America – The Embodiment of the Christmas Spirit

Wayne D. Leeper

To  understand Christmas, one must first understand what it is to be an American.  American is not a nationality nor is it a matter of citizenship, just as America is not a place but an ideal.  Americans come in every shape and color, and come from every nation on earth.  The first pilgrims came seeking freedom; freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, but most important was the freedom of ideas.  Since the first pilgrim set foot on these shores men and women have come from every nation on earth seeking the same freedoms that drew the first pilgrims so long ago.

A revolution was fought and won to protect these ideals and a civil war was fought to determine that this great experience in democracy “should not perish from the earth.”  Christmas is a spirit that embodies the ideals that have been held  dear and have become the very essence of America.  There is without a doubt a spiritual element in the celebration of Christmas but there is much more as it is celebrated in America.

This nation was founded and established with its moral basis being the King James Bible and The Blackstone Commentaries.  These two timeless documents, one from God and one from a man were combined into a political philosophy that is and always has been the key to America’s success and greatness.  There is no nation on earth that can match the history and the greatness of  America.  To this day people still dream of the opportunity to become Americans.  They have always flocked to these shores of freedom, both legally and illegally.

As we approach the Christmas season there is a small vocal minority who neither understand the essence of Christmas, nor do they understand the American mentality.  They take great pride in celebrating the “diversity”, which would divide us, rather than the “unity” that has made us great.  They seek to undermine and destroy the great American traditions and disavow the God that has led and protected this nation since the signing of the Declaration of  Independence.  They seek to remove every vestige of God from the public square.  The would strive to remove “In God we Trust from our money, “One Nation Under God” as our national motto, and yes, they are now even seeking to attack Christmas and all that it stands for.

They do this because Christmas and God are in conflict with their desired mode of life.  They would put forth a “brave new world”, break down our borders, and proclaim a “New Morality,” which is neither new nor is it moral.  They will use activist courts and the freedoms guaranteed by our matchless constitution to destroy the very essence of the nation which has given them their freedom in the first place.  The would, if allowed, transform America into a cesspool of immorality and unrighteousness.  In their warped minds they somehow believe that our nation would be a better place if we kicked out God and His righteousness.  While America has proven that “righteousness exalts a nation,” given the opportunity they would prove that sin “is a reproach to all people.  They are against everything that Christmas stands for.

Christmas is first of all a celebration of family; mom, pop, and the kids and grandkids.   The very essence of Christmas is demonstrated by the family oriented nature of the holiday.  There is no other time that can compare to Christmas in the bringing together of families, and families are be backbone and strength of our great nation.  Whether we are celebrating the young family in Bethlehem giving birth to their first child or enjoying the love and happiness of our own families it is a time for the joy of being together.  Family members travel hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles just to be together for Christmas.  As such it stands in sharp contrast to those who would destroy the traditional family, whether it be through same-sex marriage or the ungodly practice of abortion.  To them family is an anathema and therefore the celebration of Christmas, a family holiday, is an affront.

Secondly, Christmas stands for the spirit of giving.  Again, to some it is a celebration of the greatest gift of all, the child that God gave for the salvation of the world.  Others see it as an opportunity to show their love and appreciation to each other for the many times they have been there for each other.  The spirit of giving is one of the things that has made America great.  We give of our means to those in need, to causes which are worthy of our support, and most important, we give of ourselves.  This is a spirit which those who oppose Christmas do not understand.  They have never learned the unselfish art of giving of themselves to and for others.  They would much rather have a “me first society.”  Again, the spirit of Christmas stands in contrast to their desires.

Finally, Christmas is a celebration of “peace on earth and goodwill toward man.”  Peace and goodwill are the bonds that hold societies together.  What would our nation be like if we ignored the concepts of peace and goodwill.  Our nation, from its very first concept was to be a “shinning city on a hill,” and “a beacon of hope and freedom for all mankind.”  Our statue of Liberty invites the world to:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

Yes, America is indeed the embodiment of the Christmas spirit.  Children have visions of a Santa Clause the will fulfill their greatest wishes.  America is a land where the hopes and dreams of mankind can be fulfilled.  Presents are exchanged to show our love for another but beneath that is a spirit of giving and sharing that is best demonstrated at times of great national disasters.  Americans, for the most part, believe in a loving and benevolent God who wants each of us to have a concern for each other.  The words “peace on earth and goodwill toward men” could well be the motto of America.

America is a nation founded by Christians and build on Christian ideals.  One of those ideals is tolerance of others.  It is for this reason that you do not find Christians objecting to religious practices other than their own.  It is also for this reason that Americans will continue to celebrate Christmas.  We will have Christmas trees, Christmas presents and Christmas dinners.  Our schools will be closed and businesses will give their employees the day off to celebrate the Christmas holiday.  We will sing Christmas carols, send Christmas cards and have Christmas parties.  We will continue to celebrate the joys of Christmas whether that small vocal minority likes it or not and we will not rename it the “Holiday Season” or “Winter Festival” to appease the politically correct crowd.  This is America and Christmas is just as American as baseball and mom’s apple pie.  Some of us will attend religious celebrations while others will not.  That is the benefit and beauty of being an American.

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Clause and he is alive and well in America.