[Kim Seong-kon] What does Christmas mean to us?

Whether we are Christians or not, many of us celebrate Christmas every December. Although it began as a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus, Christmas these days has become a universal holiday for everyone to enjoy at the end of the year.

Children believe that on Christmas Eve, Santa Claus comes from the North Pole to give them presents. In the spirit of Christmas, we care about the less fortunate around us and donate through the Salvation Army to help them. We also give Christmas presents to our loved ones, including our family members, romantic partners and friends. O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” is a touching story about an exchange of Christmas presents between a poor but loving young couple. Moreover, the Christmas season provides an opportunity for a family gathering.

Although Christians celebrate Christmas as the day when Jesus was born, Jesus’ actual birthday is unknown. Experts say it may actually have been in the spring because shepherds were tending sheep when they saw the bright star signaling the birth of Jesus Christ. December, however, was not a time for shepherds to herd sheep in the fields of ancient Judea.

It was Pope Julius I who officially set Dec. 25 as the birthday of Jesus Christ in the 4th century. However, history tells us that it was, in fact, Roman Emperor Constantine who originally merged Christianity with traditional Roman rituals when he declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. In the Roman Empire, Dec. 25 was the birthday of the Unconquered Sun when the Romans celebrated feasts and gift-giving.

Some time ago, when political correctness was more prevalent in American society, a campaign urged people to say “Happy holidays!” instead of “Merry Christmas!” In the American television series “Legends of Tomorrow,” which aired from 2016 to 2022, for example, one of the characters tells others that from now on everybody is supposed to say “Happy holidays!” rather than “Merry Christmas!” The PC activists must have thought it was unfair to impose Christianity on non-Christians.

The new Christmas greeting campaign immediately gave rise to concerns among conservative people who muttered, “Christmas is no longer a celebration for Christians only. Rather, it has become a universal holiday for everyone.” They thought that the new campaign was too radical and extreme. Naturally, they did not like it and opposed the PC campaign. Even some moderate, liberal people worried about the possible repercussions because the campaign seemed too tendentious and extreme, even though it was nothing new. In fact, there had been similar, futile attempts in the past.

The problem is that an extreme measure always invites another extreme measure. Likewise, far-left progressivism will inevitably bring far-right conservatism. Thus, we should shun extremism at all costs and live in moderation instead. Indeed, we should seek the middle ground against both extremes. Then, we can find some peace.

Indeed, we just wish to enjoy Christmas fully, free from ideological conflict, whether religious or political. On Christmas, we want to care about the lonely, alienated people in our society and help them in the spirit of Christmas. We also want Christmas to be a homecoming occasion, so separated family members can gather at home again.

On Christmas Eve, we want our children to fall asleep dreaming of Santa Claus coming to town on a sleigh pulled by Rudolph the Reindeer, leaving presents under the Christmas tree. We want to see gorgeous Christmas trees full of colorful ornaments everywhere and listen to Christmas carols. Instead of ideological warfare, we would like to see reconciliation and harmony in our society. On Christmas, we want to see peace and brotherhood, not conflict and antagonism.

We do not want our political activists to take our beloved Christmas away to win ideological battles. We want to keep dreaming of a white Christmas, beautifully decorated trees and Santa's presents. We also want to cherish the Christmas spirit that makes us forgive and forget and help our needy neighbors. We do not want to be stingy during the holidays, as Charles Dickens’ famous story “A Christmas Carol” teaches us.

During the Christmas season, we become kind and friendly to others. The Christmas spirit allows us to embrace others and be generous to them. Surely, that is more important than simply arguing whether it is really a Christian holiday or not. Today, Christmas has become much more than a religious holiday: It has become a global holiday around which we practice and celebrate altruism, humanity and brotherhood. Those things are much more important than how we greet people during the Christmas season.

We could lose so many precious things if we are preoccupied with ideological warfare on Christmas.

Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. The views expressed here are the writer's own. -- Ed