A recent leaked report from the Institute for Public Policy Research has suggested that in our multicultural Britain other festivals beside Christmas should be celebrated nationally. Predictably, this has provoked a reaction of ‘hands off the British Christmas!' from some newspapers. Another predictable reaction came from Sayeeda Warsi, a British Muslim who is the Conservative spokeswoman on community cohesion. "These proposals could actually damage cohesion," she is reported as saying. "You don't build community cohesion by throwing out our history and denying the fundamental contribution Christianity has played and does play to our nation."
Why do I call Ms Warsi's reaction predictable? Because the Muslims I know want us Christians to take our religion as seriously as they take theirs. A few weeks ago I heard how, when there was a move to ban the Christmas carol service at Sheffield Hallam University in case it offended members of other faith communities, Muslims protested as vigorously as Christians.
But if our government were to take steps against the national celebration of Christmas - and I don't see any government doing it - I wonder: what might we lose and what might we gain? And a congregation such as this will be better placed than most for such a thought experiment: for our ancestor in the faith, Oliver Cromwell, banned Christmas in England when he was in power; moreover, within living memory in Scotland, Christmas Day was only celebrated if it fell on a Sunday.
So let's consider how the nation at large might be affected by the loss of Christmas. Certainly, it would be harder for families to come together if there were no expectation of time off around 25th December. If there were no general custom of sending Christmas cards, we might fall out of touch with those from whom we only hear at this time of year. And if there were no Christmas sales surge, those of us who make our living through selling people things would lose out on a large slice of their year's takings. On the other hand, we would not have to suffer the onslaught of Christmas advertising starting in October and getting louder and more relentless as the shopping days before Christmas decrease. We would not have to pay more for goods and services, or have to allow extra weeks to get anyone to do anything from the beginning of December onwards. And though the secular understanding of Christmas encompasses feelings of peace and goodwill to all, the absence of the stress associated with Christmas preparations might be equally effective in generating peace of mind!
But what of the meaning of Christmas for us as Christians: its part in our faith which does not depend on others celebrating with us? Retelling to ourselves and our children the story of how through centuries the Jewish people longed and prayed for God's chosen leader to come, and how he was born into a Jewish family, can stops us looking down on people of other religions and thinking they can teach us nothing. Yearly bringing to mind our God's coming to this world as a helpless baby can stops us clinging onto power and control at all costs. And remembering the baby in the manger will also remind us - if we were to forget - that God loves us and the whole world enough to choose to share all the joys and pains of human life. Others would feel the lack of a public celebration of Christmas. But in spite of Oliver Cromwell and the old Presbyterian tradition, I think we Christians need it for ourselves.