Britain's prince Charles and others view about christmas.

via bcnn news

Christmas is different things to different people it seems, and that's no surprise. For most, if recent surveys are correct, it's just a wonderful time to reconnect with family and friends, exchange presents, and, perhaps, consume too many calories. This week, the District-based Public Religion Research Institute reported "more than one-quarter (26 percent) of Americans celebrating Christmas this year will do so largely as a non-religious holiday."For those who do believe, Christmas is first an occasion to commemorate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the long-promised Messiah of Israel (Isaiah 7:14) and the savior of the world. While the actual birth of Christ most likely did not take place on Dec. 25 -- differing scholars have said either the spring or the early autumn -- the date has become a time when the majority of Christians mark the occasion.

It won't be a "Merry Christmas" for many Christians, however, and not solely those afflicted by poverty, ill health or other adverse circumstances. Persecution of Christians is rising globally, and the attacks are taking a higher and higher toll.

This week, the Britain's Prince Charles, poised to succeed his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as monarch, told a reception of religious leaders at Clarence House that the situation for Christians facing Islamism is quite grim. He made his remarks after visiting Egyptian Coptic and Syriac Orthodox congregations in and around London."For 20 years I have tried to build bridges between Islam and Christianity to dispel ignorance and misunderstanding," the Prince of Wales told the audience, according to a BBC report."The point though, surely, is that we have now reached a crisis where bridges are rapidly being deliberately destroyed by those with a vested interest in doing so. This is achieved through intimidation, false accusation and organized persecution including to the Christian communities in the Middle East at the present time," he added.

Such problems are not only afflicting Christians in the Middle East -- particularly in Syria and Egypt -- but also in Africa, most notably perhaps Nigeria and Sudan. The terrorist attack at the Westfield Shopping center in Nairobi, Kenya, in which the shooters reportedly singled out non-Muslims, suggests the problem is spreading.

At the same time, it isn't just Islamist terror that concerns Christians.