The Battle for Christmas

Over the last few years there has been an imaginary “battle” over the use of the word “Christmas” in the media and in ads. Some conservative talk show hosts have called for boycotts of businesses who use “holiday” or “happy holidays” instead “Christmas” or “Merry Christmas”. Interestingly enough the first folks to protest Christmas celebrations in what is now the United States were conservative Christians: the Puritans. That’s right, the people who brought religious intolerance to the New World thought that Christmas celebrations were “popish” (slur word for Catholic) and in their narrow view, straight from the heart of Satan. Over the centuries Christmas varied from a purely religious day that barely made an impact on daily life to one of raucous feasting and merry-making (ah, those were the days, when merry was made on a regular basis). The Protestant Reformation caused Christmas celebrations to become more muted and initially the citizens of the newly independent United States rejected Christmas celebrations as “too English”. The “traditional Christmas” as we know it today, is only a few generations old, if that, and most of what we think of as Christmassy, originated in non-Christian religions and have nothing to do with Jesus’ birth.
So back to the “battle” for Christmas. A few decades ago many people sought to include those of us who aren’t celebrating Jesus’ birth into the season. After all Hanukah is celebrated in December and predates Christ, and the pagan Yule festivals predate both. Many conservatives saw this as an attack on their religion, hence the backlash against inclusiveness. So whether you say “Merry Christmas”, “Happy Hanukah”, “Happy Kwanzaa” or “Blessed Yule”...support your local merchants!