{"id":69,"date":"2010-12-24T18:08:00","date_gmt":"2010-12-24T18:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ethanlewis.org\/icarus\/2010\/12\/24\/the-war-on-merry-christmas\/"},"modified":"2019-03-31T18:26:40","modified_gmt":"2019-03-31T22:26:40","slug":"the-war-on-merry-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ethanlewis.org\/icarus\/2010\/12\/24\/the-war-on-merry-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"The War on (Merry) Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"
Depending on the circles you travel in, you may be aware that some right-wing types believe that there is a concerted “War on Christmas” that has been going on for years. Just Google “War on Christmas”<\/a> and you will find over 2 million hits. Or you could go to Amazon.com and buy Fox News personality John Gibson’s screed “The War on Christmas: How The Liberal Plot To Ban The Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Think<\/a>“.<\/span><\/div>\n


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<\/a>Many people are terrified that before (or after) Barack Hussein Obama comes to confiscate our guns<\/a>, he will also take away Christmas.\u00a0 In their perfervid imaginations they can probably already envision a Kwanzaa tree<\/a> on the National Mall. Ultimately, I think no one has anything to worry about here.\u00a0 The reason is that government wars just don’t work. Don’t forget that there was a liberal “war on poverty” that started 44 years ago, and poverty rates are worse now than they were then.<\/span><\/div>\n


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Liberals aren’t the only ones who screw these things up.\u00a0 Don’t forget the conservative War on Drugs <\/a>(40 years old) and War on Terror<\/a> (9 years) that have been equally as unsuccessful.\u00a0 In fact, I’m sure that there are a large number of poverty stricken Americans living in bad neigborhoods being terrorized by drug addicts right now.\u00a0 They must be the independents we hear so much about.<\/span><\/div>\n


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But hey, it’s Christmas, right?\u00a0 Why don’t I just lighten up and give in to the holiday spirit?\u00a0 Well, believe me I’d like to.\u00a0 But there is something holding me back.\u00a0 The phrase “Merry Christmas”.<\/span><\/div>\n
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I have been bothered by the expression “Merry Christmas<\/a>” for decades. \u00a0 My biggest gripe about it is that I have trouble quantifying just what people mean by “merry”.\u00a0 The dictionary definition of the word doesn’t help that much:<\/span><\/div>\n
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merry |\u02c8mer\u0113 |<\/b>\u00a0 adjective ( merrier , merriest )
\ncheerful and lively : the narrow streets were dense with merry throngs of students<\/i> | a merry grin<\/i>.
\n\u2022 (of an occasion or season) characterized by festivity and rejoicing : he wished me a merry Christmas<\/i>.
\n\u2022 [ predic. ] Brit., informal slightly and good-humoredly drunk : after the third bottle of beer he began to feel quite merry.<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n
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I mean, I know what it is to be cheerful and I’m usually fairly lively, but I don’t think that people really wish others a “cheerful and lively Christmas”.\u00a0 And as a non-drinker, I don’t really relate to wishing people a “slightly and good humoredly drunk Christmas”.<\/span><\/div>\n


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Further, when one thinks of personages associated with Christmas, “merry” isn’t the first word that comes to mind.\u00a0 Santa Claus, for instance, is usually described as “jolly”. Ebeneezer Scrooge<\/a> required haunting by no less than three ectoplasmic spirits before he could bring himself to be a mensch.\u00a0 George Bailey was basically suicidal<\/a>. And don’t get me started on the Grinch<\/a>…<\/span><\/div>\n


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But there is an alternative that I think could work for everybody.\u00a0 In coming up with this, I decided to look to England.\u00a0 As the progenitors of our language the British have a gift of the pithy phrase.\u00a0 Such as “French Leave” to describe someone who departs without permission, or a deserter.\u00a0 On the other hand they call french fries “chips”, which is confusing.\u00a0 But English antipathy for their Gallic neighbors is a topic for another day.\u00a0 The main point for right now is that in England, people greet each other in December with a hearty “Happy Christmas”.\u00a0 This phrase is simple, direct and to the point.\u00a0 I believe that we should adapt this for ourselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n


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I’ve been happy, I know what happiness is, and I want everyone to be happy all the time.\u00a0 Especially on such a special holiday.\u00a0\u00a0 So, from me to you, please accept my best wishes for a<\/span><\/div>\n

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Happy Christmas. <\/span><\/div>\n


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