War On Christmas

I just glanced at an article in a newspaper that analyzed the so called "War on Christmas". Many people today, in reaction to politically correctness that says references to Christmas must be replaced by "holiday themes" because Christmas is a Christian celebration, support the use of Christmas symbols and traditions and frown on any attempt to ban references to the holiday. That's the alleged "battle'. It seems silly to me that a court or government body would legislate in any way about Christmas. It's a private matter, a mostly secular celebration now and not something that governments should spend time regulating. Most people will express themselves the way they want, so I think trying to legislate expression is a futile attempt.

Why are some non Christians opposed to Christmas holiday symbols beign shown publically? Is it insecurity that their own religious holidays gets smaller notice in thsi culture? Are they really offended by Christmas rituals? In the U.S. courts have long ruled that no particular religion may be promoted by the government ahead of the others. But is placing a Christmas decoration with images of Christianity in a public venue really offensive? Some non Christian religious groups even try to ban Christmas carolers because some of their songs are religious oriented. Perhaps they are confusing tradition with religious proselytizing. Americans are in a war that pits the politically correct against Christmas carolers, some say. They say it's a battle that plays out in the halls of Congress, retail stores and public schools across the country, and it's one that's been raging for years. In truth, I don't see much decline in the number of public "religious based' Christmas activity. It might be a small battle rather than a war.

Those who say "ENOUGH" with attempts to secularize all public Christmas activity believe that if there is not closure to this continuous change in what the government and courts allow for Christmas, then soon it will almost be a completely different event from what we see today, and in the process we would lose the whole emphasis of what the very early beginning of Christmas was all about. Christmas would go from the Christmas spirit to the "holiday" spirit ,and that is a far broader celebration which would would destroy the many unique aspects of Christmas. Are some schools and businesses going too far to "censor" Christmas because they don't know the laws or are overzealous and oversensitive?

Too, why should a society by necessity include other religious traditions in its holiday? Is it necessary to inject Hanukkah or Kwanza into Christmas? War on Christmas? Ho Ho Ho. Maybe there is no such thing at all. For most followers, is the Christmas holiday simply one of the best marketing tools ever invented and no longer religious based? Christmas probably not going to go anywhere anytime soon and as logn as hey don't hide Santa I am ok with it.