Head Tale

Every December, the stories about “The War on Christmas” pop up once again, like mole heads in a fair game – how various people in society – the politically correct, civil libertarians, atheists – are oppressing Christians by trying to neuter Christmas, make everyone say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”, and forego the holiday’s religious elements for commercial/secular ones (read that last link if you don’t read any others in this post.  Even religious people are admitting that Christmas isn’t so much a religious holiday any more – and are okay with it!)

I mean, it’s a ludicrous premise to begin with – pretty much everything about the “Christian” Christmas was stolen from an earlier pagan tradition of one kind or another.  So if you’re a big “Keep Christ in Christmas” person, you’re either ignorant and should probably read more than one book.  Or you’re willfully ignoring that fact that your religion subsumed ideas from earlier groups are now being subsumed again by different ideas and approaches.

At the same time, as with anything in life, putting things in perspective is important.  I don’t get worked up whether someone wishes me “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” or anything else and cringe a bit when I see people – who prefer it either way – who do.

Of course, I do feel sad that Pace doesn’t get to sing some of the more traditional Christmas songs at his school Christmas concert because schools do sort of neuter the holiday to be respectful of all religions and backgrounds (which I also disagree with – I think of decisions like this as “lowest common denominator” solutions.  I mean, they’re not even allowed to use words connected to Christmas traditions – which seems sort of silly to me.)  But then again, I also wonder if I’d feel the same way if I was a Muslim or Hindu or had even grown up in a different religious tradition that I eventually rejected, just like I grew up kinda sorta as part of the United Church.

Anyhow, to me, there’s no “War on Christmas” but the people who believe there is, sure make good martyrs! 😉