Merry Christmas

By Cernig

Merry Christmas, Newshoggers readers, whatever flavor of religion or non-religion you happen to ascribe to.

I don't really see a problem with a pagan like me wishing, say, my good Jewish friend Jason a "Merry Christmas". We both know it's a convenient shorthand for a whole bunch of syncretic traditions which go together to make up the "reason for the season" in most people's hearts. We've talked at length about the parallels and borrowings of the various religious motifs that heavily inhabit all the major and not so major religions, especially those of Indo-European origins. How many Christians would like to do away with the very pagan decorated tree, gift-giving, feasting and bacchanals of the holiday - or even do away with the pagan date of the holiday itself? That, surely, would be both truly Christian and a War on Christmas.

As Morbo writes for the Carpetbagger today:

As we wind up another holiday season replete with claims of a “war on Christmas,” let’s not forget what’s really going on here: Some people believe their religion is better than everyone else’s and certainly better than non-belief. It is their right to believe this, but merely believing it is never enough for these types. Increasingly, they are insisting that public schools, city halls, state governments, courts and other public institutions meant to serve us all adopt and promote symbols and phrases that reflect an understanding of what this holiday means that is held only by some.

And let’s be clear, they look down upon not just those who don’t celebrate Christmas but those who celebrate it in ways that they deem not authentic or serious.

Which makes them the real Scrooges, not those of us enjoying a syncretic Christmas in a huge variety of different ways.

So again, Merry Christmas.