Posted on 12/20/2004 2:43:56 PM PST by quidnunc
One December a few years back, I was in Santa Claus, Indiana, and went to the Post Office — a popular destination thanks to its seasonal postmark.
"Merry Christmas!" I said provocatively.
But Postmistress Sandy Colyon was ready for me. "A week ago," she said, "I'd have had to say 'Happy Holidays', but we've been given a special dispensation from the Postmaster-General allowing us to say 'Merry Christmas'. So Merry Christmas!" That's "Christmas" at the dawn of the third millennium — a word you have to get a special memo from head office authorising the use thereof. In America, most executive honchos would rather not take the risk, instructing the staff to eschew any mention of the C-word in favour of "Happy Holidays!" — the all-purpose inoffensive greeting that covers Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Eid, the Third Wednesday after Ramadan, hippy-dippy solstice worship, West Bank Suicide Bomber Appreciation Day and any other festive occasion you've lined up for the general vicinity of late 2004/early 2005.
For US columnists, the end-of-year column bemoaning the fanatical efforts to expunge all Christmas traditions from public life has become an annual Christmas tradition in itself. This year, there's no shortage of contenders for silliest Santa suit. In one New Jersey school district, the annual trip to see Dickens's A Christmas Carol has been cancelled after threats of legal action. At another New Jersey school, the policy on not singing any songs mentioning God, Christ, angels, etc, has been expanded to prohibit instrumental performances of music that would mention God if any singers were around to sing the words. So you can't do Silent Night as a piano solo or Handel's Messiah even if you junk the hallelujahs.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
bump
I just got home from shopping at WalMart, a local grocery chain, and the library. We're in the heart of a blue state, and this is what happened when I wished people "Merry Christmas": Every single person reacted with a big smile, I mean a really big smile.
So, my unscientific poll says that columnists hate CHRISTmas, but the people love it.
I have a special dispensation
for the Postmaster-General.
Merry Christmas All!
Even our friendly Chinese waitress and resturant manager said Merry Christmas to me and my wife saturday. They seem to think it is still acceptable and proper. The anti-Christ-ian left-wing liberal nut cases are the ones trying to take Christ out of Christmas. It all started with the stupid practice of using "x-mas" instead of Christmas.
One December a few years back, I was in Santa Claus, Indiana, and went to the Post Office - a popular destination thanks to its seasonal postmark.
"Merry Christmas!" I said provocatively.
But Postmistress Sandy Colyon was ready for me. "A week ago," she said, "I'd have had to say 'Happy Holidays', but we've been given a special dispensation from the Postmaster-General allowing us to say 'Merry Christmas'. So Merry Christmas!" That's "Christmas" at the dawn of the third millennium - a word you have to get a special memo from head office authorising the use thereof. In America, most executive honchos would rather not take the risk, instructing the staff to eschew any mention of the C-word in favour of "Happy Holidays!" - the all-purpose inoffensive greeting that covers Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Eid, the Third Wednesday after Ramadan, hippy-dippy solstice worship, West Bank Suicide Bomber Appreciation Day and any other festive occasion you've lined up for the general vicinity of late 2004/early 2005.
For US columnists, the end-of-year column bemoaning the fanatical efforts to expunge all Christmas traditions from public life has become an annual Christmas tradition in itself. This year, there's no shortage of contenders for silliest Santa suit. In one New Jersey school district, the annual trip to see Dickens's A Christmas Carol has been cancelled after threats of legal action. At another New Jersey school, the policy on not singing any songs mentioning God, Christ, angels, etc, has been expanded to prohibit instrumental performances of music that would mention God if any singers were around to sing the words. So you can't do Silent Night as a piano solo or Handel's Messiah even if you junk the hallelujahs.
But let's not obsess on New Jersey's litigious secularists. In Plano, Texas, in the heart of God-fearin' Bush country, parents were instructed not to bring red and green plates and napkins for the school's "winter" parties, as red and green are colours with strong Christmas connotations and thus culturally oppressive. In Massachusetts, in the heart of Bush-fearin' country, the mayor of Somerville issued an apology for accidentally referring to the town "holiday party" as a C
I think there's a lot of truth to this column. Maybe in the schools and other institutions people are panicky about openly acknowledging that we celebrate the birth of our savior at Christmas (while at the same time accepting that Jews celebrate lamp oil and Muslims celebrate ... what? killing people?), but in our hearts and homes we are reaffirming what we believe and if the ACLU keeps it up we'll eventually win back America from the secularists.
Besides, the schools are complicit not because they fear a lawsuit but because they've been overrun by communist plants left over from the Soviet Union.
Mark Steyn rules.
Bump.
I never heard about this case. What makes this so bizarre is that despite its long-standing appeal during this season, Dickens' work is distinctly secular in its outlook and contains nary a mention of the true meaning of Christmas. In fact, I've seen it described as one of the defining "manifestos" of secular humanism in western literature.
Steyn raises an excellent point here. I noticed the same thing myself . . . and even get occasionally annoyed when I hear the same tunes repeatedly over the course of the month.
That town should have known how idiotic they looked when radical Marxist/atheist lawyer Ron Kuby (of all people) harshly criticized them for their stand on instrumental holiday tunes.
I've been reporting on our public school 5th and 6th grade (I know from experience the younger grades do the same) also play Christmas music and plenty of it.
In addition, the 1st graders get letters from Santa straight from the North Pole.
