Some folks might be surprised to learn the battle between Jesus and Santa has been going on a lot longer than they realize.
The first memories I have of Christmas go back to the mid 1950s, and there were plenty of people whining about the overcommercialization of Christmas, arguing that Christ was the only legitimate reason for the holiday.
Of course that’s bullshit.
Christ is certainly one reason for the holiday, maybe even the main reason. But if we’re honest about it, the reason we celebrate Christmas on December 25th is because a holiday celebrating the birth of Christ was grafted onto the Roman holiday of Saturnalia.
A pagan holiday.
Christ almost certainly was not born in late December. There seems to be some dispute over whether the actual date was in early autumn or early spring, but shepherds were not staying out in the fields all night in winter.
Most people don’t have a problem with the dual nature of the holiday. I was 4 or 5 years when I first remember going to Christmas Eve services in my mother’s hometown of Crestline, Ohio. Then we would return to my grandparents’ house and go to bed, getting up early the next morning to open our gifts.
Through most of my life, the two holidays — secular and religious — coexisted quite nicely. And while there were plenty of people who only celebrated the secular holiday, it was no big deal.
Until Fox News decided that ratings would be best served by being controversial and claiming there was a War on Christmas.
And of course, Donald Trump saw it as a way to stir up the Great Unwashed.
The fact is, if Christmas is really only a religious holiday, it cannot be a federal holiday, because America is NOT a Christian nation.
So smarten up, folks. Celebrate the holiday any way you want, but don’t let the Foxes and Trumps push your button.
They think you’re morons.
Show them you’re not.