I stand firmly behind any effort that has Frank Rich frothing, and I was on the “Merry Christmas!” bandwagon long before it became the right-wing cause du jour — the whole “happy holidays” meme always struck me as one of those silly inventions that begs more questions than it puts to rest. (It’s rather like “B.C.E.” in that regard. Sure, “Before the Common Era” sounds nice and inoffensive and all, but when does the Common Era start? Oh, yeah — with the birth of Jesus. And does that make the pre-Jesus epoch the Uncommon Era?)
Yet now that everyone from Bill O’Reilly on down is up in arms about it, I wonder if it’s actually worth all the fuss. There are plenty of times when traditional Christianity feels like it’s under siege in America, but I’m not sure that the Christmas season is actually one of them. It’s the season with the highest church attendance and, I suspect, the most charitable giving; the season when Britney and 50 Cent give way to songs about Our Dear Savior’s Birth (or ODSB, in shorthand); the season when you can even count on Time and Newsweek to put Jesus on the cover. (And yes, I know how bad the stories were . . . but you take what you can get.)
Sure, Christmas is over-commercialized and all — but again, compared to what? America is over-commercialized, or hasn’t anyone noticed? And at least during Christmas, people are channeling their rampant consumerism into generosity and good will toward their friends and family, rather than the usual self-centered buying habits that keep our economy humming so smoothly.
All of which suggests that the celebration of ODSB might be a good time for conservative culture warriors to take a break from hammering secularists (yes, even the excitable Mr. Rich) and actually show them a little of the Christmas spirit. After all, even if you’re spending the season purging your pageants of Christ-child references and freaking out over Jesusland, you’re probably still humming “Oh Holy Night” under your breath while you do it.
— Ross Douthat
The Dish 