Editor's Note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of "God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World," is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor.
By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN
I am fine with Jesus being the reason for the season, but does it have to last for two months?
A week or two ago, one of the radio stations where I live on Cape Cod, Coast 93.3, switched its format over to Christmas songs. As I am writing this, Wham! has just finished "Last Christmas"� and Hall & Oates' "Jingle Bell Rock"� is still ringing in my ears.
This confuses me. Is there really demand out there in radioland for non-stop Christmas carols for four weeks in November and another four in December? The Christmas season used to kick in right after Thanksgiving. Now it can barely wait for Halloween.
Don't get me wrong. Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby"� turns me on as much as the next guy. But for nearly two months? Isn't that a bit too much of a good thing?
In the Christian liturgical calendar, there is of course a month of preparation for the incarnation of Jesus. I remember lighting the four purple candles on the Advent Wreath in preparation for the coming of Jesus in the Episcopal church where I grew up. And I remember it as magic.
Advent is not Christmas, however, and you don't sing Christmas carols during the four Sunday services before Christmas. "O Holy Night"� (which, by the way, was just sung on 93.3 by Josh Groban) refers not to November 24 but to Christmas Eve. And when Bing Crosby croons (as he did for me a few minutes ago), "It's Christmas once more,"� he isn't right until the 25th of December.
A few years ago Bill O'Reilly invited me on "The O'Reilly Factor"� to discuss the religious ignorance of American citizens. He was decrying the "war on Christmas"� at the time, so he asked me about that, too. I told him I was pretty sure Christmas would survive whatever attack it was enduring. If local radio is any indication, I was right. Christmas, I am unhappy to report, seems hell-bent on colonizing November.
I am no anti-Christmas culture warrior. I love the Christmas Eve service, the faces of expectant kids on Christmas morning, and the story of a God who is one of us (sort of). But it's not ritual or theology that are stretching Christmas to the breaking point"”it's Macy's and Madison Avenue and Silly Bandz and Stinky the Garbage Truck and Coast 93.3.
Whatever war on Christmas we are enduring is being waged by retailers and advertisers, not secular humanists. According to Percy Faith & His Orchestra, "We Need a Little Christmas."� I think we need a little less.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stephen Prothero.
lol prothero gets turned on by santa baby hahahahahahahaha!
I agree 100%! Seriously, this is a battle that goes on in my house – it's not unusual to hear my wife singing a Christmas song to the kids in October. If she had her way, Christmas would last 12 months a year. To me, Christmas is like chocolate – it's wonderful and we love it. But, if we had to eat it every meal, we'd get sick of it real fast. I'm almost there with Christmas. I do not want Christmas to lose its "specialness", but if they keep hammering me over the head with it for 8 to 10 weeks a year, at some point I feel I'm going become a cynical as old Ebeneezer.
@St John: Us Christmas people are irritating that way! Your wife and I would get along well!Radio stations don't bother me cuz I can change the station or turn on Pandora. It does get irritating to see Christmas-themed commercials on tv so early though. It feels out of season since Thanksgiving isn't even here yet. But in truth, I don't really get tired of Christmas! It's fun and I love the shopping mall displays. I'm a sucker for a fuzzy hat. And yes, I have my own elf costume.
We live in a society driven by a consumer economy, and gift-giving at Christmas (while a lovely custom) has spawned a cultural phenomenon where retailers milk the season for all that it is worth. That is forgivable – many make the bulk of their annual profits on Christmas sales – but it leads in general to a "holiday season" that runs from Hallowe'en to New Year's Eve.
I like Christmas, though I personally celebrate its older cousin, Yuletide, and even will give it a full twelve days. But I don't like to see the frenzy of commercially-driven hype that assaults us for two months out of every year.
Allright you non-believers, hold on to your hats! Revelations abound! I love Christmas! I always have... I think it's the blatant capitalist in me. Not to mention the idea of perfect, non-judgemental, innocent, love against all odds. To me, that, above all, is what the Christmas story is about. This will be my first Christmas as an agnostic. I can't lie. So far I'm worried that it won't have as much joy as past years. I'm comforting myself by acknowledging that what I used to believe in (joy, hope, the ability for people to be kind and good) is still what I believe in. Just minus the judgmental superiority complex or exclusionary prejudices. I know this is the wrong forum, but anybody else know what I mean? Be kind. This is hard.
My wife and I are both atheists. But we still celebrate Christmas (as a secular holiday) for the joy and togetherness it fosters. Because happiness and kindness and a bit of time with family and friends are wonderful things to encourage, whether you believe the myths that underly the holiday or not.
The funny thing is, athiests & agnostics can see Christmas for what it is, capitalism & consumerism, but its highly unlikely that if Jesus were here today that he would have anything to do with it. Makes me wonder who this holiday is really for, since the only numbers the news cares about during the holidays is which stores had the beast "season" being the 2 months prior to Christmas. This then sets the tone for hiring and profits into the first quarter of next year. They should rename it Pricemas.
Jesus is not and has never been "the reason for the season." Everyone should know by now that "Christmas" began not as the ostensible celebration of Christ's birth but rather a pagan festival to the Roman sun god.
In the last 150 years or so it has been revived as a celebration of commercialism. Thus agnostics, atheists, Hindus, and others not claiming to adhere to Christianity are very comfortable participating in the Xmas tradition. Slogans such as "Put Christ back in Christmas" are therefore quite ironic, to say the least.
I agree whole-heartedly as well. Two days before Halloween, our grocery store was stocking the Christmas candy – "just to be ready." For what? Apparently the corporation decreed they should put it out extra-early this year. When I was a kid, there was a definite progression of holidays – Halloween, Thanksgiving, then Christmas. Now we have santa in the aisle next to skulls and witches hats, and Thanksgiving is just about a giant turkey and a parade squished in between.
I think the scariest costume I saw at my door on Halloween was this guy dressed as Santa Claus.
norcalfellow,
Heheheh, yes, one time I went to a Halloween party dressed as Santa and said those exact words... "This is the scariest thing I can think of!"
I start worrying about and dreading Christmas in September.
I like it that the shops say: "Happy Holidays".
Holidays are fun. I like extending the holiday season for as long as possible.
We need more reasons to drink!
Booze is the reason for the season. Booze is real!
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