The Puritan War on Christmas Was the Best War on Christmas

[DonViejo]

DEC 11, 2013 10:57AM ET / NATIONAL

ABBY OHLHEISER

Every December, the War on Christmas begins. And every December, Christmas, along with the Holiday Season, continue to happily co-exist. This is because of two little-discussed features of the War on Christmas: First, it's imaginary outrage. And second, it's boring. If Bill O'Reilly, Sarah Palin, and the other generals in the war really want a fight, they should start now on the construction of a time machine and and brush up on their Calvinism. The real American crisis over the holiday happened centuries ago. Back then, the attackers were the Puritans — they hated Christmas, especially the fun parts. And they were experts at fighting it.

Today's War on Christmas: Atheists want to ban Christmas decor

"I will keep an eye on the situation," Bill O'Reilly promised his fans in an op-ed kicking off his annual focus on the Great War. As he is every year, O'Reilly is concerned that atheists will ban Americans from celebrating Christmas by "banish[ing] any mention of Jesus in the public square." He adds: "they are the oppressors." The Wire had trouble finding actual evidence that there's a war on beyond the narratives of O'Reilly and others who claim to fight against an attack on the holiday. Those narratives focus on a series of debates on the separation of church and state, usually pertaining to religious displays in town centers, or religious songs in public schools. (In general, religious content is allowed in public schools for educational, not devotional, purposes, as is explained by The Washington Post).

And then there is, of course, the debate over whether one should wish another a Merry Christmas or a Happy Holiday, both of which seem like perfectly pleasant things to say to a stranger. Not so, apparently: the American Family Association releases a "naughty" and "nice" list for retailers, based on how aggressively "Christmas" appears in their marketing. Municipalities have debated enacting laws to "protect," the word Christmas, though it's not really clear that there's a demonstrated need for those ordinances.

This year, Fox News is tracking the war across the country on an interactive map. However, not all of the entries seem to get at the real meaning of (the War on) Christmas, no matter what you do or don't believe:

full article
http://www.thewire.com/national/2013/12/puritan-war-christmas-was-best-war-christmas/355705/

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

1. Thank you,

a good read.