For most, the modern Christmas has more do to with gift giving and materialism than Jesus Christ. That is a reality. There is an unusual phenomenon going on half way around the world that taps into the secular component of the holiday. Just over a hundred years ago, during what was known as the Boxer Rebellion, Christian missionaries were beheaded due to the threat their western religion had on Chinese traditions. When the cultural revolution under Mao took hold in China fifty years later, the communist state became the religion. Just a couple years ago Christians were forced to practice their faith in private for fear of government reprisals. But China is changing dramatically. In an article in the Christian Science Monitor, Peter Ford explores the emergence of consumer Christmas there.

“…China manufactures over 80 percent of the world’s Christmas decorations.
…Those decorations are increasingly brightening the streets, offices, and homes of China itself, as Chinese young people embrace a foreign festival with growing fervor.”

Christians should not get too excited. Most of those who are buying the decorations or are partaking in gift giving on December 25 do not know the significance of the activities. Some Christians may be somewhat appalled by the wholesale secular nature in the way Chinese society is hijacking the holiday. It seems to be a strange byproduct of the monopoly they have in the manufacture of everything Christmas; from the toys to the decorations and even to the artificial Christmas trees themselves. Who knows, maybe the Chinese will grow into comprehending the true meaning of Christmas in a “back door” kind of way. The Lord does work in mysterious ways, so I’m told.

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