Comments on: Unhappy Holidays

By: Exiled from the Underworld

Exiled from the Underworld — Tue, 11 Jan 2005 23:38:46 +0000

Oil

The New York Times carried an article today titled “Oil Find Hints at a Less Dependent Cuba”. President Fidel Castro [durational ratio of Cuban presidents to U.S. presidents: 1/10] announced on Christmas day that estimated reserves of 100 million bar…

By: Exiled from the Underworld

Exiled from the Underworld — Tue, 11 Jan 2005 23:38:03 +0000

Oil

By: jwer

jwer — Mon, 03 Jan 2005 19:14:26 +0000

Tooth Fairy.

By: Ed Drone

Ed Drone — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 03:28:30 +0000

“as ludicrous as a reindeer with a glowing nose or an elf who wants to be a dentist.”

Okay, I recognize Rudolph, but what’s the other story? Anybody?

… or will I have to write it?

By: dolphin

dolphin — Sun, 26 Dec 2004 04:28:52 +0000

Actually on the date issue, most scholars believe that the historical Jesus was born on or near May 20th. As for Christmas trees, shopping, whatever else. None of it has Christian roots. I have a post outlining the history of many of our Christmas traditions over on my blog.

By: Ereshkigal

Ereshkigal — Thu, 23 Dec 2004 17:07:51 +0000

The One True Commenter isdead-on regarding the date issue. I would add that, even if one were to accept Decmber 25 as “the Day”, the message “Merry Christmas” would logically apply ONLY to that day. Otherwise, one must acknowledge that it is only the Christmas season. Would the beleaguered Mr. Robertson, Mr. O’Reilly, and their allied worshippers accept the suggestion that the “Merry Christmas” greeting be preserved for use only on that day when its meaning is actually significant?

Or, on the other hand, would the complaining chorus note that the commercialization of Christmas, a phenomenon that itself was once the source of midwinter angst to true believers, is responsible for the following:

(1) Distorting a religious observance into a spending orgy of greed, envy, and gluttony;

(2) Expanding Christmas buying to “Holiday” buying, so as to offer equal consumer opportunities to non-Christians; and

(3) Over-exposing the whole Christmas/Season/Holiday concept so that (starting with the arrival of “Holiday Shopping” catalogues in mid-summer, and ending in February with “pre-inventory” clearance sales), to the end that the wonders of a blessed night, the birth of a beloved child, and the holiness of time and place are irrelevant?

Or would that make require sincerity? Bring me a whip– I’ll run them out of the temple myself.

By: jwer

jwer — Thu, 23 Dec 2004 13:23:38 +0000

My new solution is to ask the following pre-greeting screen question: “Are you a right-wing freakshow?”

If the answer is no, then I proceed to the traditional: “Well then, Happy Holidays to you” otherwise, the Cheney-approved: “Well then, fuck you AND the Baby Jesus.”

By: Daldude

Daldude — Wed, 22 Dec 2004 23:48:09 +0000

Though I'm not quite in agreement regarding the harmlessness of government-sponsored Christmas, and as much as hate it when people promote their own blogs in other peoples ?comments?, I just have to do it, because this ?attack on Christmas? hysteria has gotten out of hand, and its important to show that there lots of us there who are justifiably angered by it, so here?s my humble contribution to the debate: Christmas Rebuttal

By: kamachanda

kamachanda — Wed, 22 Dec 2004 22:32:26 +0000

If you don’t believe in “a reindeer with a glowing nose” who do you think pulls Jesus’s sleigh when it’s foggy out?

This whole manufactured issue is nothing more than the American Taliban in action. I think they secretly envy the Jihadist schools that teach nothing but the Koran.

In my opinion, I think it shows an incredible insecurity in your faith if you have to enforce your beliefs on others. And there is the true source of fundamentalism.

Hope you all had a good winter solistace.

By: The One True Commenter

The One True Commenter — Wed, 22 Dec 2004 20:08:18 +0000

It seems obvious enough to me. Unless you live in some podunk town in the middle of nowhere, chances are you know some Jewish people, some Asians, etc. Maybe you know some people who are religious to varying degrees, but don’t have a large family, or don’t care to indulge in the orgy of consumerism, so all Christmas means to them is a relaxing day off from work.

Saying “Happy Holidays”, to me, is just a way of acknowledging all these things. It’s a way of wishing them well, whatever it might mean to them. It’s a way of actually recognizing the other person as an individual.

But all this is repellent to the professional Christian victim crowd. Nuance! Shades of grey! The horror! The horror! They just want their holiday to be right out of a Norman Rockwell portrait. Sort of like what Andy Farmer (Chevy Chase) tried to do in Funny Farm. Other people aren’t respected for who they are; only for what they make the fundies feel about themselves. Seeing their own uptightness reflected back at them is the only thing that makes them feel secure. It’s a true herd mentality.

It’s all hilarious, of course, seeing as how Christmas wasn’t even celebrated for the first few centuries, and when it was recognized, the date was set at Jan.6, until Pope Julius changed it to Dec. 25 in 1743, trying to crowd out all the ancient pagan solstice celebrations. And if you read the book The Jesus Mysteries, it seems increasingly likely that even Jesus himself was just a composite sketch of various savior-gods, not an actual flesh-and-blood person.

No wonder they’re so shrill and hysterical about all this.