The Grinch Stole Christmas

In continuing my blog post series on WHY I co-founded His Kingdom Matters, I want to share a story about Christmas, or the lack thereof. 

Around 2015 or 2016 one of my co-workers came to me and asked if I had noticed the lack of Christmas at work. Frankly, I had not because I was “too busy.” But, when I looked around I realized that the Christmas tree and decorations were absent in December. Those decorations were always so beautiful. The tree was huge and took up two stories of the building. The garland draped around the staircase and made the entrance of the company stunning. But that year, and as far as I know, every year thereafter, December looks no different than any other month. The Holiday Party was not going to happen either. The Holiday Party used to be a great time to dress up and mingle with employees outside of work. It was more drinking than celebrating the birth of Jesus, but it was still a way for employees to let loose and have fun. And the few Angel Trees that used to pop up sporadically in different departments were not there. I asked the Diversity and Inclusion officer if I could do a study of religion in the workplace instead of ignoring it. I explained that ignoring religion of our employees is not a good idea and that we needed to know who was there, what their preferred faith was, and how to respectfully honor their beliefs. I was told this was not part of their agenda. 

An article Ann Blankenship, Ph.D. taught about the history of Christian traditions. She stated, “There was a huge push… to keep celebrating Christmas because it symbolizes who we are as Americans – if we lose that, we lose what we’re fighting for.” It is more important than ever that we return to celebrating Christmas. This year, I challenge us all to send out Christmas cards and feel unashamed in telling everyone Merry Christmas. This is a great way to share our faith with others without offending or proselytizing.