My, how times have changed
According to an editorial in the NY TImes, The American Family Association is boycotting Target for not using the word "Christmas" in its advertising. O'Reilly is encouraging folks not to shop at stores that don't say "Merry Christmas." All these conservative folks say they are defending the traditional American Christmas. But the Puritans who "founded" America considered Christmas un-Christian, with its links to the pagan holiday of Saturnalia and the WInter Solstice. Most of what we think of as traditional Christmas thingies are creations of advertisers or reworking of heathen motifs (tree worship, anybody?). And all of this commercialism? In the early part of the 20th Century, most Christians decried the retail takeover of the holiday. I remember talk about that even when I was a kid. Weird. For me, Christmas has always been about the return of light in the darkest times -- whether that light be Jesus, the sun or whatever you choose. These are dark times for lots of Americans. Why insist that they shop their way out of it?
posted by marthachick @ 12/05/2005 10:29:00 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I was watching Miracle on 34th St., the original with Maureen O'Hara and a little Natalie Wood and even back then they were talking about the commecialization of Christmas. Heck, even Charles Dickens wrote about it. Makes you wonder what an old fashioned Christmast really is. I think if you look through all of the tinsel, the message of love is still there though. I'm not a very devout Christian and sometimes I waiver, but I do fundamentally believe that Jesus was born out of love for humankind. I think of all the sparkles and spangles as a way to dress up our love. But it does get overwhelming sometimes. I'm hoping your and your family have a wonderful Christmas. It does get better when you can see it through a child's eyes.
Oh MarthaChick, you speak the truth about those who advocate upholding tradition without a clue as to what that tradition means. Maybe they are too busy pushing their agenda to read any history? Like the way the celebrated date was deliberately chosen to coincide with Saturnalia? People NEED a festival of light right now!
And would the Jesus of the gospels be pleased that he is used as a reason for humans to bully each other? Not likely.
Personally, I like Target because they kick back some money to local schools and stuff.
Whatever you are celebrating, it's sure fun to see the lights and colors through a baby's eyes! I hope the internal distress lessens and the fun increases for you.
Annie in Austin
PS Did last nights temperature dip hit your plants? My impatiens were still blooming beautifully until today - now look more like limp seaweed. I just hope the 2 budded camellias and the blooming loquat do okay if the antic weather folk are correct, and we really do go into the 20's on Thursday morning.
Yep, Annie, everything's getting nipped by the cold front. Frankly, it's a relief -- the canna etc. were looking really ratty. I kind of enjoy the process of cutting down the frost-burned plants and having more of a blank canvas to ponder. Hmmm, thats another post topic, isn't it?
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