Posted on December 24, 2009 - by David

A Very Merry American Christmas

Since some of my recent posts have dealt with religion in America, and considering that tomorrow is Christmas, I was curious to see how this holiday has been officially represented in recent years. I found these “messages on the observance of Christmas” from 1984-2008 on the American Presidency Project website.

Ronald Reagan: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988

George H. Bush: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992

Bill Clinton: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000

George W. Bush: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Honestly, I was surprised at the explicitly Christian content of most of the messages. I guess I was expecting a more general message emphasizing tradition, family, and some of those “Christmas values” – peace, love, goodwill, etc.- with the religious aspect slightly toned down.

Of course, the Christmas story is always connected to the story of the nation. Most of messages are structured similarly, with something about the birth of Jesus as a gift from God and the message Jesus brought to the world, followed by some statement about how America continues to work for the ideals of peace on earth and freedom for all mankind.

It wasn’t until 2000, Clinton’s last Christmas in the White House, that any mention of other religion’s holidays was made:

For Americans of many faiths, this is a season of renewal–of light shining through the darkness, of despair transformed to hope. This year, Christmas is celebrated during the same week as Jews celebrate Hanukkah and Muslims celebrate the Eid Al-Fitr–a powerful and moving reminder that followers of the three Abrahamic faiths share fundamental values: a reverence for our Creator, a belief in human dignity, and a conviction that we must love our neighbors as ourselves. By building on these shared values, we can create a future where all God’s children live together in peace and understanding.

In 2001, George W. Bush, perhaps hesitant to offend or exclude anyone only a few months after 9/11, spoke only of what “Christians believe,” lacking the confident, matter-of-fact tone of Reagan and his father:

According to the Gospel of Luke, two thousand years ago, the savior of mankind came into the world. Christians believe that Jesus’ birth was the incarnation of God on earth, opening the door to new hope and eternal life. At Christmastime, Christians celebrate God’s love revealed to the world through Christ. And the message of Jesus is one that all Americans can embrace this holiday season–to love one another.

There are these kind of occasional qualifications. Clinton, began most of his messages with “warm greetings to everyone celebrating Christmas,” which reads to me like a kind of disclaimer against offending Americans who don’t celebrate Christmas.

Earlier today, Barack and Michelle Obama gave a Christmas message which was much lighter on religious content, focusing more on the sacrifices of U.S military personnel and what we can do to help.  Still, he did mention among the reasons to celebrate this Christmas, “a message of peace and brotherhood that continues to inspire more than 2,000 after Jesus’ birth.”

I don’t know. It seems to me that 364 days of the year, and even on Christmas day, most of the nation pays no mind to the story of Jesus’s birth, so this has left me scratching my head.

I guess I’ll just echo the words of George W. Bush: “I send greetings to those celebrating Christmas.”