Who Killed Christmas?Was it lawyers, courts and the ACLU?
Was is greedy businesses and commercialization?
Perhaps cowardly politicians are to blame.
How about apathetic Christians?
Or maybe it was multi-culturalism and our secular society.
You tell us: Who killed Christmas? Vote in our exclusive online poll at the top of this page.
You have until the end of the day Sunday, January 4 to vote in the poll. We want to hear from you. Vote now!
4 comments:
For the sake of full disclosure, I voted for multi-culturalists only because they are the reason everyone moved to saying "Happy Holidays".
But to me, Christams means a tree at home, time with family, and a few days of giving. Add in some good food, and snowfall, and Christmas is easily my favorite time of year. So I'm not sure that Christmas is dead, or nearing extinction.
Come to think of it, Christmas is actually getting better for me. As I grew into my rebellious teens, Christams lost some of the magical sparkle that permeated its glow when I was a Santa-believing child. But now, as I've grown and my time away from my family grows with my age, Christmas is getting better. I get to see my family and friends; and let's be real, I love the gifts as well.
If there's one thing that's changed is that the Christmas lights that used to adorn the shops downtown are no longer there. And its not the "war on christmas" that's responsible; it's the businesses themslves that cut the "unnecessary costs" of the celebration.
As for multi-culturalism, all I can say is that this is the new world. The US, as much as it may have been, is no longer a "Christian" nation. We are a secular society that has chosen to embrace differences, and that means tolerating others. The heartfelt meaning behind Happy Holidays emcompasses that same emotions as a Merry Christmas.
Before anyone starts the arguing, remember that Christmas started out as an intimate affair, between a family and a few wise travelers. And it should stay that way. I sat this as a life-long Christian, who wears St. Jude around his neck everyday, and whose ill-advised teenage years netted, among other things, a permanent depiction of the cross on my arm. I wear my religion on my sleeve; but I'm not convinced that by allowing some tolerance into our public discourse, we are betraying that religion, or my most cherished time of year.
So now that you know where I stand, what do you mean when you say Chrisitmas is dead?
Draco:
Your sentiments are heartfelt and well-expressed. You always give us plenty to think about.
But, it would be foolhardy to suggest that Christmas (with Mary, Jesus, Christ and the manger) has not been removed from the town square.
The glory of Christmas used to mean the Christmas story itself - the telling and depiction of the Christmas tale. We're talking about CHRISTmas here.
Whether we are Christians or not, we can all respect the story and show some tolerance for those who want to openly and publically celebrate that story. We can all learn fron the story and we can all understand how important it is to people all over the world.
The secularists began a war on Christmas decades ago and they've been at it ever since. Now, it's way beyond Mary, Joseph, the Christ child and the manger. The Holy Family has long since been banished. Now, the war has been extended to Christmas trees and the mere mention of the words "Merry Christmas."
So, what we're talking about is the death of Christmas as it once was - Christmas as many of us knew it.
And so we deliberately chose to use a strong word like "killed" to draw attention to the topic.
I'm glad that you voted. And I hope you ask others to vote and to comment as well.
Let's all get into the debate.
let's hear from everyone!
If Christmas has been killed, then why were they playing Christmas music at my neighborhood Superfresh this past weekend?
And why don't I get mail on Christmas Day?
Let's not forget that the Puritans and many other early Christian settlers/founders of this country did not celebrate Christmas at all.
Dan, I see what you mean. My memories of Christmas don't include the Christmas scene because I think by that point, it had already disappeared. So I can't know how much that tradition meant to those that counted it among their treasured memories. To me, and probably to many of my generation, the Christmas experience doesn't involve the community; which is a sad state of affairs. When I watch old Christmas movies, and I see the neighborhood scenes, and the caroling and the sense of togetherness, I wish I could enjoy that; but as the movies end, that longing becomes that which it started with: fiction.
I'll always be of the opinion that we are a secualr society, and that all-inclusive expressions and sentiments bear the same meaning to me as traditional greetings. And I'll keep on treasuring Christmas and all the joy and tradition that come with this time of year.
But I do now understand where you stand and why; and that's cleared things up for me. It's shown me that even though the traditions you long for may be disappearing, they certainly are not fiction. And we should all try to bring that spirit back. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.
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