Merry Christmas, Everyone (except heathens and militant atheists, of course)

It's the most wonderful time of the year again, so I thought I would share a short piece I wrote around this time last year for Trending Central. 

Christmas time is easily one of my favourite times of year. Yes, there’s the wonderful ubiquitous smell of pine, clove, orange, and cinnamon, the beautiful sights of greenery, red ribbon, and bright lights, communities coming together for things like carolling, tree-lighting ceremonies, and nativity scenes, and of course, the food. Oh, the food.

Then there’s that feeling – paradoxically both satisfying and depressing – that comes with the realisation that for a significant number of people everything I just described is a sort of kryptonite. I’m talking about the sorts of people who feel the need to do things like this. Now, I realise one doesn’t have to be a Christian to enjoy Christmas, but one certainly does have to be an anti-Christian to go out of one’s way to ruin Christmas for those who are. Being a modern liberal must be terribly tiring, to constantly take offence at everything, to live in perpetual fear of racist witches, sexist bogeymen, and old dead white monsters under the bed.

If there’s one thing I really respect about the company I work for, despite their liberal worldview, it’s that walking into the lobby of our building the day after Thanksgiving, there is no way one could be confused about the time of year. Festoons of pine needles and red bows with sparkling lights line the walls, and a giant Christmas tree sits in the centre.

It’s sad that the scene in my building’s lobby is a rare one today. I think that those of us of a Christian/traditionalist bent really need to do a better job of standing up for Christmas. And by standing up for Christmas I mean making Grinches as uncomfortable as possible. So, here’s a very short list of things one can do to keep the Grinches away, or at least make them very upset, this Christmas season:

1. Get a mini-Nativity scene, advent calendar, and maybe even a mini-Christmas tree for one’s desk at work. Display prominently and proudly. 

2. Hum Christmas carols, but make sure they’re real ones – like “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”, “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen”, and “Angels We Have Heard on High” – and none of that “Jingle Bells” nonsense. Be sure to do so clearly, and for extra effect ensure that any lines including the words God, Jesus, or Christ are sung… loudly. 

3. Say Happy/Merry Christmas. Do this especially if someone has just wished you ‘Happy Holidays’. One might also inquire as to what ‘holidays’ exactly said well-wisher was referring to.