Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
From the Department of the Painfully Obvious, the Religion News Service reports that Christian advocacy groups are using the fake "war on Christmas" to make big money from donors:
The Mississippi-based American Family Association says it has sold more than 500,000 buttons and 125,000 bumper stickers bearing the slogan "Merry Christmas: It's Worth Saying."The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal aid group that boasts a network of some 900 lawyers standing ready to "defend Christmas," says it has moved about 20,000 "Christmas packs." The packs, available for a suggested $29 donation, include a three-page legal memo and two lapel pins.
And Liberty Counsel, a conservative law firm affiliated with the Rev. Jerry Falwell, says it has sold 12,500 legal memos on celebrating Christmas and 8,000 of its own buttons and bumper stickers.
What a shock. Scare people with a trumped up and mythical threat and get them to buy stuff from you. Welcome to the world of demagoguery.
Comments
More like Welcome to America.
That's all it is, a cycle of fear and consumption.
George Bush says the best way to fight the war on terror is to go out shopping. Merry Christmas.
Posted by: Jake | December 20, 2006 9:03 PM
Hysterical.
I'm filing it under "why dint I thinka that?"
Posted by: twincats | December 20, 2006 10:37 PM
Christians hijacked this festival, it doesn't belong to them - how can a festival at this time of year (Roman Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, pre-Jesus God-men who were born on Dec 25th etc. belong to anyone?
In Europe the hijacking is basically O-V-E-R (99% of xmas cards sold have no religious theme), save for the odd association. It seems in the US Christians still seem to be getting away with associating Christmas with Christians... question is why is anyone else letting them get away with it? Take back Christmas! (p.s. that doesnt mean you have to change the name).
Posted by: Laurence Powers | December 20, 2006 11:59 PM
Man, I've gotta get into this business. DIBS ON VALENTINES DAY!
Posted by: Tyler DiPietro | December 21, 2006 2:39 AM
It used to be called "Yule" in English some time back. That's a festival which Germanic peoples (including Anglo-Saxons) have been celebrating since long before they became Christian.
In my country, Iceland, Christmas (or Jól, as we call it) is a very secular affair. Some of our Christmas carols are religious, other secular. I'd guess the ratio is about 50/50. The secular carols are usually older than the Christian ones (500 years vs 200 years or thereabouts).
I've been looking for English secular Christmas carols, and the only thing I've come up with is Deck the Hall. Can anyone find other examples?
Posted by: ElÃas | December 21, 2006 6:14 AM
The Law of Unintended Consequences is stirring from slumber. This attempt by the right to profit politically and financially from a trumped-up "War on Christmas" will inevitably provoke a _real_ War on Christmas as the celebration of Christmas itself will become increasingly identified with the religious and political right.
Elias makes an interesting point. But the downside for those of us in nordic countries is that there is no simple linguistic way to distinguish between the pagan "Jul" and the christian "Jul".
Posted by: csrster | December 21, 2006 6:54 AM
Elias: Yes, there are lots of English "carols" that are purely secular. Examples include "Wassail, Wassail All Over the Town," "To Drive the Cold Winter Away," and some versions of "The Holly and the Ivy." If you broaden the class slightly, there has been an industry clanking out non-religious "Christmas" music for the last 70 or so years here in the US. Go to any mall and see if you can spot the odd song which IS religious in nature. There is no war on Christmas, but there is most definitely a war on decent Christmas music.
For the record, I have Bach's Christmas Oratorio cued up, to be followed by the Boston Camarata's "Early American Christmas." Life is good, avoid malls.
Posted by: kehrsam | December 21, 2006 8:51 AM
Ed: Unrelated to anything here, but besides being a boredom troll, TramadoL23734 is linking your site to various random destinations, including at least one porn site. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Posted by: kehrsam | December 21, 2006 8:54 AM
Q: What do you call someone who bans Christmas?
A: Oliver Cromwell
Posted by: paulh | December 21, 2006 9:20 AM
So yet another bunch of people call themselves Christians and commercialize Christmas for their own profit. Ho Hum, back to planning this year's Yule/Solstice ritual...
Speaking of (mostly bad) modern secular carols, you can't get any worse than "Baby's First Christmas." Although "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" comes close. (Hello? It's WINTER! It's cold and dark and it's only just begun! I hate songs that try to shout down real feelings with forced fake jollity.)
Posted by: Raging Bee | December 21, 2006 11:00 AM
I guess "Merry Christmas! Got a Problem With That? Huh? Didn't *Think* So" doesn't really fit on a bumper sticker.
Posted by: Dave M | December 21, 2006 11:07 AM
Actually, it could fit, although you might have to tailgate to read it...which, now that I think of it, would only add to the jollity...
Posted by: Raging Bee | December 21, 2006 11:35 AM
Christians hijacking Christmas for commercial purposes?
Where is Stan Freberg and "Green Chri$tma$" when you need the proper sound cue? (Oh, here: http://www.mymerrychristmas.com/2006/stanfreberg.shtml)
Posted by: Ed Darrell | December 21, 2006 11:42 AM
I suspect we'll see a bumper sticker like this, one of these days ...
You can have my Merry Christmas when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers!
... pictured with Santa's sleigh flying the confederate flag.
Posted by: Rhampton | December 21, 2006 4:02 PM
Next year, I plan to get my panties in a bunch about the War on Halloween.
Posted by: obscurifer | December 31, 2006 2:17 PM