SURPRISE! Some people are idiots. I don't really need the news to tell me that. But every year we seem to see this marching onslaught of news about such and such a scrooge:
took down a Christmas tree
Christmas wasn't celebrated
a crucifix was taken down
a nativity removed
some checker didn't say "Merry Christmas" to a shopper
a store sold "holiday trees" and "holiday lights"
some atheist got offended by a Christmas carol
Some atheist sued over his tax dollars being used to put Christmas lights up
a school couldn't put on a Christmas play because a Muslim or Atheist claimed discrimination
kids got sent on "holiday break" or "winter break" instead of "Christmas break"
a school banned the Christmas play and Christmas tree but kids were forced to learn the Koran and pray to Mecca to teach them diversity
The school play was about frosty the snowman instead of Jesus
Kids weren't allowed to exchange Christmas cards
Some Muslim got offended that the school celebrated Christmas
A child got told Santa isn't real
Santa got banned from the mall
Santa said something dirty to some kid
Santa got drunk and went on a rampage downtown
Santa robbed a bank
Santa jacked a car.
Santa went out kissing his gay lover in a gay parade
Santa flashed people on the freeway
Santa grabbed one of his girl helpers behinds....
Okay - we get it!
I just don't see the need to get all up in arms over every single story out there. We know that along with the honor of being "the land of the free" was also have those who are "free to be idiots" - unlike countries like North Korea where it's compulsory.
We know not everyone's a Christian in this nation and I'm sure there's people who even in 1776 who hated Christmas. Heck - "A Christmas Carol" starring Ebenezer Scrooge who hated Christmas was written in 1843 by Charles Dickens born in 1812. So obviously the concept of Scrooge existed long before now and they had their problems back then with the exact same thing. It's nothing new. Meanwhile the news may be full of all this, there were another several million Santas who didn't rob banks, flash people, get drunk - stores that sold Christmas trees - tellers wishing people Merry Christmas - towns that celebrated the largest Christian festival in the year.
Don't let it get to you. Let them be scrooges. It doesn't matter. It's Christmas. My Christmas doesn't depend on them being Christmassy to me. If anything we can learn a lesson from "A Christmas Carol" and maybe some horrible god-inspired devil-driven event will show them just how much of a putz they were being at the checkout line after all.
There's news, there's newsworthy and then there's perspective. While the stories may be depressing they are in the minority. And most of this isn't newsworthy. Don't like what's going on in public with Christmas? Then celebrate it at home on your property in your house! Even the Grinch discovered "Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."
Don't leave it to Wal Mart to make your Christmas. If you do - you'll be sadly disappointed....unless you're exceptionally shallow and like swimming in the shallow end of the gene pool.
For what it is worth in my travels around the world in the military - I do know this, the Spirit of the Lord rests upon this land. That "feeling" in the air at Christmas doesn't exist in many places in the world like it does here despite lights and festivities. It's here if you want to go find it and feel it. So leave the naysayers behind and go celebrate the season when we remember the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and forget the rest of the nonsense!