The war on Santa.

[Philosoraptor]

My mom and dad sent out Christmas photos this year of the two of them wearing Santa suits, with the red hats and white fur trim, I laughed out loud and was full of Christmas cheer when I saw them.

Mom and dad are born again Christians, like my little brother, and they used to bad mouth Santa and call him Satan Claus and say how evil he was and how he was ruining the true meaning of Christmas.

My brother reacted violently to the santa photos of our parents, he has not mellowed in his 32 years as a born again nutbag. He is angry at my folks for even putting on the red and white ho ho suits.

Is it never enough for you little bro? Do you really insist on a Christmas war? It's either a sin to put baby Jesus in the manger before the 25th or it's blasphemous to put on a Santa suit, I give up.

Where and to whom do I surrender? No wait, don't tell me, I know already.

[MaineYooper]

1. It would probably be pointless, but

you might also want to remind him that most historical analyses that I'm aware of place Jesus' birth in the spring, not winter. The celebration at the solstice was adopted by the Christian church from the pre-existing pagan rituals to welcome the return of the sun.

Probably make his head explode though if he let it in...

[DinahMoeHum]

2. Do they not realize that the original Santa was a CHRISTIAN saint??

St. Nicholas, an Orthodox Christian saint:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas

(snip)
In his most famous exploit...a poor man had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry for them. This meant that they would remain unmarried and probably, in absence of any other possible employment would have to become prostitutes. Hearing of the poor man's plight, Nicholas decided to help him but being too modest (or too shy) to help the man in public, he went to his house under the cover of night and threw three purses filled with gold coins through the window opening onto the man's floor. One version has him throwing one purse for three consecutive nights. Another has him throw the purses over a period of three years, each time the night before one of the daughters comes "of age". Invariably the third time the father lies in waiting, trying to discover their benefactor. In one version the father confronts the saint, only to have Saint Nicholas say it is not him he should thank, but God alone. In another version, Nicholas learns of the poor man's plan and drops the third bag down the chimney instead.

For his help to the poor, Nicholas is the patron saint of pawnbrokers; the three gold balls traditionally hung outside a pawnshop symbolize the three sacks of gold. People then began to suspect that he was behind a large number of other anonymous gifts to the poor, using the inheritance from his wealthy parents. After he died, people in the region continued to give to the poor anonymously, and such gifts were still often attributed to St. Nicholas.
(snip)

:bounce:


Wassa matta with these people anyway?

:evilfrown:

[maine_raptor]

6. Wassa Matta? Simple.

St. Nicholas helped the poor, that why. With that beard, he's definitely a Hippie, and probably a Peacenik too.

[TlalocW]

3. Nothing to do but help his slow descent into mouth-frothing madness

Give him a "Festivus for the Rest of Us," t-shirt.

TlalocW

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. This Christmas, just give him

a wooden cross, three nails, and glue a Santa hat on the top of it! :evilgrin:

[Wise Child]

5. There was a time when Fundies complained the holiday became secularized, and Santa was

the target of their blame. People that were not religious, or at the most not devout, could festively celebrate it. Nothing has really changed. O'Reilly, and others, have fabricated controversy. Santa was the unifing theme of all this commerical secularization that is still there. Duh! Christmas is never going away for that very reason. My Baptist family really never bothered with outdoor Christmas lights.

Also, there was a time when Fox Broadcasting was the target of Fundies who thought their primetime programming was too edgy. Married with Children and 21 Jumpstreet, etc. Rupert Murdoch found a useful distraction with Fox News Channel. Which is partly responsible for this false controversy. Interesting.

[HuffleClaw]

7. iirc, one of the original drives behind their annual nuttiness was a none to subtle

form of anti-semitism, decades ago.