Is "Let's keep Christ in Christmas" enough?

Candie and I were driving to one of the two Christmas banquets we had this weekend when she spotted a large billboard sponsored by Mike Carwash that read "Let's Keep Christ in Christmas." I am thankful for the thought behind it and for Mike's investing the money to rent the billboard space and give that simple reminder. I am not complaining at all about that.  But as soon as she read the billboard I thought, "That is so five years ago, now we need to concentrate on keeping Christmas in the 'holiday's'."  What a day in which we live, what a culture in which we live. It is sad.  

I am a fairly generous person, my wife has the spiritual gift of giving.  She is gifted in generosity. The Salvation Army bell ringers are part of the Christmas landscape, but I admit I rarely drop money into the red kettles. Candie, on the other hand finds it almost impossible to pass up any opportunity to give... That changed with a recent trip to Hobby Lobby.  Candie and I saw the SA bell ringer as we pulled into the parking lot. We heard the ringing of the bell as we stepped out of the car and began walking toward the store entrance. I fully anticipated that either going in or coming out of the store,  Candie would look at me and ask if I had any cash on me, so she could drop it in the red kettle.  Then the Salvation Army Red Kettle Attendant spoke to the couple walking just ahead of us, she said, "Happy Holidays".   I heard Candie groan, then speak first to the SA lady saying, "Merry Christmas".  Surely with this clear signal that we would not be offended by a Christmas greeting, the lady representing the Salvation Army would wish us a Merry Christmas in return, but no.  Again she said only "Happy Holidays".  

We talked about it as we walked through the isles of the store. How heartbreaking it is that a representative of an organization supposedly Christian, with a name like "Salvation Army", refused to even say the word Christmas in greeting us and asking for a donation to carry on it's "Christian" work.

I hope we as followers of Jesus do not become so afraid that we might offend, that we refuse to even speak the Name that is above every Name.  May we speak with our deeds first, and with our words as well, the glorious, matchless Name of Jesus.  I am not suggesting that we be purposefully offensive, or even careless in our representation of Jesus, but that we not be afraid to truly present Him in our deeds and words.    

Merry Christmas everyone!