Merry ???

Blue Santa-Coca Cola

I will preface by admitting that this is not a particularly researched article, but rather a fairly short philosophical and deduced one. I am not certain however, that much research would greatly limit the speculative, philosophical nature of such a post.

I see seasonal decorations on a corporate site minus any textual or contextual explanation.

The meaning of the decorations are philosophically left open for interpretation.

A difference from decades past seems to me, even in a secular context.

There are wreaths on this site without Christmas lights and with rather dull colours.

Frankly many of the wreaths remind me of funeral wreaths...

There are some rather moderate Christmas lights on site I admit, but not the elaborate Christmas lights that will be viewed in the general public, which I have blogged on previously. Many to be viewed at residences. 

Christmas wreath-The Guardian

Funeral wreath-Blogger-Google+Ajay

On this site there is one rather intriguing tree that simply reflects light. Perhaps this is a 'green' idea to save energy. The tree actually looks well lit and very impressive from a distance, but close up looks metallic and dull and it becomes clear it has no lights. I will admit it is quite creative I suppose as an optical illusion from a distance.

I remember that growing up in previous decades in a very secular British Columbia, even in secular corporate contexts, Christmas decorations would often have textual and contextual explanation for the Christmas season and holidays.

This would usually include combinations such as:

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings

If there was not a nativity type scene present there was often some kind of Santa Claus, perhaps with reindeer, scene present.

But now on this corporate site I see absolutely no textual explanation or contextual explanation of the decorations.

It is basically 'Merry ???' or whatever one wants to make of the decorations and days.

Now, I can understand to be clear that there is a difference between decorations at a corporate business site as in office buildings and decorations at corporate places of business.

The latter decorations being more elaborate in order to entice more purchasing of Christmas related gifts.

Philosophically, however, in corporate contexts, I gather from observing modern 21st century society online and offline, the secularist elite largely want Christianity out of Christmas, therefore, 'Merry Christmas' cannot serve as textual or contextual explanation for corporate decorations.

I also understand that the majority of Western society is not Christian. I do not think Christian faith and philosophy should be forced on anyone.

But the last couple of decades by observing the media and especially online there seemingly has been a conservative backlash against a secular only type of Christmas celebration where the Christian tradition, has been negated.

After-all, Christmas traditionally as known, is a Christian celebration and holiday and it makes little philosophical sense to completely remove Christianity from it.

To do so, is to remove its core meaning, as in the birth of Christ and the related Gospel message.

Today, visually there is no Biblical nativity scene on site.

But on this corporate site even secular textual and contextual terms of explanation are missing such as:

'Happy Holidays' and 'Seasons Greetings'

Therefore, according to the secular elite, perhaps even these need to be discarded in a corporate secular context for the sake of political correctness today?

There is also no Santa Claus, no reindeer, because perhaps that could offend those that view Santa Claus as replacing Jesus Christ as the core of Christmas?

Even with Christians being a minority of the Western population, perhaps in regard to Christmas, there are enough conservatives to raise concerns with this issue, even if not Christians.

As a Christian theologian and philosopher, the adapted cultural concept of Christmas, which is not in the Bible, to celebrate the birth of Christ, should centre around the birth of Christ as the synoptic Gospels describe.

From

BROWNING, W.R.F. (1997) Oxford Dictionary of the Bible, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

But in moderation, I do not have a problem with the Santa Claus fictional concept when used by parents in regard to children as a type of Christ, in the sense of a finite, fictional character that sacrificially gives of himself to the world by providing presents each year.

Biblically, via religious documented history, the infinite God the Son, became incarnate as a finite man and gave himself for sin to save humanity, those in Christ (John 1, John 3, Mark 10: 45, Hebrews 7-10, Ephesians 1-2).

With no Jesus Christ, with no Santa Claus and no textual explanation or contextual explanations these decorations represent to me an attempt at celebrating Christmas with no definite meaning. Leaving it ambiguous enough in a politically correct fashion to hopefully from a corporate perspective not offend anyone.

There is minimal corporate meaning as there is no corporate, as in societal agreement, on what the decorations and season represents and means.

The meaning is left to individual private interpretation.

What this corporate type of treatment means for the long term future of Christmas as a Western holiday, time will tell...

Additional: For balance I should add that at one building on site, for which I am familiar, traditional Christmas music is being played.  I suppose this provides some contextual explanation for the season.