Christmas Sans Christ = Nochristmas

_

A Christmas creche (representation of Jesus' nativity scene)
in front of St. Lawrence the Martyr Church in Toronto

A Knights of Columbus banner, beside the above creche,
urging Catholics to keep Christ in the centre of Christmas
Photos (Toronto: December 20, 2009) © Jerome D'Costa

Dechristianization of Christmas

A kind of dechristianization of Christmas is going on in the West. There's an increasing tendency or an ongoing movement in Europe, Australia and North America, not to include Christ or story of Christ in Christmas. Commercial, corporate, media and even many social situations are bereft of Christ, although they profess to observe Christmas every year.

In the name of the separation of the Church and the State, in the name of science, Christ is falling through the cracks into oblivion. A group of atheists are playing a leading role in this.

Shopping malls, previously, used to display Christ's birth with statues or pictures of Christ, Mary, Joseph, three Magis, shepherds and angels in the stable of Bethlehem. Presently, these are almost gone. They are being replaced with only Santa Claus, Randolph the reindeer, and elves, with music and songs with no mention of Christ or Christ's birth.

Christmas Greetings Under Attack

Even in the Christmas greetings certain people are interfering and trying to impose "Happy Holidays!" in place of "Merry Christmas!" If a Christian can't even greet someone according to his or her own religious custom (similarly, if other religionists can't greet others in their own religious way), then what kind of democracy are we professing?

Keep Christ in Christmas

Different Catholic and Protestant groups in the West are rising up to the occasion and emphasizing and coaxing Christians "to keep Christ in Christmas." The Knights of Columbus, both in the USA and Canada, takes a special initiative in this matter every year. They want that Christians must be able to practise their own culture according to their own religious beliefs and practices.

To all Christians, Christmas without Christ is no Christmas.