November 25, 2005

"Wow, can you believe Thanksgiving is over and we'll soon be celebrating a very Merry –"

"Don't say it."

"Don't say what?"

"The 'C' word. Don't say it. You might offend somebody. I'm offended it didn't even cross your mind that you might offend me."

"But that's what it's called. It's a day that Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus. It's also a federal holiday. And since the vast majority of Americans are Christian, why can't we call it what it is?"

"You heartless thug. Did it occur to you that some people don't believe in God? Or that some prefer to celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or something else?"

"So go celebrate. I have no desire to prevent folks from celebrating whatever they wish to celebrate. What troubles me is the way we are white-washing Christmas.

"You're a Republican, aren't you?"

"WorldNetDaily.com published a recent feature about Wal-Mart that pinpointed the problem. A woman contacted Wal-Mart and wanted to know why the company replaced any references to 'Merry Christmas' with 'Happy Holidays.' She got an e-mail response that was a doozy."

"Go on."

"The Wal-Mart representative wrote that the company is a world wide organization and must remain conscious of this. That the majority of the world still has different practices other than 'Christmas,' which is an ancient tradition that has its roots in Siberian shamanism."

"Sounds good to me."

"He said that the colors associated with 'Christmas' red and white are actually a representation of the aminita mascera mushroom. That Santa is borrowed from the Caucuses, mistletoe from the Celts, yule log from the Goths, the time from the Visigoth and the tree from the worship of Baal. He said it is a wide wide world."

"Well, it is a wide wide world. That's why we need to be sensitive to other people's cultures, religions and beliefs."

"Sure, let's be sensitive but can't we also call a thing what it is? According to WorldNetDaily.com, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights conducted a search on Wal-Mart's Web site. The word 'Hanukkah' pulled up 200 items for sale. The term 'Kwanzaa' pulled up 77. But the word 'Christmas' prompted a message that said, "We've brought you to our 'Holiday' page based on your search."

"So what's your point?"

"Why is it OK to be clear about what some folks may wish to celebrate, such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, but elusive and vague about Christmas, which is celebrated by the vast majority of Americans?"

"Well, buddy, WorldNetDaily.com also points out that the celebration of Christmas has long been a cultural battleground in America, a battle dating back to colonial times. Did you know that Christians in New England outlawed Christmas because they felt it was based more on ancient pagan traditions than instruction from the Bible?"

"That is true and very interesting. It's also true that Christmas today is just as much a secular celebration as it is a religious one. But that isn't the point. The point is, in our efforts not to offend any particular group of folks, we're generating larger offenses that affect all of us."

"Such as?"

"Such as the Orwellian use of language we are spawning. Saying happy holidays is one thing, but some nuts are now refusing to call a Christmas tree a Christmas tree. They're calling it a winter celebration tree. Others are forbidding the use of Santa Claus at public places because Santa evolved from a European folk tale based on Saint Nicholas."

"Hey, it's a free country."

"Yes, and free countries thrive when their citizens think clearly, when words are clear and concise and things mean what they really mean. When language gets murky and clouded, thinking does, too. Murky thinking doesn't bode well for any Democracy."

"Look, I'm busy and need to do some winter solstice season celebration shopping. You got anything else to say?"

"Just one. Merry Christmas."

Tom Purcell