Bah, Humbug!

After the TYT video I mention above, I couldn't help watching another: "Christians Very Offended By Starbucks Holiday Cups."

Yes, I know people like this.

Yes, they are as touchy as TYT makes them sound.

Yes, they really need every retail and media outlet to endorse their religion as clamorously as possible.

Yes, I have lots of close atheist friends who celebrate Christmas as a social holiday. Unlike the touchy Christians (of course, not all Christians are touchy!), the atheists will only tell you about how and why they celebrate Christmas if you ask them. For the ones who do celebrate Christmas, it is a joyous time to visit with family and friends and enjoy all the pretty music, lights, and decorations. It makes the coming of winter a less bitter pill to swallow.

No, they are not trying to take Christ out of Christmas or change how believers celebrate the holiday in any way.

All they want is not to be dictated to themselves.

Personally, I don't see any harm in that.

As for me, I grew up with the familiar greeting of "Happy Holidays" that FOX News and Bill O'Reilly have their knickers in a twist about and that evangelicals boycott stores over. I grew up singing the song by that name along with countless other non-religious Christmas carols, like "Frosty the Snowman" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Does FOX News think that Frosty and Rudolph are plotting the overthrow of Christianity? Bing Crosby sang "Happy Holidays" in "Holiday Inn," which was released in 1942. Does FOX News really think that Old Groaner or, later, Andy Williams were really on the warpath against Baby Jesus?

Or maybe that evil old Jew, Irving Berlin, knew what he was doing all along when he penned the ditty in 1941.

Now...all of that said, screw Christmas until December. We barely finished Halloween before the stores started putting Christmas decorations out. Really?!?? Whatever happened to Thanksgiving? I'd like to celebrate Thanksgiving in peace without having Christmas shoved down my throat just yet, thank you. And I'd like to celebrate New Year's afterward.

As Dot Calm used to say, "Bah, humbug!"