More Jingle and Less Jesus in 2012

Christmas over the years has become increasingly 

more about jingle and less about Jesus.

Purple and Pink Christmas by Christmas Stock Images

Two surveys in 2010 found that more than nine in 10 North Americans celebrate the holiday, even if they're atheists, agnostics or believers in other non-Christian faiths. Heck, I’m sure many people reading this may have their reserves about Jesus, Christianity or even the existence of God in the first place, but according to these polls, there is a pretty good chance you celebrate Christmas.

The polls For many, Jesus isn't the reason for the season, and Do your cards star a savior or Santa? reveal what may be the first measurement of an "alarming" gap between belief  and behavior, says Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, a Nashville-based Christian research organization.

The surveys by LifeWay and USA TODAY indicate that while most call this a holy day that is primarily religious, their actions say otherwise. Many people skip church, omit Jesus and zero in on the egg nog. LifeWay's survey of 2,110 adults found 74% called Christmas "primarily" religious. And a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,000 adults found 51% say, for them, it's "strongly religious," up from 40% in 1989.

But what does "religious" mean? Not so much for a significant number of  North Americans, the data indicate. Most surveyed said they will give gifts (89%), dine with family or friends (86%), put up a Christmas tree (80%) and play holiday music (79%).

The percentages plummet when it comes to religious activities:

• 58% say they "encourage belief in Jesus Christ as savior."

• 47% attend church Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

• 34% watch "biblical Christmas movies."

• 28% read or tell the Christmas story from the Bible.

"It's alarming to me that while nine in 10 celebrate Christmas, only six in 10 encourage any belief in the source of Christmas and only three in 10 actually read the story of Christmas," Stetzer says.

I think maybe that’s okay though, that many of us don’t view Christmas as a religious celebration, because the other values of Christmas still come through. Values like family-togetherness, helping our fellow man, generosity and charity are in the minds of many of us through the holiday season, which is a very positive thing. Maybe the lack of religious justification for doing good deeds is actually a positive thing, because it shows that we want to do good on our own, just for the sake of others, not because someone is watching.