The imagined war on Christmas
Robert Rouse
December 23, 2005
What's this I hear about a war on Christmas? So far there have been no casualties, but much like the Iraq war before it, someone made the decision to go to war before there was any proof that a war was necessary. From all reports I've seen, a preemptive strike against persons known and unknown was first fired by FOX commentator, Bill O'Reilly. From what I understand, there are some people out there saying odd things like "Seasons Greetings" and "Happy Holidays" instead of the normal "Merry Christmas". Oh my God! Not that! We have a President breaking the law and U.S. citizens dying in Iraq and O'Reilly decides the big story of the "season" is the war on Christmas.
To better understand this war, I decided to go to the front lines - the shopping mall. And what to my wandering eyes should appear but a great big banner saying "Christmas is Here!" Hooray, Christmas was still alive. I was able to find it before the enemy destroyed it. But seriously, everywhere I looked people were shopping for gifts. I'm assuming that they're either buying them for Christmas or there are a lot more Capricorns than any other birth sign. When you add my 10 year old son's Christmas Pageant at a (gasp) public school, I'd say the war is pretty much of a dud.
Now, I realize there are people out there who say "Seasons Greetings". I'm assuming they're doing this because between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, there are a heck of a lot of holidays. Turkey day, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, and Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Celebration. Sometimes it's a lot easier to say "Happy Holidays" than to list them all. I usually just stick to the "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year", but there are a lot more all inclusive types these days. I wouldn't say it's a war on Christmas so much as an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder byproduct.
The strange thing I've found is the fact that O'Reilly is making any holiday greeting other than "Merry Christmas" as something new. I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been hearing "Happy Holidays" and "Seasons Greetings" all my life. No, O'Reilly's imagined war on Christmas has more to do with trying to make secular America fall in line with Christian America. After calling Jon Stewart (who by the way is Jewish) and "The Daily Show" as enemy combatants in his imagined war, he actually called their network "Secular Central". Uh, Bill . . . other than Christian broadcast companies, aren't all others really secular?
Yes, Billy, there is a Christmas, and it's alive and well with everyone who normally celebrates it. My family put up our Christmas tree, we've sent our Christmas cards, and purchased our Christmas gifts. Heck, our kids even have a Nativity play set. And even though we celebrate the birth of Christ, we also have wrapping paper with Santa Claus on it. Christmas is a Christian holiday that is celebrated and revered by Christians and non-Christians alike. It's a federal holiday that is taken advantage of by nearly everyone. But if Bill wants his own personal war like his hero George W. Bush, I think he needs to pick a different battleground. The war on Christmas is only in his head and in the heads of those who think like Bill.
It might surprise Bill to know that the use of the phrase "Merry Christmas" is actually up over previous years. A USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll discovered that 69% of adults surveyed say they will use that phrase over others. This is up from 56% in 2004. So Bill, put your frankincense weapon away, place that can of myrrh mace back in the glove box and enjoy the holidays with the rest of us and have a Merry Christmas!
To better understand this war, I decided to go to the front lines - the shopping mall. And what to my wandering eyes should appear but a great big banner saying "Christmas is Here!" Hooray, Christmas was still alive. I was able to find it before the enemy destroyed it. But seriously, everywhere I looked people were shopping for gifts. I'm assuming that they're either buying them for Christmas or there are a lot more Capricorns than any other birth sign. When you add my 10 year old son's Christmas Pageant at a (gasp) public school, I'd say the war is pretty much of a dud.
Now, I realize there are people out there who say "Seasons Greetings". I'm assuming they're doing this because between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, there are a heck of a lot of holidays. Turkey day, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, and Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Celebration. Sometimes it's a lot easier to say "Happy Holidays" than to list them all. I usually just stick to the "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year", but there are a lot more all inclusive types these days. I wouldn't say it's a war on Christmas so much as an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder byproduct.
The strange thing I've found is the fact that O'Reilly is making any holiday greeting other than "Merry Christmas" as something new. I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been hearing "Happy Holidays" and "Seasons Greetings" all my life. No, O'Reilly's imagined war on Christmas has more to do with trying to make secular America fall in line with Christian America. After calling Jon Stewart (who by the way is Jewish) and "The Daily Show" as enemy combatants in his imagined war, he actually called their network "Secular Central". Uh, Bill . . . other than Christian broadcast companies, aren't all others really secular?
Yes, Billy, there is a Christmas, and it's alive and well with everyone who normally celebrates it. My family put up our Christmas tree, we've sent our Christmas cards, and purchased our Christmas gifts. Heck, our kids even have a Nativity play set. And even though we celebrate the birth of Christ, we also have wrapping paper with Santa Claus on it. Christmas is a Christian holiday that is celebrated and revered by Christians and non-Christians alike. It's a federal holiday that is taken advantage of by nearly everyone. But if Bill wants his own personal war like his hero George W. Bush, I think he needs to pick a different battleground. The war on Christmas is only in his head and in the heads of those who think like Bill.
It might surprise Bill to know that the use of the phrase "Merry Christmas" is actually up over previous years. A USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll discovered that 69% of adults surveyed say they will use that phrase over others. This is up from 56% in 2004. So Bill, put your frankincense weapon away, place that can of myrrh mace back in the glove box and enjoy the holidays with the rest of us and have a Merry Christmas!
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