Candy: The ‘War on Christmas’ isn’t real
Dec 9, 2019, 5:06 AM | Updated: Oct 1, 2024, 11:10 am
Delilah the Camel participates in a live nativity scene in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill December 4, 2019 in Washington, DC. The group Faith & Liberty held its 11th annual live nativity scene in front of the high court that included live animals. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Santa, Krampus, Kwanza — the holidays are here and around this time of year you’ll find that person who swears on their nutcracker that “Christmas is under attack!” You can’t even say, “Merry Christmas anymore!”
No one has a problem with the phrase, “Merry Christmas.” If you truly believe that, you have played into the big machine of Christmas retail. What businesses have a problem with is leaving money on the table and that is why you will see more and more companies shifting to “Happy Holidays” or just something that conjures up warm feelings like “Merry and Bright.” It makes your brain want to buy more.
“The War On Christmas” has nothing to do with religion; it’s a marketing ploy designed by retail more than 20 years ago to get you to spend more money as a way of showing support for a made up American Hallmark holiday.
Not to mention with the 24-hour news cycle and social media, it’s easy to say “Christmas is under attack!” and have 20 people say yeah, I heard that. But when have you ever heard that? You haven’t.
Now let’s be clear, religious discrimination happens here but no one is discriminating against Christmas. If you bring up “Christmas trees” being taken down in certain places, I will gouge my eyes out with a candy cane.
1. Christmas trees are not really Christian — pre-Christian pagans worshiped trees, that’s where it started and became a festive decoration in multiple countries. Then Christians liked the tree symbol, so they adopted it.
2. The names “holiday tree” or “winter solstice tree” are stupid, so it’s called a “Christmas tree.”
The War on Christmas isn’t real. Tell me I’m wrong.
Let me leave you with this handy guide. Did someone threaten your life, well being, legal right to worship as you choose? Yes? Then you are being persecuted, call the police. Did someone say Merry Christmas? Yes? You are not being persecuted, go about your day.
So gleefully say “Merry Christmas” while holding the door open for someone, shout “Merry Christmas” to your Amazon driver, or scream “Merry Christmas” to your neighbor putting up lights. Don’t waste your holiday being part of a fake problem.
Listen to the Candy, Mike and Todd Show weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.
