2008 Woodie Awards
The Combative Season of Giving
Spencer Hutchins
Issue date: 1/1/07 Section: Opinion
The Christmas season is upon us. In fact, it seemed to be upon us before we even left for Thanksgiving break. The proud American economic machine is in full swing, with malls and department stores, Internet one-stop-shops and auction sites packed and bustling, hawking the newest must-have. The Christmas season is a perennial time of frenzied activity. The buzzing doesn't die down until the blessed day arrives, and even then there have got to be sales we can find. Yes, our culture is rife with holiday spirit-you know, the kind that says, "Grab the Tickle Me Elmo before the next guy does!"
The push for Christmastime seems to be starting earlier and earlier. This humble correspondent is confident that by the time we Gonzaga fellows reach retirement age, the season will have begun by Labor Day. Despite our eagerness to begin singing the tunes and putting up the decorations, there is one aspect of this glorious, charitable, joyful time which we are hesitant, if not loath, to engage in: Christmas.
Yes, yes, we've all heard it before. Christmas has come under attack. Lest we upset anyone, we must not bring ourselves to utter that word which so conspicuously features the name of our Savior. John Gibson's book The War on Christmas is just one item off the predictable bill of fare which nourishes the Christmas die-hards. They denounce the secularization of our culture and the turning of backs on the traditions and foundations of our society. "Freedom of speech!" they cry. "Freedom of religion!" They may even tempt fate and quote a loathsome character, Franklin Roosevelt: "Freedom from fear!" One finds that Christmas has become the latest conquest of politicization. Lines have been drawn in the sand. Is one a "Christmas" person or a "holiday" person? It really matters now.
All of this is absolutely true. And while we lament the politicization of something so sanctified as Christmas, there is a reason it has become necessary to war over it. Political correctness dominates our culture. It has seeped into every seam of our fabric. And it is driven by one thing: a person's apparently God-given, unalienable, supreme right to be offended. "Happy Holidays" rings triumphantly from every rooftop and storefront. The season is so bountiful with examples of other cultures' traditions that we must indeed list them all if we list one. "Happy Ramadan, my friend." "Happy Kwanzaa, son." "Happy Hanukkah, old sport." Have we missed any? Christmas is too polarizing. It is too elite. We leave people out. They feel put upon. It is insulting for a non-Christian to be confronted by the overtly Christian holiday being celebrated all around him. So, he says he is insulted; and we lock our lips, parting them only long enough to utter some equivocation.
The push for Christmastime seems to be starting earlier and earlier. This humble correspondent is confident that by the time we Gonzaga fellows reach retirement age, the season will have begun by Labor Day. Despite our eagerness to begin singing the tunes and putting up the decorations, there is one aspect of this glorious, charitable, joyful time which we are hesitant, if not loath, to engage in: Christmas.
Yes, yes, we've all heard it before. Christmas has come under attack. Lest we upset anyone, we must not bring ourselves to utter that word which so conspicuously features the name of our Savior. John Gibson's book The War on Christmas is just one item off the predictable bill of fare which nourishes the Christmas die-hards. They denounce the secularization of our culture and the turning of backs on the traditions and foundations of our society. "Freedom of speech!" they cry. "Freedom of religion!" They may even tempt fate and quote a loathsome character, Franklin Roosevelt: "Freedom from fear!" One finds that Christmas has become the latest conquest of politicization. Lines have been drawn in the sand. Is one a "Christmas" person or a "holiday" person? It really matters now.
All of this is absolutely true. And while we lament the politicization of something so sanctified as Christmas, there is a reason it has become necessary to war over it. Political correctness dominates our culture. It has seeped into every seam of our fabric. And it is driven by one thing: a person's apparently God-given, unalienable, supreme right to be offended. "Happy Holidays" rings triumphantly from every rooftop and storefront. The season is so bountiful with examples of other cultures' traditions that we must indeed list them all if we list one. "Happy Ramadan, my friend." "Happy Kwanzaa, son." "Happy Hanukkah, old sport." Have we missed any? Christmas is too polarizing. It is too elite. We leave people out. They feel put upon. It is insulting for a non-Christian to be confronted by the overtly Christian holiday being celebrated all around him. So, he says he is insulted; and we lock our lips, parting them only long enough to utter some equivocation.
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