Defending Christmas
By David Huntwork (12/05/05)
“All the Whos down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, did not. –Dr. Seuss
It is the Christmas season and once again Christmas itself is the target of a secular and atheistic jihad. If you didn’t know better you might think that the word ‘Christmas’ was the dirtiest of dirty words and one not worthy of being uttered in public.
This year Target continues the ban on the famous Salvation Army bell ringers with their red kettles from their property again this year while the ACLU threatened to sue a Colorado school district over such carols as ‘Jingle Bells’. Celebration of the ‘holidays’ abound but to actually spot the word ‘Christmas’ is rare and far between. Both Corporate America and government institutions have abandoned the spiritual, cultural and traditional celebrations of Christmas.
Instead, the Winter Holiday PC police prowl the nation threatening public schools who might dare to have red and green napkins at their annual ‘holiday party’ during the ‘Winter Break’. Anything that might remotely trigger the word ‘Christmas’ or conjure up images of a baby in a manger has become a target ripe for extermination. No longer are we treated to ‘Merry Christmas’ at retailers but are forced to settle for a fuzzy ‘happy holidays’ as we rush to pick up our ‘holiday tree’ at the local haven of mass consumption. Of course it would appear that the fact that the word ‘holiday’ is a shortened version of ‘holy day’ has escaped those seeking to purify the public spaces from the evils of Christianity. Just wait until they figure out that the fat, jolly man in the red suit is loosely associated with a 4th century bishop and saint. What a mess that will turn out to be.
My business banks with Wells Fargo so I visit the local branch on a daily basis. They have a very generic signs about the holidays in 'non-Christmas colors' and then a big sign talking about Wells Fargo's commitment to the seven principles of Kwanzaa. There are no references to Christmas whatsoever and the usual salute to the relatively minor Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is noticeably absent. When I spoke with one of the tellers and mentioned I was researching an upcoming column on Christmas she proudly pointed out the newly erected Christmas tree as their commitment to Christmas. It was slowly and patiently explained to me that Kwanzaa is a ‘cultural’ holiday and not a religious one so it’s ‘ok’ for them to refer to it by name. She then proceeded to tell me about a number of complaints they had received in regards to their primary focus on Kwanzaa.
Apparently I am not the only one who remembers the reason for the season. You’ve got to hand it to those public relations experts at Well’s Fargo. What a bunch of spineless, politically correct dolts. I wonder if they are aware that the founder of Kwanzaa rejected Christmas and believed that blacks shouldn't celebrate a "white man's holiday"? I, for one, proudly salute Well’s Fargo Bank for performing exhaustive research in preparation for the ‘Christmas controversy’.
It does appear that the efforts of those attempting to preserve the idea and holiday of Christmas are starting to pay off. Lowes has finally agreed that there is truly no such thing as a “holiday tree” and are once again offering Christmas trees and Walgreen’s has pledged that next year “things will be different” and their confused ‘holiday trees’ will once again be offered as Christmas trees as well. Kroger has issued a letter stating that it uses a variety of greetings and advertising materials during December including Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Season's Greetings, and Happy Holidays but "We have not and do not intend to ban any of these greetings, including Merry Christmas”. Wal-Mart, under pressure of a threatened boycott from various Christian groups, no longer requires its employees to wish you ‘Happy Holidays’.
Maybe if our luck holds we might actually be able to purchase a ‘Christmas card’ to give away at Christmas. I’m saving all my ‘holiday cards’ for Earth Day or Ramadan. I think it will make them a bit more extra special next year.
Some may say that at best there have been only small, paltry victories in regards to Christmas but it only reflects the spiteful vision and hateful pettiness of those who tirelessly toil to remove every vestige of Christianity, and religion in general, from the sight and sound of the average citizen. The concept that in this great country we have the freedom of religion, not the freedom from religion, seems to elude them.
So a few small, but courageous, steps can be exercised by you to help fight off the stifling cultural tyranny who so desperately seek to drive Christ from Christmas. First and foremost, don’t shop at those retailers who obviously are avoiding using the word ‘Christmas’ in their displays, advertising or greetings. Cheerfully greet your customers and clients with ‘Merry Christmas’ and respond with a warm ‘Merry Christmas’ to anyone wishing you ‘Happy Holidays’.
The American Family Association is leading the charge to preserve Christmas by targeting retailers who avoid the word Christmas with boycotts and encouraging consumers to take their shopping, and their dollars, to companies who are willing to admit what holiday we are really celebrating on December 25th. You can join the nearly 650,000 Americans who have signed their Petition To Stop The Ban On The Use of “Christmas” By Major Retailers at https://secure.afa.net/afa/afapetition/signpetition.asp?id=1480 .
You can also join the nationwide effort to send the ACLU, the ultimate group of ghoulish grinches, 100,000 Christmas cards wishing them a Merry Christmas.
Here’s the information you’ll need:
ACLU
"Wishing You Merry Christmas"
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York, NY 10004
You can learn more about this effort at http://muscleheadrevolution.com/ .
Above all else, speak out against the ‘tyranny of hypersensitivity’ that seeks to strip Christianity from the traditions and history of this country.
As I returned to my local Wells Fargo bank the following day the Kwanza sign had been removed and I asked again if there had been some complaints. At this the teller stated that they were tired of the complaints and then she rather icily informed me that mine “had been the last straw”. Apparently Wells Fargo had not appreciated my informal research into the acceptance of Kwanza by the general public. So chalk one up for Christmas, by standing up for principle the good guys might just win one once in a while.
Merry Christmas.
(Printer friendly version) Email: David Huntwork
