When we lived in Houston we'd always go to the same Chinese restaurant on Christmas eve. Now that we're in Minnesota, everything closes before 6:00 PM on Christmas Eve - even the local Chinese restaurants .
I think I can explain it this way. I have five children ages 7-25 (no comments please ) They have been raised to celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas. They are human and they have built perceptions about Christmas that makes it a special religious celebration. They know that there is no significant spiritual relationship to the Christmas holiday and their personal faith. But they have a reference point to look forward to the season for very religious reasons and they have built a part of their religious experience around those points. There are memories of Dad reading the Christmas story around the fire each year, singing specific songs, the annual church children's Christmas play, certain movies, family gatherings, church carolling, prayers and reminders of the birth of Christ. The sum of their experience becomes tied into their living faith is a connected way. Just like a veteran would go to monument on Veteran's Day, or a patriotic American may put out a flag on July 4th with a sense of appreciation and loyalty that is significant on that day. So when my children heard a little about this they were perplexed about why anyone would want to change anything about Christmas. For them it seemed to me there was disappointment. Not because they were losing anything essential to their faith. Only because in their faith they had experienced some wonderful expressions of Christmas as a religious time. It was set aside in our family over the years to give focus to Christ's birth. They will be fine if the name Christmas disappears. But please don't fault them for reacting somewhat when they heard about this on the internet. I don't even know who Donohue is unless it is 'Phil'. But I understand the reaction some Christians have even though I think it is much ado about very little.
I hear ya. If you drive down Bellaire, pretty much everything in Chinatown is open XMas eve and XMas day.
I ask my Asian friends what they eat during thanksgiving or Xmas. Typical answer is not dirty old Chinese restaurant, but rather hotpot at home. Think of a fancier version of pho....
I was thinking about this topic today and realized this issue is pretty much another example of the political strategy of the conservative / Republican / Religious right alliance. Its blowing out of proportion a small wedge issue with little meaning while both ignoring and distracting from larger issues around the topic. Some Christians and self-proclaimed defenders of traditional values are decrying they use of "Seasons Greetings" and "Happy Holidays" as an attack on Christianity and traditional values while ignoring the larger issues of why Chritmas has become as watered down and secularized due to the massive commercialization of it. Consider that the message of sentiments like "Silent Night, Holy Night" has been drowned about by loud and crass Jingle Bells. Instead of piety Christmas is now more about spending and feasting so much so that sectors of our economy are dependent on it. Those type of things would seem to me to be far greater threats to any religious message in Christmas than that people are changing their cards to "Holiday Cards" than "Christmas Cards". Since commercialization though is a big part of the conservative / Republican / Religious right alliance though these defenders of traditional values won't call Old Navy or Coca-Cola to task for making Christmas more about the mall, partying and A jolly fatman than about a child of poor parents born in a barn. Instead though they've targetted a narrow issue and trumpted it to stoke up indignation. This is a perfect example of the strategy of driving narrow wedge issues that have little impact to bellow about while ignoring larger issues. For instance Gay Marriage. Homosexuals still make up only about 5-10% of the population and not only all of that group wants to or believes that homosexuals should be allowed to marry yet listening to the panic around it it would seem like if gays were allowed to marry then traditional marriage would end as a tidal wave of gays get hitched. Therefore the defense of marriage becomes much more about stopping homosexuals from marrying than considering why so many heterosexuals are getting divorced or why marriage has been cheapened so much that courtship and marriage are reduced to gameshows. For those so concerned about defending traditional marriage why haven't we seen constitutional ammendments banning "Who Wants to Marry a Millionare?" which enforces the message that marriage is just about finding a meal ticket or getting some attractive arm candy? That to me would seem far more damaging to the idea of marriage than saying that homosexuals who love each other might want to get married. Just some thoughts to think about and Merry Christmas to Clutch D & D.. And for the rest of you Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza and a Festivus for the rest of us!
