Every year we see more and more efforts to suppress Christmas and more and more denials that there is a war on Christmas.
Back in the 1950s – 1970s I grew up in a private housing development located in the Bronx, NY. It was called Parkchester and was owned by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The development had 60,000 somewhat apartments and the population was a mixture of mostly Irish-German and Jewish.
At Christmas time Parkchester became a real Christmas village with stores decorated, a huge Christmas tree and light display at its central oval, a Santa’s house, and Christmas displays on nearly every street. My Jewish friends enjoyed all of this as much as my non-Jewish friends. I remember being invited to Hanukkah services and meals (as well as other celebrations) and my Jewish friends frequently came to Christmas Mass and visited for Christmas. We all respected each other’s beliefs and we all learned from them.
Today, just saying “Merry Christmas” could earn you the contempt of others. Instead, we now hear the neutered “Happy Holidays” despite the fact that a majority of Americans do celebrate Christmas. Businesses have substituted “Holiday parties” for “Christmas parties.” Schools no longer have “Christmas vacation or break.”
All of this is being done under the absurd category of “inclusiveness.” As mentioned above, growing up celebrating my friend’s holidays and freely saying “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Hanukkah” was far more inclusive. Of course, all of this is coming mostly from Left-wing sources that see Christianity and religion in general as the enemy. They would prefer that we all worship the secular religion of Leftism and regard all other religions as immoral and false.
Their heroes, the likes Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin regarded religion, and Christianity in particular, as the “opiate of the masses.” The more people that believe in Christianity the less chance the Left has to gain power. You will observe that the Left does not have the courage to confront Islam. But, no problem, because Islam is against Western civilization anyhow. Challenging a group of Christians is easy. Challenging a group of fundamentalist Muslims could get you killed.
But it goes one step further: the Left hates America and Christianity is an intrinsic part of the American foundation. Today, we are now seeing wars not just against Christmas, but against other American holidays like Washington’s Birthday, Lincoln’s birthday, Columbus Day, and Independence Day. I now even hear movements against Thanksgiving. All one has to do is read The NY Times’ 1619 project, which declared that the real founding of America was 1619 when the first African slaves arrived on the continent.
Even more basic, I know very few progressive friends that are truly happy. I do know happy and unhappy liberals, but those who see themselves as progressive are truly joyless. Most are in a constant state of anger and Christmas is, to be blunt, entirely too happy for them. And, if you seem too happy it must be because you are blind to the problems of the world and don’t care about others.
With that, I refuse to cave into their unhappiness. And I want to close this post by saying to my readers “MERRY CHRISTMAS” and may you all have a blessed and joyous holiday despite all that is going on.
Merry Christmas Charles!
Well said, Charles! Merry Christmas!
I’m saddened by the diminishing of religion in this country. It is the foundation, the rock on which we were built.
“Diversity” separates us. Let’s celebrate the oneness of the human condition.
Thank you for your thoughts, Charles!
A very blessed Christmas to all!
Merry Christmas Charles.
Merry Christmas to you and Rosemary!
I was raised in a neighborhood that was predominantly Jewish and we had no problem celebrating each other’s holiday.
To which I say:
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Charles and family
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!🎄
I don’t believe that there is a politically motivated war on Christmas. I do object to the consumerization of Christmas, which knows no political or religious boundaries. Giving and receiving gifts is a wonderful tradition, and Santa Clause is a fun symbol of joy and good will, especially for children. But it can all feel so stressful and materialistic: spend! buy! acquire! support the economy!
So what about the “true” meaning of Christmas? Each person has to find that for him/herself. You and I go to church. Many don’t. I do find “Holiday Party” a better, more inclusive term than “Christmas Party.” I believe that public schools should use non-religious terminology whenever possible. This change in nomenclature doesn’t indicate a threat to the hegemony of Christian tradition; we all know why those parties and those vacations/breaks are scheduled when they are: not because of Hanukah or Kwanza or the winter solstice but because of Christmas.
True, the culture has become more secular, but white male Christians still have a lock on power. “The Left” doesn’t hate America, but it does protest the systemic inequity that goes back to the hypocrisy of “all [white] men are created equal.” .
You say that progressives are unhappy and angry, but your essay seethes with resentment and paranoia. Hence my response is defensive and hostile. Here’s to a Christmas season of creative conflict and growth.
I always say Merry Christmas. Store employees always seem happy to say it back after I say it. I’ve been told they must say happy holidays but can say Merry Christmas if it’s told to them first by a customer.
How vanilla we are becoming.