Why do billions of people, Christians and non-Christians alike, look forward to Christmas?
It is a holiday that makes almost all children, and most adults, happy. Globally, it has evolved into a non-threatening holiday that non-Christians can embrace with good cheer. Merchants of all faiths love it because it means more sales. And it is a joyful holiday that promotes peace and good will toward others.
There are, of course, those who dislike Christmas – atheistic socialists who hate anything to do with religion and commercial activity, fundamentalist Moslems, and those who are openly hostile to even the origins of Christianity.
Some Christians are, and have been for the last two centuries, unhappy about the way Christmas is celebrated as it has moved away from its religious roots -- perhaps without fully realizing that the secular Christmas celebrations around the globe, for the most part, also carry the indirect message of helping others, along with peaceful and happy coexistence.