According to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. “The Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, ensuring that there is no prohibition on the free exercise of religion. ”The First Amendment has seen a lot of controversy in recent years. Issues have been raised about the place of religion in places such as school or the workplace. To avoid lawsuits over promoting religion, many schools avoid Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa altogether. As Carlmont principal Ralph Crame said, “We are always sensitive to the many religions represented here at Carlmont. The events that happen in the quad at lunch are ASB events…[who] consider everything when sponsoring events such as selfies with Santa. Proponents on both sides of the argument have engaged in heated debates over the legitimacy of allowing religious holidays in school.
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Christmas ironically has become more and more secular. Most Americans engage in more secular practices during the winter holidays. According to a Gallup poll, 93 percent of Americans exchange gifts, 92 percent spend time with family, and 88 percent put up a Christmas tree. One contributing factor is that some see Christmas as more about being with family and the virtues of selfless giving, rather than the birth of Jesus. According to Baptist News, some share this opinion, such as Preacher Mike McKinney said "It is simply not right to sing 'Silent Night'...It is not right to honor the birth of Christ the Lord and to celebrate the arrival of Santa Claus the jolly old elf within the context of the same holiday." While the more radical baptist preachers are appalled at this revelation, perhaps a more secular Christmas is a way to be more welcoming to others.
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“Yes I do believe that Christmas has become more secular,” said freshman Diane Ji, a member of the Carlmont Christian Club. “It’s now more centered around giving gifts than celebrating the birth of Jesus. Nowadays when people think of Christmas it’s about presents, and Christmas trees...but [less] about celebrating the birth of Jesus. I feel people should recognize its religious [roots], but celebrate it how they want to.”
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Like Diane said Christmas has been becoming more secular, according to statistics from ABC News in July of 2016, 83 percent of Americans are Christian, and yet Gallup polls consistently show that about 94 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas. CNN happened to quote one atheist named Hemant Mehta in Chicago who celebrates Christmas: “Christians don't own December. Even if Christmas as a Christian holiday didn't exist right now, I think there would be plenty of reason that it makes sense to take a couple weeks off at the end of the year...when everyone kind of needs a break from work. [Christmas] is a nice way to just relax and spend time with your family. If it coincides with the majority's religious holiday, great."
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Some Carlmont students echo similar feelings. Junior Sol Mitnick believes that Christmas has changed to be slightly more of an inclusive holiday. “Christmas may have gotten more secular...Santa has moved from Saint Nicholas, to a figure who represents joy and presents on Christmas. I think it is now more about being together with family, at least from what I’ve observed from others. But I still think Christmas retains some religious meaning as the birth of Jesus, so it is not a wholly secular holiday. “
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More recently, the fiasco over the Starbucks cups has angered quite a few people. For the second year in a row Starbucks has faced scrutiny due to its seasonal cup for the winter holidays, because some thought it didn’t represent Christmas. While it may seem as a simple dispute over recognizing a holiday, in actuality it is a much deeper problem. With Christmas becoming more secular, some view it as a challenge or threat to their way of life. They are simply in denial of what is happening. This can be seen in Bill O'Reilly's 2004 segment named ‘Christmas Under Siege’: “All over the country, Christmas is taking flak. In Denver...no religious floats were permitted in the holiday parade there.”
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Despite what O’Reilly says, a more secular Christmas is not bad at all. A more secular Christmas allows people of different beliefs, and views to find a feeling of togetherness.
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“Christmas has become more secular, because people have needed to accommodate for other religions and beliefs,” said junior Kiran Boone. “And if people don’t hold Christian beliefs they don't want that to mix them in, so they keep the fun of [Christmas] around. Expanding it to include other [festivities] and not exclude others,
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is a good thing, because everyone can celebrate a holiday. But it is somewhat destructive to some of the original values. Though overall it brings different people together who can celebrate a common holiday.”
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Looking at Christmas past, and present it becomes more and more clear that the debate over its place in society won’t be solved anytime soon. However, both sides must come to realize that as Christmas becomes more and more secular, it becomes available to more and more people. It will begin to meander its way into new territories.
