What about Christmas?

I have a feud with the postal department. Every year at this time, I go to the post office to obtain stamps for mailing the 100 or so Christmas cards we send out, and I have yet to find any “Christian” stamps.

Yes, I know, at one time, they did print the Madonna on some of them, but even that is nothing more than a veiled reference to the birth of Jesus as the Son of God.

This year, I again asked about stamps and was informed they had three kinds of Christmas stamps: one with Santa Claus, one with evergreen trees, and one with wreaths. I’m sorry, but Christmas does not have anything to do with Hanukkah or Kwanza. Please understand. I have no desire to put down my Jewish and African American friends or to infer in any way that their celebrations are not worthwhile. They most certainly are important, and their history is significant, but they are not Christmas.

Hanukkah is a lesser Jewish festival (also called the “Festival of Lights”) lasting eight days from the 25th day of Kislev (in December) and commemorating the rededication of the Temple in 165 B.C. by the Maccabees after its desecration by the Syrians. The eight candles represent the days it took to reclaim the Temple, and the ninth candle represents the miracle that took place during the reclamation (I Maccabees 4:56 in the Apocrypha). The Talmud states that they only found enough oil in the Temple to keep the Altar candle burning for one day, but upon prayer and the blessing of God, it burned for all eight days. Thus, there are nine candles in a menorah, eight for the days to reclaim the Temple and the center one to light the others. Hanukkah involves a lot of celebrations and joy, and I am happy that my Jewish friends remember it.

Kwanzaa is a week-long annual celebration held in the United States and other nations of the African diaspora in the Americas to honor African heritage in African-American culture. It is observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, culminating in gift-giving and a feast. Kwanzaa has seven core principles. It was created by Maulana Karenga and was first celebrated in 1966–67. African people have a right to celebrate their heritage, and Caucasian people are happy for them.

But what about Christmas? Yes, I know the Christian churches celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, but is it wrong to ignore the meaning of Christmas in order not to offend anyone else who has a different reason for celebrating. Do we have to be greeted in our stores with “Happy

Holidays,” Black Friday? Are we afraid to have a Christian symbol among the many icons on our computers that we may use for our Christmas letters and return addresses? And why are we embarrassed when someone pauses to return thanks at a meal or to express thankfulness whenever something from God occurs?

Christmas began a long time ago in a stable where Mary gave birth to the Son of God and named him Jesus, which means “to save.” It was a humble beginning but quickly grew into a worldwide recognition that God had done something extremely great by sending His son into the world in order to proclaim His love for all of creation and His desire that a fallen humanity could find a way back into his presence through Jesus. And the truth of Christmas was finalized around 33 years later when his disciples discovered that his burial tomb was empty.

I’m sorry, folks, but “Jesus is the reason for the season,” not some other holiday or mercantile slogan. We should not disparage our Jewish and African friends from their celebrations, but we should not ignore the foundation of our own Christian heritage.

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