Merry Christmas. This is a phrase fraught with political meaning these days. Lots of people love to tell you what this day “really” means. It’s all about the kids, they’ll say. Perhaps it’s really about the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe it’s about Peace on Earth or loving your fellow man.
The Fox News guys cleverly exploited this notion a few years ago with their War on Christmas, which allows them to attack secular liberalism and argue for the practice of Christianity while using the cover of a holiday that most everyone likes.
I wanted to get to the bottom of this, so I called up Professor Stephen Nissenbaum, the author of the 1996 book The Battle for Christmas. He told me some people think it’s about the War, but it’s actually about how different groups have fought for centuries to define the meaning of the holiday. He said that if one wanted to be a “Christmas essentialist,” to find one true meaning in this day, that it is possible to identify the enduring element that has persisted over the long haul. But I don’t think it’s what most people expect.
By the way, I’m not saying that the aggressive consumerism at Christmas isn’t a bad thing. It’s clearly over-the-top. The worst offender, to me, is the current Visa check card commercials. At first, they argued that a check card was better than writing a check. Okay, I guess it’s faster. But then they have a store of busy shoppers all stop and stare in disgust at a shopper who dares — dares — to pay with cash. What? This is clearly a stealth way of suggesting that credit is far more socially acceptable than cash, shaming people who would do otherwise.
One Response
-
The Pop View » Santa’s Got Some Soul Says:
[...] writing about the holiday. One of the continual themes is the idea of people fighting to claim the True Meaning of Christmas. It’s worth remembering two things: 1) Our modern version of Christmas only goes back about 185 [...]