There’s been something bothering me for a few days and I thought I would get it off my chest.
In years past, the Christmas season was one of those times of year where I really felt... well... Jewish. What I mean is that during this time of year with all the holiday decorations and the “Christmas Cheer” in the air, I felt like I really didn’t belong. This was the only time of year I felt that way and it was somewhat of an uncomfortable feeling for a Centrist like me. . But in recent years I guess I wasn’t paying so much attention to it and it hasn’t bothered me at all... until this year.
This year there more then ever there has been a backlash from our Christian friends And it hasn’t been only from the religious right. Even the irreligious left has been doing it.
Doing what? ... you ask? Well, I’ll tell you.
They have been doing everything from poking fun at the political correctness of saying happy holidays instead of merry Christmas to actually making a crusade out of getting the word Christmas back into the lexicon.
I have always been against this push, usually by the likes of the ACLU, to do way with Christmas as an American holiday. Not because I don’t think they’re right. They are. A secular country should not have a religious holiday as a national holiday. It is as simple as that. Having a national Christmas tree is at least against the spirit if not the letter of the separation of church and state clause in the constitution. In fact this is why I am against big public Menorah displays as well.
But in point of fact, who really cares if there is a national Christmas tree? So what if the people of this country, the vast majority of whom are Christians want to celebrate their holiday this way? Who does it hurt? It doesn’t hurt me. They don’t make me do it.
In my view the ACLU has done us a disservice in advocating the elimination of Christmas from the public square. This has caused an unpleasant backlash from everyone but the President. He has sent out Holiday cards without mentioning Christmas. A thoughtful man indeed. But he was the only one in the country that seems to have understood that Jews and other religions do not celebrate Christmas and saying Merry Christmas to us meaningless. Others have felt differently. The parody on it I saw on SNL ridiculing the elimination of the word Christmas from the public discourse really drove this point home.
So who needs it? Who needs all this political correctness? And its attendant backlash?!
Let them have their Christmas. If you don’t like being wished a Merry Christmas, well all I have to say to you is: Get a Life.
