Whether it's so-called adults trampling each other to get the latest toy or electronic fad or people spending ridiculous amounts of money on gaudy Christmas decorations, December in America is silly season.
The White House recently sent out greeting cards to whoever's on their list. The card said, "Happy holidays."
This seems inocuous enough.
Unless you have way too much time on your hands. William A. Donahue, the apparent cartoon-like figure who serves as president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. is just such a person.
Donahue was livid that the card didn't mention the word Christmas, even though it contained a passage from the Biblical Old Testament. So much so that he threw the card in the trash.
"This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture," he fumed.
Just ponder those words for a moment...
... then ask yourself how he expects anyone to take him seriously in the future when he makes bufoonish statements like this.
Personally, I won't spend a single second figuring out whether I say 'Happy holidays' to someone or 'Merry Christmas,' nor will a spend a second worrying about what others say to me. The worst elements in our culture are professional victims like Mr. Donahue who waste our time with angry rantings about nothing.
The self-described bleeding heart liberal Adirondack Musing blog has had a series of entries devoted to the so-called war on Christmas. There was the essay about how 42% of Americans surveyed think there is a War on Christmas, according to a Fox poll. As well as one about the history of the holiday.
One can reasonably argue that the purpose of Christmas has been lost in the avalanche of consumerism, gluttony and avoidable stress. Though even that's a stretch considering we celebrate it in much the same way we celebrate other birthdays (presents, dinner, etc), just on a much grander scale. That great opponent of secularism, Bill O'Reilly, argues that every businessman in America should scream 'Merry Christmas' because the holiday is so central to the American economy. He's right, but venerating Christmas as a business bonanza seems far more secular than saying 'Happy holidays.'
So what IS the purpose of Christmas then? For me, it's the idea of spending time together with my family in a more or less relaxing manner. Is this expression of family values a secular one? Yes. Is it a capitulation 'to the worst elements in our culture'? I think not.
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