Keeping Christ in Christmas?

I have a hard time with that. Not because I don't believe in Christ or don't want to use this holiday season to remember his birth. I have a hard time with it because I know that the roots of Christmas are pagan and it was later absorbed by the Catholics to be a holiday commemorating Christ's birth.

Any Christian who studies much knows that Christ wasn't really born on Christmas day. And the holiday has become SO commercialized!! Even I am infected with the idea that one MUST get presents or it isn't really Christmas. Which explains why I am a little disappointed that our kids won't have much in the way of presents this year.

Anyway, back to my original topic. Why do we say "Keep Christ in Christmas"? If it's roots are really pagan (it had to do with the celebration of the winter solstice) shouldn't we really say, "Put Christ in Christmas"? ( Here is another link.)

Do not misunderstand me. We celebrate Christmas. And I wish people 'Merry Christmas' not 'Happy Holidays'. But Christians cannot claim that the 'ungodly' are trying to steal their holiday when a good case can be made that the opposite is true. And why not represent all the various holidays? Why not put up Hanukkah and Kwanzaa and the like? I have no problem with a Jew wishing me a 'Happy Hanukkah'. To each his own and all that. :) Why must Christians be so rabid about their holidays and then be so against retailers trying to include a variety of beliefs?

Let's face facts. We have a very diverse set of people here in America. I agree that if someone wants to put up a 'Merry Christmas' sign on their business they should be allowed to do so. I also think that if they prefer to put up 'Happy Hanukkah' or 'Merry Kwanzaa' or 'Happy Saturnalia' or just 'Happy Holidays' they should be allowed to do that without being harassed. We are supposed to have freedom to practice our religion in this country, right? But too often I hear Christians saying things that belie them. They seem to only want religious liberty if the religion bears the 'christian' stamp.

So, celebrate Christmas, but do not get upset when people celebrate something else during the same time.

Merry Christmas All!