No politics in Christmas, please
Reading Chuck Goudie's column this morning (Dec. 24) left me dazed and confused.
Why he felt the need to point out the political incorrectness of "Miracle on 34th Street" is beyond me. Perhaps it was sarcasm. It is a lovely story about troubled people that begin to thrive on the contagious warm-hearted spirit of Christmas. One thing I do know, I'll never watch it again without looking for the black maid, the girl chewing on a gun (yes, you wrote gun, try proofreading your column, Chuck), or picturing birds committing suicide into an atheist's living room window. Thanks Chuck.
Whatever the intent of this column, it was lost in the inappropriate analysis of this heartwarming film, printed on Christmas Eve of all days. Thanks Chuck.
For those who decided Christmas needs to be politically correct, I'd like to remind you that Christmas is a religious occasion marking the birth of Jesus Christ. There is nothing political about it.
For those who think we should be saying "Happy Holidays" because non-Christians will be offended, shouldn't we be doing that year round? Why are people choosing Christmas to make this statement? Why are we saying "Happy Fourth of July" when there are so many people living in America that are not Americans? Shouldn't we worry about offending them? What about "Happy Birthday"? What if there is someone in the room that is not celebrating a birthday? What about Mother's Day and Father's Day? So many childless families feeling left out. The list goes on.
What would happen if all Christians decided not to pump billions of dollars into the economy during November and December for Christmas? No one seems to be offended that we do that. I'm guessing Christian and non-Christian retailers would begin screaming Merry Christmas from the rafters!
If you do not want to join Christians in celebrating this sacred day, try keeping quiet about it. Give your negativity a rest Chuck. Christmas is a happy occasion.
Please join me in celebrating Christmas for what it is, the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. No politics, no negativity.
Kathy Vetter
Green Oaks