I Hadn't Heard

When I think about war and holidays, I tend to settle on the story of the soldiers in World War I who crawled form their trenches on Christmas Eve and met their foes in No Man's Land for some drinking and fraternization if only for a few hours. And that's the war on Christmas, right?
Or maybe it's the Fox News surreal suggestion that we liberal types are out to destroy the most ubiquitous holiday of all time. It used to be that there was a breath, a pause, a whisper that allowed us all to celebrate the giving of Thanks before the baby Jesus and reindeer began to appear on lawns and that music began to pour from every speaker connected to the central server. Holy silent jolly holly wonderland lyrics that get stuck in your head no matter what language you choose to sing them. I'm looking at you, Jose Feliciano. And all these angels we continue to hear on high for months at a time are now audible starting around Halloween and don't stop until sometime after the Super Bowl.
Please understand, I hold the Christmas season in the highest regard. I participate in all manner of festivities from the tree to the peanut brittle to the candles to the stars in the sky. I confess that I still sit out the church part, but my wife goes and sings for both of us. My son helps fill the stockings of those desirous of home theater for extra shift after extra shift at Best Buy.
I'm saying we're doing our part to make sure no one stamps out Christmas. Though I remain more than just a little ambivalent about the rather crowded calendar December brings, starting with Pearl Harbor Day and ending with New Year's Eve. Mumbling "Merry Christmas" seems to ignore all those other notable events in between.
Maybe it's just a hoax of some sort.
That suspicion got quite a jolt last week when the "president" was rambling, as is his custom, at a rally in Florida for some reason. He told the crowd, "You know, some people want to change the name Thanksgiving. They don't want to use the term Thanksgiving."
They? Whom? Us liberal pukes who know that there are plenty of folks from other countries who are confused by our need to gorge ourselves and watch football to celebrate what was essentially the beginning of the genocide of Native Americans?
No. We still call it "Thanksgiving." Because that's what it is. A time to reflect on those things for which we are grateful. Like how many shopping days left until Christmas. The real and true reason for all of this unnecessary chatter about "holidays." Back to the front with you!