Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good re: War on Christmas

[CBHagman]

In the "better late than never" category, I have this link to Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and their response to the so-called war on Christmas. Not surprisingly, they think Messrs Reilly, Gibson et al have this WOC thing all wrong.

http://www.christmascampaign.org/

In recent years some media pundits and "culture warriors" have waged a vocal campaign against a so-called "War on Christmas." Targeting department stores, local governments and school systems for replacing Christmas with "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings," Bill O'Reilly and John Gibson of Fox News have led the charge against what they call a "secular progressive agenda" determined to drive religion out of the public square. William Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights warns of "cultural fascists" bent on destroying Christmas.

The real assault on Christmas, however, is an excessive consumer culture that has turned a holy season into a celebration of commercialism and materialism. By focusing our attention on shopping malls and the consumerism that accompanies Christmas, this misguided campaign further distracts us from the real message of the holiday.

There follows a list of suggestions for socially responsible giving.

http://www.christmascampaign.org/giving.php

And you can also check out the ads the alliance has been running in publications such as the Washington Times and the New York Post -- the better to reach those who are likely watching Fox News as well.

[theredpen]

1. We need to have a secular solstice holiday

Let's face it. There are two Christmases. There's the one we celebrate in midnight mass and there's the secular gift-giving holiday. Why can't we just have an explicit secular gift-giving holiday that all Americans can enjoy, and keep the majesty of Christmas within the church? It seems to me like this would solve two problems.

The gift-giving holiday could be moved to New Years, as it is in some cultures. I have a friend who grew up in Jerusalem as Armenian Orthodox. Her family celebrated Christmas THREE times. Once on December 25th, once on January 6th (Epiphany) and again on January 19th, which was Epiphany for people who celebrated New Year's on January 13th. This just meant three times the Christmas masses. The gift-giving holiday was New Years and it was essentially secular.

[knitter4democracy]

2. That's a really good idea.

New Year's is already a party, so why not make that the gift-giving one?

In our Russian Orthodox church, some give gifts on St. Nicholas's day, most on Dec. 25th, and some on Jan. 7th (the old calendar's Christmas). I like the idea of us keeping our feasts holy and picking another day for gifts.