“Put Christ back into Xmas,” we often hear at this time of year, as if X stood for the unknown in an equation, rather than the Greek letter chi for Χρίστος (Christos). But as Timothy Larsen points out, no one took Christ out of Christmas. Despite all the hoopla over Santa, most people are aware of the baby laid in a manger, of angels and stars and shepherds somewhere in the story, and they long for a moment of holy awe. Think of the ending to Charles Schultz’s “Charlie Brown Christmas.” Who doesn’t get goosebumps listening to Linus recite Luke 2? And modern secularists love the moment as much as believers.
