What War on Christmas
For the past few years I have noticed more and more talk about the idea that there is a war on Christmas taking place in our country. A recent book called ‘The War on Christmas’ by John Gibson, is being promoted by the right wing segment in the media lately (Bill O’Reilly to name one such.) Isn’t the name of the book enough to make you stop and question the intentions of people and the very idea of what they say is happening?
It seems to me such a view uses the very thing they are trying to protect to create the war they speak of. Isn’t the idea that the spirit of Christmas can be harmed at all, putting faith in the wrong aspect of Christmas? It seems only to promote anger among people who believe this and create division with others.
The whole idea indirectly suggests that our religion needs to be justified and supported by our government and our stores, and held up like some sort of flag to prove its validity. In fact, it is one of the most ‘anti’ Christ way to think of Christmas that I can imagine. It is why the Middle East has never found peace, ie: their need to have their religion recognized by their government has turned to fanaticism and racism, filled with hatred and intolerance for others of varying religions and customs. We don’t need Christmas or Christianity to be acknowledged by some store somewhere, and neither by any municipality or anyone else but ourselves to make it valid, or more dear to our hearts. We don’t need the public arena of commercialism to make Christmas, Christmas. Just as when Francis P. Church wrote to Virginia in 1897, he assured her…“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” and made his point well; that Christmas and Santa Claus live in our heart and mind, and there they will remain, child and adult alike.
I think it very un-Christian and rather radical to call it a ‘war on Christmas’ when what is really being attacked is our faithfulness to the laws our country was founded on! Keeping religion out of the government’s hands and allowing us as individual’s to keep it in our hearts where it belongs, is an idea of our founding fathers. Keeping belief systems and their expression exempt from our government’s rules and regulations, such as Christmas… is a good thing, is it not?
Mangers and songs about Jesus will always be a part of Christmas in our homes where no one can dictate our enjoyment of them…at least not yet. The chances for that happening are greater if we allow the government ANY say in ANY religious activity, including Christmas. In my small town, we have an anuual event we call the Christmas Walk. It can be called a Christmas Walk, or a Holiday Walk, and it would mean the very same thing; a evening of people gathering for food, fun and the spirit of the holidays which is UNITY. If it matters what we call it, we have missed the point.
And if a Walmart employee says Happy Holidays, instead of Merry Christmas, I am not offended. She/he covers a few holidays in one greeting and everyone is happy. After all, saying ‘Merry Christmas’ is meaningful between two people who share the meaning of the words, and isn’t that all that matters? These sorts of personal liberties remain in our country last I heard.
Leave Christmas to each individual, and it has a much better chance of remaining in the hearts of all who know what Christmas really represents. And now, with the deaths of too many of our young soldiers, how about instead of saying “Merry Christmas” we say “Peace on Earth” as we greet each other? Which one would Jesus prefer?
Diane L. Perretto
