WAR AGAINST CHRISTMAS COMPETITION [ I ] [ III ] [ IV ]

Happy New Year! by Peter Brimelow

Our War Against Christmas competition is bringing in the usual tale of atrocities from sea to shining sea. And the Federal Government has not yet weighed in – who can forget our leaked How The HUD Stole Christmas memo last year?  

From: Pat Mason Jr. Pat1234m@compuserve.com

Tell Peter to send me the book.  My children attend a private CATHOLIC school [in Shreveport, LA].  They have just been informed that "Happy Holidays" will replace "Merry Christmas" since the latter is "offensive" to non-Christians.  A parochial school, no less.  

P.S. this is the same school, which banned anything 'Confederate' so as not to "insult" the (literally) one or two blacks in the entire school. 

From: [NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST]

The tipping point in the obliteration of Christmas came, I think, in the first year of the Clinton Administration.  While everyone else was absorbed in the "gays in the military" flap, I noted that the United States Postal Service had adopted the slogan, "We deliver for Yule."  Since then, no Christmas from the USPS or, so far as I can tell, anything else related to the federal government.

From: Denise Burns mba@mindspring.com

Here in Atlanta, not only does the US Postal Service refuse to acknowledge Christmas by its real name, it even has a black ink postmark canceling out stamps that reads "Happy Who-lidays", I suppose in reference to the Grinch movie that has topped the box office (our family has not seen it, nor plans to). 

So is there even an effort afoot to "disenfranchise" the word holidays from our seasonal vocabulary, because it derives from holy days? It would seem so.

Thanks for your timely piece.

From: Allan E. Wall allan39@prodigy.net.mx

I'd like to submit an entry: I received an advertisement from NYTimes.com, inviting me to "Celebrate the holidays with NYTimes.com". It informs of "the holidays approaching" and of their "special Holidays section", "reviews of holiday films" and of a "holiday book review".  It also informs me that "Holidays is updated every day with all the holiday-related information appearing in the NYT".  There are "holiday gifts," a "Holiday and Vine food and wine guide to help you plan your holiday meals," and it even informs me that I should "accept our best wishes for the holiday season by visiting this special online e-greeting card…" 

I punched the address to access the sub-section, and saw the featured card. Can you believe it, the featured card is known as "holiday jeers," in which you throw roasted chestnuts at carolers to keep them quiet!  Aside from that monstrosity, there are other "holiday e-greeting cards" displaying various New York City scenes (one of which actually has Santa Claus in it).  On that page there was other sub-section options to punch, so I punched one that said "Holidays".  On the "Holidays" page you can actually find a reference to "Christmas" - included in a chart called the "holiday countdown" which included Ramada, Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa!

Pretty outrageous, huh? Do I win the contest?

From: [ANOTHER NAME WITHELD BY REQUEST]

The City Manager in Eugene, OR has banned Christmas trees on city property. Reportedly he consulted with the People for the American Way and with the ACLU (usual suspects) and got their wholehearted support.  (Click For Article)

From: Scott Bisselberg  scbissler@hotmail.com

I believe the repeated attempts (he tried again this year) of attorney Scott Greenwood of Cincinnati to have Christmas removed as a federal holiday because of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment qualify as egregious examples of efforts to suppress Christmas.  Thank God many Cincinnatians also believe so.

From: John Brimelow [INELIGIBLE FOR COMPETITION]

I had dinner last night at Le Perigord (405 E 52 Street, NYC) my favorite of New York's grand restaurants, which I have used a good deal over 20 years. Suddenly it dawned on me that there were NO Christmas decorations. With effort, we found a few poinsettias. I asked Georges, the proprietor, who said he had had to eliminate them because of hostility from his large U.N. clientele. He said some had walked out. But has the U.N. composition changed so much in this period? Aren't these diplomats? Or are they sensing an opportunity?

December 19, 2000