Were I one of the politicians in that town, I would still be laughing. In fact, I'm still laughing anyway. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
Pretty soon Bach and Beethoven will be banned, and all that will be left is for the school choral to sing those favorite Ozzy Osbourne songs.
"What kind of country do we live in," one of them said, "when you have to meet with the school district's lawyers to determine which songs you can play?"
Tiny Tim mentions being glad to be seen in church so that those in attendance could look upon him and recall "Who it was that made lame beggars walk and blind men see".
Hello?? What's THIS?? "Legal action" from WHOM? The ACLU? Why are we still running from this bunch?
--it's changing--too many California imports trying to bring along that from which they wanted to escape--
Another great reminder of why the left in this country is so messed up.
In Acton, MA. this past Sunday, a church had a Christmas pageant, complete with wise men, creche, Baby Jesus, and parents. The kids were allowed to write the 'skit' themselves, and since one of the dad's is a hugh Red Sox fan, the innkeeper was Curt Schilling, who was allowed to say there was no room in the inn because they were full to the rooftops with RED SOX fans!!! Most amusing, and Baby Jesus arrived in all His Splendor, too.
"the innkeeper was Curt Schilling"
So, my unscientific poll says that columnistscommunists hate CHRISTmas, but the people love it.
So has anyone read the "manifesto" lately???
When someone says Happy Holidays to me I answer with a question. "What Holiday" when I see the pained look on their face I say "The 4th of July?" "Memorial Day?"
They finally break and say rather hatefully Christmas. I then point out that Holiday is actually the secular way to say HOLY DAY. They start to turn red, smoke comes out their ears they say "Goodbye" I say "GoodBye is the secular way to say "GOD Be With You"
Drives them nuts.
LOL!!! I'll remember that for the many Happy Holiday people I meet.
Last week while I was out and about, a lady said to me happy holidays. I turned around and said Merry Christmas, then she said Merry Christmas too.
I made it a point to go and speak to the manager of the local federated store about the sparse decorations and the lack of Christmas music (they had no music at all). I told her that the store had a dead, sterile feeling and that if, as the WSJ reported, the sales are down at the federated stores, they have no one but themselves to blame. She was shocked.
CHRISTmas bump
Don't you know
Little Lord Fauntleroy does not approve of posting the whole article?
I like what the chap in Minnesota said on tv the other day, in defense of a mini-manger scene of the Holy Family in a public (gasp) park as it was being protested by four (count 'em) atheists v. 100 Christians standing up for their rights.
He said the atheists were trying to take away their right to free religious expression; this is not what the founders had in mind, and they were there to make that clear.
This Silent Night of Oppression of Christian expression, of the worship of our God and Savior, is coming to an end. It's like how bad things got when Clinton was president. It finally got dark enough that America threw the bums out. The athetists are going down the same road. They win a few here and there but this has gotten so blatantly unconstitutional I expect there to be a court case that sets things back in order. The sooner the better.
Speaking as a music teacher in the NYC suburbs, of more than 100 students, I am in shock that the complete lack of familiarity of the Christmas literature. All anyone knows is Rudolph and Jingle Bells, and maybe Deck the Halls. The rest of the great Christmas songs, my 8 year olds have never heard before. I'm beside myself.
Right on.
Are you a private teacher, or at a school? If at a school, are you able to introduce kids to Christmas songs?
As Mark Steyn noted - let liberals have their empty victories. We'll have the Congress, the White House and God willing... the Supreme Court! Merry Christmas to the Left and their secularist fatwas.
I am just returning the favor that others have done for me. Whenever I am a little late to an article that the little lord has posted, I scroll down to see if anyone else has posted the entire thing before I head to the link myself.
I teach at a local "conservatory" for the children in the area. I see those many for music skills class. I didn't really realize how widespread this was until last week, which was too late to do anything about it, but next year I may start early and try to teach them a few songs.
That is excellent.
If I had used your method, I probably would not have caused my own sister to cry by berating her "Happy Holidays" telephone greeting last night.
Both your method and my method are pretty effective, but your method might result in fewer hard feelings among unsuspecting family members. My sister's problem is that she's just a clueless and yet innocent slave to pop culture.
That's a good point. But there seems to be a clear distinction between Tiny Tim's feelings and what motivates all the adults in the movie -- including Ebeneezer Scrooge himself.
,
"Pop culture"? "Happy Holidays" has been said for ages and I don't think either method of "correcting" people is appropriate.
Clearly, many who wish to take these steps to embarrass someone who is only extending a friendly greeting need to contemplate the real meaning of the season and realize they are doing the opposite of glorifying it.
Sounds rude and rather cruel to me. Odd way to celebrate Christmas.
You are not in fact "celebrating" Christmas if you do not say the word. Happy Holidays is not Merry Christmas.
People fear what they do not understand. Libs fear faith.
Libs religion is the religion of socialism. They worship at the alter of class envy.
The problem with liberals is they feel guilty because they do not feel guilty enough. They try to cure that by forcing their guilt on others.
They are doomed to fail. Liberalism, socialism, communism, et al, have failed and are failing.
To the libs, the ACLU the Atheists who want to say Thomas Jefferson wanted separation of church and state, who use Jefferson saying he was not religious I offer the following:
"I have sworn upon the alter of GOD, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." -Thomas Jefferson
"I am a Christian, in the only sense in which he, Jesus wished anyone to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others; ascribing to himself every human excellence and believing he never claimed any other" -Thomas Jefferson
He claimed his faith when he was asked. He just did not want the "state" to force any one religion on its people.
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