The War on Christmas is really starting to grow on me, you guys.
You know about the war on Christmas, right? The annual make-believe holiday conflict that begins shortly after Halloween and lasts about as long as a herpes outbreak? Yeah, of course you know about the War on Christmas. Every year, a few days into November, somebody at Fox News shouts “INCOMING!”
And then they toss out a holiday grenade to scare people…
And my aunt ducks. Nearly every single time, she ducks.
But she’s not alone. Over the last decade or so, lots of people have started ducking annually.
Today, the War on Christmas is so popular that it’s basically become one of America’s holiday pastimes, an event celebrated with much enthusiasm by people who believe in the War on Christmas (<-watch Fox News for three minutes) and those who do not (see Instagram!).
What was the holiday season even like before the War on Christmas? It’s becoming more and more difficult to remember. That’s because hearing soundbites of Bill O’Reilly shouting and pouting about who and why people hate Jesus and Christmas is quickly becoming as much a part of the holiday crazy as decorating, gift-giving, and singing Christmas carols.
But perhaps that’s okay. Maybe there’s a silver holiday lining to all of this talk about people stealing Christ out of Christmas.
For starters, the War on Christmas (W.O.C.) is mostly harmless. While I’m sure some longstanding negative effects happen on occasion, at least, with this war, nobody’s getting killed or bombed or detained except for the occasional menorah or baby Jesus statue.
One W.O.C.** believer is Deborah, a cashier at the Kroger I usually go to. More than a handful of times, whenever I stand in her line, she wages “war” on behalf of “Jesus” by wishing me an enraging Merry CHRIST—1-Mississippi, 2-Mississippi, 3-Mississippi—mas!!!!! Sure, it’s obnoxious. And sometimes it seems a little passive aggressive, as if she’s expecting me to respond with Merry AntiCHRISTmas. Even still, her intentional emphasis on Christ in Christmas is pretty nontoxic compared to all of the other challenges affecting Christianity and culture today.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that there are definitely worse things happening in the world than people like Deborah mispronouncing Christmas to make a point.
For instance, this…
Which brings me to another reason why I’m becoming okay with this new tradition… because it isn’t real. The War On Christmas is imaginary… yes, imaginary, unlike Glenn Beck’s Christmas record. By and large, this War on Christmas is merely a media blitz led by a number of powerful elves at Fox News, people like Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and others. It’s not a war. It’s just PR/hype, exaggerated “buzz” regarding holiday semantics, governmental decorating policies, and the freedom of individuals to don the Christmas flare of their choice. For Fox News, the W.O.C. is a tactic to boost their holiday ratings. And it works. Truthfully, I don’t think Bill O’Reilly really believes there’s a war on Christmas. I might be wrong. But regardless, Bill’s followers do believe in the war, and as long as that is true, he will pander to their needs, concerns, and frustrations by making the “war” real, at least, for them.
And let’s face it. Some of us who mock the W.O.C. would miss it if it went away, if only because it would mean that Jon Stewart’s coverage of the War on Christmas would go away…
And maybe, just maybe, this imaginary war on Christmas has opened the eyes of followers of Christ (those of us who don’t watch Fox News) to use sentiments such as Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season’s Greetings, etc. with more grace, more intention. I know this is true for me. This “war” has made me acutely aware of my Jewish, Muslim, and atheist friends. I’ve become more aware of who they are, what they do and do not celebrate, and intentional about wishing them a Happy Holiday. To my Jewish friends, I’ll even say Happy Hanukkah. Most don’t even notice that I’m intentional with my wording. But some do, and when they do notice, it means something to them.
But perhaps the best part about the War on Christmas is that it serves as a grand distraction for many of America’s most conservative evangelicals. And let’s face it, sometimes those folks need a good harmless distraction. When preoccupied with thoughts of Jesus getting pushed out of Christmas preschool plays or off the lawns of government properties, many of these impassioned believers forget all about the other “wars” they fight and, unintentionally, allow the people they deem to be “enemies” to experience a merrier Christmas or a happier holiday.
Perhaps ironically, the so-called War on Christmas brings a little more peace on earth to folks like our Muslim friends or our atheist neighbors and/or our gay and lesbian coworkers. Could it be possible that, the battle to keep Christ in Christmas actually puts a little more Christ in the Christmases and holiday traditions of others? Perhaps. Because for many of my most conservative and faithful friends, making sure that Jesus is the reason for their season is a big holiday diversion from what they’re normally focused on and preoccupied with…
So maybe this new American tradition of fighting an imaginary war on Christmas has an ironic consequence, that for some of our friends and neighbors, the holidays become just a little bit happier.
And for that reason alone, maybe this “war” is worth fighting.
Viagra is for the treatment of inability to get or keep an hard-on and similar states when erection is of low quality. When you buy remedies like cialis from canada you should know about cialis online canada. It may have a lot of brands, but only one ATC Code. Erectile disfunction, defined as the persistent impossibility to maintain a satisfactory erection, affects an estimated 15 to 30 millions men in the America alone. Sexual health is an substantial part of a man’s life, no question his age etc.
And, of course, as we’ve talked about, one of the more ridiculous things about the “War on Christmas” is that it takes place when it https://matthewpaulturner.com/2013/12/04/what-we-get-wrong-about-advent-and-how-to-make-it-right/. American Family Radio is one of the ring leaders in the “War on Christmas” coverage, and they boast about playing non-stop Christmas music beginning December 1, but on December 26, the Second Day of Christmas, they don’t play a single one, nor do they throughout the rest of the Twelve Days of Christmas. I don’t see how the “War on Christmas” people can pretend to be so zealous for Christmas when they don’t actually keep Christmas themselves.
Hey Matthew, you might appreciate this interesting parallel: my parents lived in Saudi Arabia for most of the 90s. Not surprisingly, they met and worked with many Muslims, and some of them were very intentional about saying “Merry Christmas” to my parents. There were also some who refused to say this, instead wishing them a “Happy Ramadan.” You can probably guess which one made them feel more accepted. 🙂
Hey if you guys are going to give bogus religions and atheism a fair shake, don’t forget KWANZAA!!!!
Seriously though, it really wouldn’t bug me if more cashiers *were* infected by Romans 1:16 rather than the more-common indifferent surliness.
You seem to have a lot of interesting people in your life. I wish I went to your Kroger. I would go often so I could think of a different comeback each time!! She sounds fun. “Satans Greetings”