Month: December 2005

The “War” on Christmas

Rants

You can skip the below rant it you’d like, and just watch this video. There’s little I can add to it to make it better. But if you’d like to read my attempt, then read on…

All this nonsense in the media about a “War on Christmas” is really beginning to bug me. It will soon be added to previous empty platitudes such as our ‘Wars’ on poverty, drugs and terrorism. It’s a slogan, not a war. It’s a war on nouns.

As my own recent blog entries attest, I am not at war with Christmas. I have embraced Christmas heartily, it is a wonderful holiday. I don’t care a bit if someone chooses to wish me a “Merry Christmas” or more generically “Happy Holidays”. In both instances, they are wishing me well and I would gladly accept it and return it in kind. Wish me a “Happy” Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Winter Solstice, New Year or Festivus, and I’ll wish you one too.

Thank heaven for those who will take on such nonsense. If you’ve read this far, treat yourself to another video clip, this one of the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart responding to Bill O’Reilly’s claim that he’s part of this ‘war’.

with thanks to Think Progress and Crooks and Liars for the vids

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St. Nicholas Snow Day

Diversions, Family, Guide to Life

st_nick.jpgAs a kid, there were a few holiday traditions brought over from the old world family roots in Bohemia. Some were food related, like the braided Hoska bread, or the Kolacky pastries. But the other meant gifts, and that’s why I enjoyed the fact that we celebrated St. Nicholas day in our house.

St. Nicholas of Myra lived in the 4th Century in what is today the country of Turkey. According to Wikipedia, he was known for secret gift giving and “is revered by many as the patron saint of seamen, merchants, archers, children, prostitutes, pharmacists, lawyers, pawnbrokers, prisoners, the city of Amsterdam and of Russia.” Happily, as a child, I fell into the child category and so was glad to celebrate his feast day on December 6th.

Although I’m not sure we really celebrated it as they did in the the Czech Republic. To me, celebrating St. Nicholas day meant an early visit by the historical predecessor to the coming visit by Santa which followed three weeks later. We’d get some toys and some candy (always a Lifesavers Sweet Storybook). That’s all that mattered.

St. Nicholas was known to travel with some less appealing companions. Good children would receive gifts from St. Nicholas, while bad once received beatings. My mother recalls that her Grandfather would dress as Black Pete to scare his siblings and later his children. Presumably they were beaten.

Yesterday we had enough snow that today the schools were closed and my wife and kids enjoyed a bonus day off. There was candy and gifts in their shoes (thanks folks), as there had been in mine. And while, like me, they know little more about the day than I did, I’m glad to carry on the tradition. Maybe this year I’ll try and make a Hoska. Next year, I’ll be Black Pete.

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