After avoiding every radio station that has had a premature existence of Christmas music for weeks, I find myself now, after Thanksgiving, finally tuning in to get my Christmassy feel. Unfortunately, not everything is as hunky-dory during the Christmas season as it once was back in the days of Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.
Every year it seems, more and more incidences of what I like to call “the encroachment of Christmas” happen. For example, a recruitment company out of New Zealand/Australia called Westaff is forcing all of their Santas to refrain from saying their traditional “Ho Ho Ho” greeting, because it might be offensive to women. They are now being directed to say “Ha Ha Ha,” because that is not offensive, except to clowns.
Come on, Westaff, give me a break. It is ridiculous that Christmas greetings are being taken out of context. Political correctness has no bounds. What is next? Will Santa not be able to wear his traditional garments? Will he have to wear a Yarmulke instead?
This culture war surrounding Christmas has been going on for some time now. It seems that we are not supposed to say Merry Christmas anymore, because it might be offensive to people who don’t believe in Christmas. Well, Mr. Grinch, you can go fly a kite, because I will say what I want to say and that’s that. I celebrate Christmas and there is no one who should be able to make me do differently. If you celebrate Hanukkah then you should be able to express your happiness in your own traditional ways.
What a surprise that the good old ACLU is helping fight this war against Christmas. No, not the ACLU, they seem so friendly! It seems the Anti Christmas Liberals Union has stuck its secular nose in many towns across the country trying to tear down everything that is good about Christmas. In a school in Dodgeville, Wisc., the classic Christmas song “Silent Night” was apparently so offensive that they changed the century old words to: “Cold in the night, no one in sight/Winter winds whirl and bite/How I wish I were happy and warm/Safe with my family, out of the storm.”
This is simply ridiculous and explains why many of the ACLU’s fights with the courts about Christmas have been a victory for Christmas. Unfortunately, because of the monetary funds possessed by the seculars at the ACLU, many schools and towns have bowed down in fear of lawsuits and changed the classic Christmas traditions just like this school in Wisconsin.
The ridiculousness of this whole war against Christmas befuddles me. Firstly, I do not see any allegations against Kwanzaa or Hanukkah or any allegations against their practiced celebrations. It seems biased that the most popular and world celebrated holiday is being attacked. It does not matter what you celebrate, you should be allowed to practice and celebrate however you wish. Our founding fathers understood this, and so we should re-remember this now. Christmas isn’t just about Christ or Christians, it is the time of year when people get together no matter their differences and find kindness and love in each other. Christmas should be about helping those in need, donating to a local charity, and most importantly, appreciating our families. It should not be about whether some slutty woman at the mall thinks Santa is talking to her.
Even my agnostic friend is putting up Christmas lights. Not only does he refer to them as “Christmas lights,” but he is putting about 10,000 on his house. He does not particularly believe in Jesus, but he understands the holiday’s significance and values what Christmas is really about.
That being said, I wish all of you and your families a Merry Christmas, and I encourage you to do the same to others.
Ben Schwarzwalder is a senior in journalism. He can be reached at [email protected].
