“I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1863.
Alarm over all considerations of the proper place, recipients and composition of Christmas greetings has become just another wrench in the toolkit of ideological contention these days. While recognizing the right of the politically obsessed to remain politically obsessed, we prefer to assume that those wishing us a “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” intend nothing more ominous than peace and good will to all.
The phrase, “Peace on earth, good will to men” comes from translations of the Gospel of Luke. Its original context, the Nativity of Christ, is a cornerstone of Christian belief. But Longfellow, writing in 1863, also captured the universality of the ideal and its elusiveness in the hymn, “I heard the Bells on Christmas Day.”
As much Civil War lament as Christmas hymn, Longfellow’s composition carried a mournful undertone wonderfully conveyed a century later in the deep-throated version recorded by Johnny Cash.
”And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth,” I said,
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
The wistful universality of the message still prompts many Christians to choose cards that say “Peace on Earth,” rather than “Merry Christmas,” when looking for an appropriate greeting to send non-Christian friends. The thoughtfulness so displayed doesn’t deserve to be a casualty of that churlish contrivance known as the “cultural wars” or the target of finger wagging from pulpits.
In addition to being entirely in keeping with the season, tolerance is, after all, a two-way street. Imputing ill will to those who cause the phrase, “Merry Christmas,” to fall upon the ears of non-Christians makes about as much sense as suspecting demonic possession of anyone who says, “Happy Holidays” within earshot of a Christian.
For that matter, some of us who grew up enjoying Irving Berlin’s 1942 composition “Happy Holidays” as a Christmastime song suitable for merrymakers of every faith are wondering whose bright idea it was to declare its title an anti-Christian epithet.
But then, unlike the cannon fire that originally inspired Longfellow’s hymn, the occasional thud of thick-headed sectarianism will be easily drowned out by the carols and bells of the next several days.
Merry Christmas.
Happy Holidays.
Peace on earth.
And good will to all.
