As soon as we're done stuffing
ourselves with bird on Thanksgiving, thoughts turn to Christmas.
And just like swallows returning to
Capistrano, some Christians start whining about liberals and others
destroying THEIR holiday by taking the “Christ” out of Christmas.
We liberals do this by saying “happy holidays, “ instead of Merry
Christmas. We apparently, and I am guilty of this, are part of a
concerted effort to make Christmas a solely secular celebration.
After all they say...”Jesus is the
reason for the season, “ right?
Well, no, not really. Truth of the
matter is, Christians hijacked December 25th to be Jesus' birthday.
He was actually born sometime in March, according to the experts who
have studied the matter more than me.
“Happy holidays” is a way of
acknowledging the plurality of December 25th. It is a way of greeting
all people, because some people aren't Christian and don't
necessarily celebrate Christmas. By saying “Merry Christmas” to
everyone you know or meet, you are assuming that everyone is
Christian and celebrates the same way you do. Kind of bigoted, don't
cha think?
A blanket “Merry Christmas” is kind
of like straight people assuming that all other people are straight,
too, when some of us are gay, some bisexual, some transgendered while
others of us are just plain festive and fabulous.
“Happy holidays” is merely an
acknowledgement that the world is different and diverse, nothing
more. It relays a respect for the humanity of others. Sort of like
the greeting “Namaste,” which is loosely translated, “I
recognize the humanity in you, as you recognize the humanity in me.”
The war on Christmas myth traces back
to the 1950's and the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce aka
the JayCees. The JayCee campaign was called “Put Christ Back in
Christmas.” The campaign was started because some businesses began
using “Xmas” as short hand for “Christmas.” They even got the
boy scouts involved to hand out fliers and bumperstickers. Had
nothing to do with anyone trying to persecute Christians and or their
celebrations.
Henry Ford lambasted Jews as opposing
Christmas while he sent boat loads of money to Adolf Hitler back in
the day. The John Birch society regularly complained, saying Happy
Holidays was an anti-Christian statement. Goes back a long time.
The War on Christmas is nothing more
than a vampyric urban legend that refuses to die, kept alive by the
wingnuts of the conservative right. In other words....Christians are
behind the War on Christmas.
As we become one big global family,
Christmas has become less of a religious celebration. It's downright
Pagan in a lot of ways starting with the tree.
In America for most, the religious
aspects of Christmas take a back seat...and I mean way back... to the
commercial aspects of the holiday.
I mean, what was that on Black
Friday...pepper spray to buy a toy? Please! Wonder if she will make
time to go to church, if they don't lock her ass up first.
Let's be real, Christian conservatives
revive this controversy every year because they are losing their
dominance in American society. They want their country back and they
want it to reflect all those Norman Rockwell drawings or those Leave
it to Beaver days in suburbia when daddy worked, mommy worked at home
in heels, and the kids were just kids playing baseball.
There is no war on Christmas....never
has been.
The nice thing about this world that we
live in today, is that you can celebrate what you want....when you
want...and how you want...
So.... Merry Christmas....Happy
Holidays.....and Happy Kwanzaa....or not
Your choice...
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