Oh You Silly Peoples, There's No War on Xmas!

Every time this year the Right dredges up the old War on Ch.ristmas.
And in truth it presents an interesting paradox for the Politically active Orthodox Jew.
On one hand the Day that Makes One Itch (A loose translation Yiddish for the nickname of the day) is hardly a happy day on the calendar. It brings back painful memories of pogroms, and other nasty events on the calendar.

Yet the faults of even modern day Fundamentalism aside (We'll get into that in a sec), we still have a vested interest in insuring that G-dliness and religiosity remain. A nation that slants away from religion and simple piety is one open to all kinds of unwanted beliefs foreign and destructive to Judaism. Thus paradoxically, if we as a nation loose our respect for X-mas, then as Jewis, our own holidays may be threatened.

What's ridicules is the argument over the winter Holiday Season tm is the inanity of X-mas symbolism and the useless political correctness of opposing side.
For on one side we have the Kool-Aid sipping Lefties. They don't seem to realize the contradiction stupidity of "Holiday Season." There is no Season of winter Holidays in truth besides X-mas. Yes there's (l'havdil) Chanukah - but much of the adu is merely a non-Jewish missplaced emphasis on the day, and a Jewish desire to stave of tree envy. (Yes I know the big deal the Rebbe made out of Chanukah. Yes it's all true and sacred - but I would conjecture that due to whatever reason it is a big day these days - be it l'ma'ale l'mata or l'mata l'ma'ale - the simple understanding down here is based on the reason I mentioned). Kwanzaa is a modern day amalgamation (does anyone really celebrate it? Or is it just taught as PC holiday to round out the season. We had a display in the first grade of all the Winter Holidays, Kwanzaa amongst them . . . I never met anyone then or since who celebrates it though). Islam doesn't even have a set solar date to have winter holidays.
So instead they put up snowmen and candy-canes. They show images of snowy houses with snowflakes falling on the ground, a fire on the hearth, and the sound of sleigh-bells in the air . . . and call it the Holiday Season. Grow a pair already and call it by its name and don't pussyfoot around it - it's Kratzmach!
I won't be offended that you celebrated December 25th like a gentile - it's your holiday! If anything seeing Chanukah Photoshopped into a winter display annoys me. I'd rather celebrate it like a Jew then, then have you sell me a Holiday Ham.

On the other hand we have the dorks on the Right who worry about a 'War on Christmas.'

What bothers them? The loss of essentially pagan symbols:

Mathew Staver, law school dean at Liberty University, a Virginia college founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, said, however, that some schools and businesses are going too far to "censor" Christmas because they don't know the laws.

Staver founded the Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit litigation group dedicated to advancing religious freedom and conservative values. The counsel provides free legal advice and defense for government entities to ensure religious viewpoints on Christmas are not censored.

One example Staver cited began in Oregon, where an elementary school principal replaced Christmas trees with snowmen and banned all religious symbols, saying Santa Claus fell into the category.

The loss of these tacky symbols the result of holidays marketing by Coca Cola is hardly a war on a holiday.

And then things go from bad to just stupid and hateful - like Garrison Keilor who claims:
Unitarians listen to the Inner Voice and so they have no creed that they all stand up and recite in unison, and that's their perfect right, but it is wrong, wrong, wrong to rewrite "Silent Night." If you don't believe Jesus was God, OK, go write your own damn "Silent Night" and leave ours alone. This is spiritual piracy and cultural elitism, and we Christians have stood for it long enough. And all those lousy holiday songs by Jewish guys that trash up the malls every year, Rudolph and the chestnuts and the rest of that dreck. Did one of our guys write "Grab your loafers, come along if you wanna, and we'll blow that shofar for Rosh Hashanah"? No, we didn't.

Oh what fools.

Meh I need sleep
(Image Source)


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