Joy of Christmas

Santa is ready for photos, the tree is waiting to be lit, and stores and churches are stocked with cider and cookies. But one church pastor is feeling less than merry about this Saturday’s Old Fashioned Christmas in Hillsboro, an annual town celebration.

Greg Lull, a pastor at Valley Bible Chapel, said he had expected to host a Christmas tea and a reading of “The Night Before Christmas.” But then Lull asked organizers whether he could add a five-minute reading of the traditional Christmas story from the Gospels. In response, the Old Fashioned Christmas Committee decided to relocate the event, which is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the downtown revitalization organization Hillsborough Pride, to keep it nondenominational. Organizers later cancelled the tea because they could not find another location. [The Criminalization of Christianity]

“I was offended by the fact that the Chamber apparently does not value a tradition I hold dear and many others do,” Lull said. “To call it the old-fashioned Christmas is a little ironic if it doesn’t acknowledge the oldest of all Christmas traditions.”

But Bonnie Morse, a board member of Hillsborough Pride who helped organize the event, said the town’s event is not meant to be religious. “They didn’t want to do it unless it had Jesus’s name in there,” she said. “We didn’t want to get involved in any religious stuff, to keep it as neutral as we can for everyone.”

Andrea Kaubris, administrative assistant to the Chamber of Commerce, said sponsoring a religious event would violate the Chamber’s bylaws, which require it to remain nonsectarian. Even though the holiday is Christian, Kaubris said the celebration is “a commercialized treatment of Christmas just because that’s what the whole Christmas season has come to. It’s about the kids, and it’s about the merchants in town.”

The event, in its 13th year, was created as a way to kick off the Christmas shopping season with sales and activities for kids, culminating in a tree-lighting ceremony, Kaubris said. Churches have been involved in secular ways. Smith Memorial Congregational Church annually hosts a “cookie walk,” where members bake thousands of Christmas cookies for revelers. The Hillsboro United Methodist Church holds a bazaar and serves hot drinks.

Last year, Valley Bible Chapel, an independent evangelical church, hosted photos with Santa Claus, crafts for kids and, Lull said, a puppet show with a Christian message. Chamber of Commerce member Jill Knight, who was involved in the planning last year, said she did not receive any complaints.

Morse said there were last-minute difficulties last year when the church told organizers the morning of the celebration that they could not sell their flowers, ornaments and crafts in the church, causing people to scramble for new locations. Lull said he hadn’t been told in advance about the sales, which are not permitted in church. Morse said that restriction was one reason that this year’s Santa Claus was relocated to the Moose Lodge.

But the committee still wanted the church to participate, so it asked Lull to host a Christmas tea after the evening tree-lighting, which would feature hot tea and cocoa and a reading of “The Night Before Christmas,” a tradition that started at the Fuller Public Library but was discontinued several years ago.

Lull agreed but about a week ago asked the Chamber of Commerce for permission to read the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke or Matthew.

“It’s valuable tradition to us and the oldest one,” Lull said. “I thought it would be the blink of an eye and no problem.”

Instead, the committee canceled the event. Kaubris explained that while the church can hold a reading on its own as part of the Old Fashioned Christmas celebration, the Chamber was uncomfortable sponsoring it.

“A lot of people celebrate Christmas but are not Christian,” committee member Yvonne Wiegelman said, “and a lot of Christians celebrate Christmas and don’t go near a church. We’re trying not to leave people out because of their specific religious leanings.”

But some feel left out nonetheless. Jim Hofford, a member of Valley Bible Chapel, hopes organizers will change their mind. “I’m deeply upset and surprised that at this time of year the one story which is perhaps most foundational to those involved in Christian activities would find any group that wouldn’t want people in the community to hear it,” he said. “The fact that we would have been reading from Scripture for five minutes at most would have been a very special addition to the celebration.

“This decision offends all the members of our chapel,” Hofford said. “It’s an attempt to keep the most famous story of Christmas from being told. Christmas came into being because of the birth of Jesus Christ, and the Bible is the best account we have of it.”

Fay Tomlinson, a deacon at Smith Memorial Congregational Church, said she too would like to see the event held. “Even though it’s a town celebration, people can come and participate in whatever part they want to participate in. If they don’t want to go to tea and hear scripture read, that’s okay,” she said. “Christmas is spelled C-H-R-I-S-T, that’s my feeling. But there are many people who prefer Santa Claus and things of that nature.”

Other celebration participants are divided over how Christian the town’s Christmas celebration should be. Judi Heer, owner of German John’s Bakery on West Main Street, said she understands both sides but agrees with the Chamber.

“If you’re having something at the church itself, they should follow their religious traditions because that’s what the holiday is about,” Heer said. “But I don’t necessarily think a town function should be religious. The town thing is more ‘come in, have refreshments and just enjoy the season.’ They’re right to try to keep their end of it nondenominational.”

But Sharon Whipple, owner of Country Clutter on the corner of School and West Main streets, disagreed. “What is Christmas all about, really?” she said. “Christmas is the birth of Jesus. Why should it be nondenominational? Why should we worry about having the Gospel read?”

Whipple said she would have no problem if part of the celebration were held in the church with Christian traditions.

Kim Wells, owner of Central Square Emporium on West Main Street, believes there must be a balance between religious freedom and respect for all residents. “It’s better to keep it neutral – you have people who are Jewish. They practice Hanukkah. We need to respect that. It’s a free country and everyone should be able to do what they want to do, but I wouldn’t want to offend anybody.”

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