The controversy over the use of Holidays on the Prairie at Bonanzaville and subsequent letters to the editor seem to indicate a painful division in our community, as did the issue of the display of the Ten Commandments on public property.
In sending out our family's Christmas cards with the message of "Happy Holidays" as I consider the entire season - from Thanksgiving, through the Feast of St. Nicholas, a family birthday, Christmas and the end of the old year and the beginning of the new as special days we celebrate - I certainly hope that no one who receives my message will interpret it as an attempt to take Christ out of Christmas.
From the tone of many of the opinions, it seems to me that there are people of good hearts and deeply held convictions on both sides of these controversies. There are certainly Christians who are very concerned that the meaning of Christmas should focus on the birth of Christ. There are certainly others, who may be Christians as well who want to be sensitive to those of different faith traditions. There are historians who continue to seek the truth about our past that may challenge our assumptions.
While I fully recognize the importance of words in both reflecting and shaping our perceptions, perhaps it is time to go beyond these phrases in order to recognize what we value in common and to seek to understand, in the words of Linus to Charlie Brown "what Christmas is all about."
Perhaps we can respond to the concerns about materialism, the commercialization of Christmas and the temptations to buy too much for those who already have too much by being more generous to those truly in need.
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Perhaps our efforts to create the fictional "perfect Christmas" for our children could be channeled into a commitment for the coming year to support the needs of all of our children, those who may be lonely, hungry, homeless or abused.
Perhaps the moving imagery of finding no room at the inn for Mary and Joseph can lead us to affirm that we will make room in our community for those who have been marginalized and excluded, and that we will do that warmly and enthusiastically.
And finally, as we celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace into our own lives, perhaps we can rededicate ourselves to strive to be the peace makers in our families, in our community and in our world, not just for the holiday season but for the entire year.
Schwinden lives in Fargo.
