Warren Christmas
As usual, Atrios gets it right:
Look, it’s very simple. There are two Christmas holidays. One is the secular holiday, decreed by the federal government to be a national holiday, which is celebrated and marked with festive displays of trees, lights, fat guys with beards, and elves, along with lots of shopping and the giving of gifts. The other holiday involves a celebration of the birth of the Messiah, and is celebrated with religious rituals and displays of nativity scenes and other religious imagery.
Public displays of secular Christmas imagery? fine.
Public displays of religious Christmas imagery? less fine.
Christmas trees in airports? fine.
Baby Jesus scenes in airports? less fine.
I know few true-blue liberals who are “offended” by Christmas Trees (as opposed to “holiday trees”) in the public square. To those who are because you want to make a larger point about religion in America: get over it. This isn’t the place, this isn’t the issue. Keep your powder dry for battles over an Intelligent Design curriculum in schools.
Those on the other end of the issue who want to do battle over whether Wal-mart says “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas” are equally ridiculous. The secular Christmas is the engine that drives our consumer economy. True Christians are offended by the commercialization of our faith. Saying “Merry Christmas” doesn’t make you a Christian.
Put down the swords, people. “War on Christmas” is an oxymoron. Jesus was the prince of peace, remember?