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By Maya Wright
Each December, America lights up – not with reverence, but with neon sales, frantic shopping, and countdowns to the next shipment from Amazon. For Generation Z especially, Christmas has increasingly drifted into a glittering spectacle of trends, wish lists, and content creation. The nativity story, the breathtaking moment when eternity stepped into time through the birth of Jesus Christ, is being drowned out by noise, convenience, and commercialization. This world-shaking miracle has been pushed to the margins of relevance within the cultural bubble that much of secular America, and even many believers, now inhabit.
Though no single generation caused this shift, the effects of our lost focus are now surfacing most dramatically in America’s “under 30” population. A December 2022 Ipsos poll of 1,023 adults, drawn from their probability-based KnowledgePanel®, found that three-quarters of Americans believe the true meaning of Christmas has been forgotten.
Secular culture has been slowly sanding down the sacred edges of Christmas for decades. We need to acknowledge the urgency of the moment. Gen Z is coming of age in a culture that has nearly severed Christmas from Christ Himself. Many young people today know Christmas as a
vibe, an aesthetic, or an event — but not a holy day. Not a divine interruption. Not the miracle of the Savior of the world arriving in the humblest, most unthinkable way.
As real, devout, Bible-believing, and Spirit-led Christians, we cannot be passive observers of this cultural drift. We are called to be stewards of truth in a generation starving for meaning, even if they don’t yet realize it. If we do not intentionally teach the true story of Christmas, the world will gladly substitute something cheaper, louder, and spiritually empty.
Christmas began in a manger, not a mall. It began with a virgin girl saying yes to God, with shepherds trembling before angels, with Joseph choosing obedience over reputation, and with a Child whose first crib was a feeding trough. The holiness of that night is not fragile, but our collective memory of it is. It must be protected, taught, and proclaimed.
This season, I urge every believer to speak boldly and consistently about the miracle of Christ’s birth. Reiterate it to yourself. Tell it to your children and grandchildren. Teach it in your churches, your workplaces, your living rooms, and your everyday conversations. Let the next generation hear not only what happened in Bethlehem, but why it matters: that the God of the universe took on flesh as Jesus Christ to save us wretched sinners from our otherwise endless pit of darkness and death.
If we reclaim Christmas, not as nostalgia nor as just tradition, but as worship, we are fulfilling our calling to continuously reignite the flame of truth in a culture desperately in need of light.
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Seems like secular culture is the new religion and there is a concerted effort to totally obliterate anything to do with Christmas, the elimination of Easter is almost 100% complete
I know someone, most likely a liberal, who refused to let her young children watch,’ A Charlie Brown Christmas’.
And, there wouldn’t be a Christmas without Easter.
Whenever somebody wishes me a happy holiday, I immediately respond with, “and a Merry Christmas to you too.”
….And if the mass media cannot completely obliterate Christmas, they’ll simply spread utter “disinformation” about it, the latest being that the Holy Family were “homeless”…a total falsehood. In fact, Joseph, the head & protector of his family traveled back to Bethlehem in order to obediently partake in the census formally establishing that area as his ancestral home as a descendent of David.
But, shhhhhh……. the word “Christmas” is not to be uttered in VT anyway – it’s intolerant, “racist”, & offensive somehow. Those decorated & lit trees, in contrast to both international & national historical accounts, are “holiday” trees. And ALWAYS pretend that Kwanza is in some way an equivalent to the Christian Holy Day (i.e.: holiday) despite its origins stemming only from the mid 20th century, and having nothing to do with any celebration of God or any organized faith.
That’s a tall order, considering only 13% of Vermonters are active churchgoers; the lowest in the nation.
A beautiful and truthful article, eloquently and succinctly written. Thank you, Maya.
Amen!
Thank you for providing this timely and meaningful message of faith. Your reminder to return Christmas to its true center—Christ Himself.
I wish I could download a picture of a creshe I chiseled out of wood – Mary, Jesus and Joseph – about 3 feet tall – Mary kneeling and my Dad made Jesus’ cradle. I put it up every year because I got tired of all of the Santa decorations. I agree – we need to speak boldly on our faith and the meaning of Christmas. Well stated Ms. Wright.
My sister-in-law posted a great idea on FB;
There are 24 chapters in the Gospel of Luke that cover Jesus’ life from birth through his ministry, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven. If you read one chapter a day starting December 1st, you’ll learn the true meaning of Christmas by Christmas Day.
The Gospel of Luke 1-5 starts the story of Jesus with the words “In the time of Herod King of Judea. At church at the beginning of Advent we have been reflecting on that time of Herod. He was known as Herod the Great for his massive building project and lavish lifestyle. He was also know as a despotic and ruthless ruler who was deeply suspicious of anyone who opposed him and ended up murdering, among many others, his own wife and members of his family.
The story of a babe, born in a manger, whose message was one of loving your neighbor and salvation found, not in wordly good, but through the grace of God stands in stark contrast to that of Herod and the Roman Empire of that time. It has been for many the inspiration and rock upon which lives have been built for over two thousand years and is worthy of joyus celebration, deep contemplation in our own troubled times and spreading the good news.