The war on christmas has been over for a long time

And the christians lost.

It was a bloodless war waged by various groups over centuries, but the final capitulation of any claim christians could have over the holiday took place with the rise of capitalism and the christians’ enthusiastic embracing of the new lords of the holiday.

As people whose sole goal is to accumulate as much money as possible began to recognize the market value of christmas, a very aggressive campaign to take it prisoner began and has never let up.  Sure, the conquerors allow christians to practice their mythology.  Hell, they don’t even mind sticking a few christian images on their goods – if it helps their sales.  But there are certain things that the victors don’t allow.

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The money men will not let their carefully designed icon be upstaged by the christian one.  Really, a dude in plain, white robes preaching against materialism and greed is hardly going to boost sales in malls, no matter how many children he invites to sit on his lap.  These kids don’t want to wait until they die for their reward, they want it now, dammit, and it better not be some vague feeling of peace and serenity.

The money men will not allow only one superstitious group to claim christmas at the exclusion of all others.  No, no.  All are welcome to celebrate, even the damned atheists.  In fact, all are encouraged to do so,  all are pressured to do so.  Equally.  There is no hell in the new christmas under the conquerors’ regime.  Except, of course, when bills come due.  The money men have not only conquered christmas, they redefined it, expanded it, gave it new, nifty slogans which are all-inclusive.  Happy Holidays!  Happy Holiday Season!

And you christians who get all offended when some people prefer the Happy Holidays slogan , it isn’t strictly your religious celebration anymore.  You are equally complicit in that since you enthusiastically participate in the fevered shopping, in putting up non-christian icons, in turning the entire season into something that has little to do with your religion.

But what’s that saying christians like so much?  An eye for an eye?  What goes around comes around?  You reap what you sow?  It’s not like it was your festival to begin with.

So lighten up.  Practice your superstition all you want, but drop the outrage.  The war was over long ago, and you gladly surrendered.