiday, and don’t proclaim Him in the one way He asked?
Do we honor Him when we celebrate Him one day a year and spend the rest of the year totally ignoring Him and His commands?
Do we honor Him when we do only what makes us feel good in our religious service and don’t look in the Bible to see the way He wants us to worship and live?
Am I being a legalist? I don’t know. I only know I want to please my heavenly Father and His Son. Please consider these verses:
John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
2 John 1:9 “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”
Thoughts From Mystery Hollow 
I am so proud to have you as a sister in Christ! I am glad to know another can stand up and speak the truth in God’s Word…or lack of it. I work in the public and hear it often and see the looks when one says Happy Holidays and it always makes me wish for only a few years ago when this ridiculous discussion didn’t even come up. I pray many see this and ask themselves whether what they are doing is really edifying Christ. Our opinions are just that, our opinions. If it’s not scriptural, we should recognize it as such and perhaps, re-examine our own motives. To those who are strong in their opinion, perhaps a polite, “Thank you” and kind smile would suffice instead of a dirty look and argument. Just my opinion. Have a blessed Lord’s day and thank you for the post!
Tammy
Thanks for expressing a lot of the thoughts that have been rambling around in my mind too.