Not everyone truly celebrates “Christmas.” Sure, we can buy presents, sip spiked eggnog and make snow angels, but if you’re not a Christian, or you’re not celebrating the “Christ” part, you’re not really doing “Christmas” in its entirety, right?

Which, by the way, I’m all okay with. I think it’s great to have a feast-making, gift-giving, warm family holiday without it having to be religious in nature. So instead of having the whole country celebrate a religious holiday, I say we instead devote the day to the whole “peace on earth” concept so many already associate with it. (Yes, I know there are other peace holidays—but none are this mainstream or widely celebrated.)

And I also think that everyone should be okay with this. It’s just not right now so many people who take Christmas seriously—the baby Jesus in the manger in the front yard, the “Keep Christ in Christmas” bumper sticker, the faux religious zeal—are the ones who are so gung ho to invade other countries, kill their leaders, and convert them all to Christianity.  

As a former Baptist and fan of Jesus Christ as a teacher, as well as most of his teachings, I find that the least Christ-like thing a person could possibly do. If Christians really think that being a good neighbor, loving people like your own brother and sister, and not killing (um, isn’t that one of the Commandments they want to post on every courthouse from coast to coast?) are even marginally important, they would wholly support a day devoted to peace and charity rather than a glorified birthday party where everyone needs the latest iPod.

And didn’t Jesus say that a rich man has more of a chance of passing through the eye of a needle than of getting into Heaven? I think he’d much rather see us, oh, not killing one another, getting our brothers and sisters safety and a place to be warm rather than giving him the biggest b-day bash on the planet. I think he’d be totally up for still having a birthday party, but a small one, with close friends and family and a little pinot.

Of course, I don’t speak for the supposed son of God. But neither do you—and neither does our government. So perhaps instead of trying to be so self-righteous and moral (while still maxing out credit cards for gifts that are only going to be returned, of course), maybe those with religious predilections could celebrate their holidays on their own, keeping them out of the state’s affairs, while the state itself celebrates something that should be on everyone’s wish list, particularly with recent decisions made by President Obama still burning on our ears—peace.