I Celebrate Christmas
Here is a photo of our family Christmas Tree taken last night. Three generations live in our home: my wife and I, my two sons and my two daughters-in-law and two grandchildren (both aged 9). We are all atheists, my two sons, my wife and I, but we celebrate Christmas much in the same manner as Christians. As terribly out of fashion as it is these days, we watch 'March of the Wooden Soldiers', 'It's a Wonderful Life' , 'A Christmas Carol'; we string hundreds of lights outside, we cook a Christmas turkey, and we have friends and family come over on the 26th of December to share gifts, good wishes, and our great fortune and joy in being Americans.
I know that for many Christians, Christmas is celebrated as a deeply religious holiday, but in the past few generations there have been added many secular layers to the Holiday. 'White Christmas', one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time, does not even reference the birth of Jesus, but is obviously enjoyed by many Christians.
There are some in this country who cannot stand Christmas and who feel insulted if someone wishes them a Merry Christmas. I suppose we could carry this a little further and say that Saint Patrick's Day parade is equally insulting to a non-Christian and while we're on the subject of Irish-Americans why should we tolerate the playing of 'Danny Boy' every time a cop or fireman dies; why can't we just yell out, "the bastard's dead, let's party!" It must be horrible for some poor non-Christian to have to listen to wailing bag-pipes once a year, Oh the inhumanity!
The same applies to Saint Valentine's Day: should we ban that bit of tradition as well? And who the hell was Saint Valentine anyway? Is it right for non-Christians to have to put up with that whole week preceding the event with all those stupid commercials hawking flowers, candies and diamonds? Is there no relief for those who have no sweethearts or even hearts at all for that matter?
It's bad enough that Muslims want to ban Saint Valentine's Day because of the mistaken belief that Valentine or Valentinus took part in planning and attacking Cordoba, once a well-known centre of Islam in Spain hundreds of years ago, and that therefore Saint Valentine's Day is some kind of religious festival in the minds of the infidel. Obviously it is not.
Santa Claus as we know him was invented by the Coca-Cola Company. Most of the songs, movies, traditions we celebrate are in fact an American invention. Strip away everything that is American from Christmas and the only thing we would have is an empty couch, in an empty room, without decorations, without songs and without gifts and without all the things that make Christmas Christmas, except for one thing: the spirit of Christmas. The notion of Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards men. But that notion of Peace and Goodwill has been enhanced in the past century by everything non-Christmas that we've added to the holiday.
So when someone says that can't stand the whole month of festivities and lights and well-wishing and gift-giving and family gathering and song and story, well, they're actually railing against America.
Now some atheists and some non-Christians may ask why should they have to tolerate all that nonsense that has nothing to do with them for the whole month of December? I'll respond by using the old Jewish trick of answering with a question: why should I have to tolerate 12 months of Liberal nonsense? For the entire year I have to listen to socialist bull crap about global warming, how socialized medicine in Canada and Europe is better than what we have here, of incessant, trivial whining about some Ten Commandments in front of a court building somewhere. Have any of you anti-Christian liberals ever stopped to think of all the stupid, trite, idiotic, ridiculous things you spout all year long that the rest of us have to listen to?
If there were justice in the world, I would be listening to 12 months of Christmas songs and people like Al Franken and Rosie O'Donnell would be summarily shot for simply being liberal idiots.
I should mention that I left a comment at the blog Derek Powazek but it seems my comment was not approved. Aside from not being able to tolerate the mere thought of Christmas, the writer seems to be unable as well to abide criticism.
Here is the comment I tried to leave:
If you grew up in America instead of in a cave, you could accept Christmas as an American holiday. I suppose Halloween to you is some re-enactment of pagan rituals to ward off ghosts and goblins and this excuses you from handing out candy to children for whom your religious hangups do not apply.
Perhaps you don’t send Valentine’s Cards to your loved ones because you misguidedly want to believe it’s really about some Christian Saint, although 99.9999999% of Americans do not make that connection.
There are some Jews who accept American Holidays for what they are. Some, like Irving Berlin wrote arguably the most beautiful song in the world, “White Christmas”.
There is no Satan, no lord, not even a hint of religion yet it is still one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. It can even be enjoyed by grinches like yourself.
I am an atheist Jew and I have no problem enjoying the spirit of Christmas. What? Do you have some other holiday most Americans would enjoy to celebrate to ward off the dark and gloom of winter?
You are in America, you can celebrate the holiday or you can shut up. This is not a matter of free speech - you have the right to your opinion - I’m saying you should shut up because it’s rude to piss on someone else’s parade.
But Merry Christmas anyway, you humbug you.
