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More On the (Not) War on Christmas
The Religious Right and the relentless demagogues at Fox News have for many-a-year claimed that there is a war on Christmas, as a kind of leading edge of secularism. There is, of course, no war on Christmas and there never has been -- although there are always some disputes about such things as creches on public property; school holiday pageants; and store decorations that greet shoppers with a cheery generic "Happy Holidays" instead of a specific "Merry Christmas." These are the snags that inevitably come up in navigating a religiously plural society with a strong Constitutional mandate to separate church and state.
But as it happens, history is not on the side of the proponents of this charge. First, the war on Christmas as currently framed is an anti-Jewish smear fabricated by Henry Ford in 1921. What's more, the notion of how Christians should celebrate Christmas, and whether they should do so at all, has radically evolved over time. So has our own government's approach to the matter. This is part of the body of knowledge and set of skills we need to answer those who take the likes of Bill O'Reilly seriously or who are otherwise unduly influenced by the Religious Right.
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The Pensito Review has a has a helpful post, drawing on a documentary, Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas, currently running on the History Channel. The film reports, among other things, that the Pilgrims outlawed Christmas and that the Founding Fathers insisted that the Congress stay in session on Christmas Day, a practice that continued into the 1850s. Christmas was not even declared a federal holiday until 1870. (A Tip of the Holiday Hat to Buzzflash.)
Here is an excerpt from the History Channel's notes on the film:
In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday.
The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.
After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under America's new constitution. Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870
For more reporting on the origins of the war on Christmas smear and the contemporary controversy, it is also worth checking out these posts by Talk to Action writers: War on Christmas - Who wrote it? by Chip Berlet; Religious leaders push back against right's "War on Christmas" by Bill Berkowitz; In 1960, The War On Christmas Started In July and Sorry, Bill O'Reilly. Christians themselves started the 'War on Christmas'... in the 16th Century! by Bruce Wilson
More On the (Not) War on Christmas | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)
More On the (Not) War on Christmas | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)
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