OT: In Search of Christmas

[Guest guest]

In Search of Christmas

 

By John Leo

U.S. News & World Report

 

This column's far-flung staff has just visited two of the big

anti-Christmas or post-Christmas stores here in New York. First stop

was Macy's, where the formerly famous feast day has pretty much been

obliterated. Nothing on the main floor. But high up in the store's

nosebleed section (ninth floor, furniture), shoppers may notice " Holiday

Lane, " a collection of generically decorated Christmas trees, or former

Christmas trees. The forbidden " C " word is hard to find, though

sharp-eyed column staffers noticed it twice, in little nooks labeled " A

Country Christmas " and " A Traditional Christmas. "

 

Sadly, some minor Torquemada of the Macy's Christmas disposal unit will

probably lose his job for failing to rip down these noninclusive signs.

Not to worry, though. There's nothing religious here. No carols. No

music. Not much indication of what holiday might be occurring along

Holiday Lane. Hanukkah is suffering the same fate as Christmas. Two

years ago, the store had a huge Hanukkah banner and display. This year

a few menorahs sat forlornly in a tiny unmarked area, far away from

Holiday Lane.

 

The purge of Christmas is also in full bloom over at Bloomingdale's,

which, like Macy's, is owned by Federated Department Stores. A

minuscule Christmas section is tucked away on the fifth floor. " Any

Christmas music? " I asked a clerk, as a sad Billie Holiday song filled

the air (just the thing for holiday lanes). " Oh, it goes in cycles, "

the clerk said. " Just wait. " Sure enough, a few minutes later, right

after " Let it Snow, " " The Christmas Song " came on, or as it is generally

known, " Religion-Free Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Secular Fire. " I

heard no carols, though, and saw no " Merry Christmas " banners. Just

some trinkets and two tiny fake evergreen trees decorated with tiny

people holding Bloomingdale's shopping bags.

 

Federated apparently ignores Christmas because it doesn't want to offend

anyone, though at least 80 percent of Americans say they are Christian,

and 95 percent observe Christmas in some way. Presumably, if America

were 95 percent Druid, the canny folks at Federated would obliterate

major Druid holidays and tick off as many Druid shoppers as possible,

referring to this process as " inclusion. "

 

The sensitive executives at Federated are victims of the growing

campaign to make people feel uncomfortable about Christmas, not just the

religious feast but all the secular trappings, and even a mention of the

word Christmas in conversation. Some public schools have been banning

" Silent Night " and other carols from school concerts, though no court

has ever ruled that these songs can't be sung. In West Bend, Wis., the

school district announced that students could not distribute religious

Christmas cards. No law or court has ever ruled this way. The school

district backed down when Liberty Counsel, a religious-liberties group,

threatened to sue.

 

The anti-Christmas lobby implies that schools can't teach about

Christmas and says creches can't be placed on public property. Not so,

as long as the teaching purpose is educational and the creche is part of

a broad seasonal display.

 

" Illiterates or cowards. " Some PC people have begun to argue that even

" Jingle Bells " is a church-state no-no. Santa Claus, a totally secular

figure, is controversial because he was originally based on St.

Nicholas. Horrors. Then let's ban the word goodbye, which evolved from

" God be with you. "

 

In Newport Beach, Calif., red and green lights came under fire because

some sensitive types thought they were communicating a Christmas

message. If so, one wag said, Newport Beach should scrap its traffic

lights as well. Harold Johnson, attorney for the Pacific Legal

Foundation, said, " Administrators who try to make their schools

Christmas-free zones are either constitutional illiterates or cowards in

the face of PC bullies, or pushing personal agendas that have no

grounding in the law. " Sounds right to me.

 

Jill Stewart, a California-based columnist, says her state's

" intolerance toward Christmas is just another reason why Californians

and residents of other blue states are viewed by the heartland crowd as

hostile, godless types who can't stand regular folks. " Stewart is not

religious, but in protest against anti-Christmas campaigns, she says she

will skip saying " Happy Holidays " at Christmas parties this year and

just wish everyone " Merry Christmas. "

 

Defiance of the PC police may be catching on. In California, Gov.

Arnold Schwarzenegger said the state " holiday tree " would be called a

Christmas tree while he's in office. In Winnipeg, Canada, last year,

columnist Tom Brodbeck wrote that he was surprised and pleased that the

musical event at his daughter's school was a Christmas concert, not a

" winter celebration " or an " international celebration of the holidays. "

It wasn't a " sunny solstice " or " dandy December " concert either, just a

euphemism-free Christmas event. He thinks the word Christmas is slowly

making a comeback. " It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas again, "

he said. Let's wish.