Christmas Is Not Anti-Semitic

Dr. Christmas

Why do some people think that there’s a War on Christmas?

I have a theory: for some, Christmas isn’t about love and family and compassion and joy. For them, it’s about hating Jews. Take a look at this letter to the editor from Bill Greco of Boca Raton, Florida:

It’s getting toward that time of year when we should be celebrating the Christmas holiday as we have for centuries. Unfortunately, I’m sure we will be entering the “war on Christmas” from certain radical left groups. I am not here to discuss the antics of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Anti-Defamation League, which are bent on doing away with Christmas.

The Anti-Defamation League! I didn’t know they hated Christmas! Oh wait– they don’t. And last I checked, the ACLU wasn’t trying to ban Christmas, either. Bill Greco is using the ADL and the ACLU as stand-ins for Jews, and he’s using the Christmas holiday to attack them. Santa’s not going to like this one bit.

In Greco’s world, the Jews have taken over the American retail sector, and they’re conspiring to keep him from buying Christmas cards:

Did you notice, it’s almost impossible to find a Merry Christmas card in any card store? Shame on them.

I’ve got a couple of friends in Florida, and they say that the Christmas cards ususally don’t go on sale until just before Thanksgiving. So with some luck, Greco will be able to find some Christmas cards later on.

So what would Greco have us do to honor the Christmas spirit? Buy, buy, buy:

My message is directed to shoppers this year. Please, focus on department stores that are displaying elaborate Christmas items. Decorated trees, wreaths, ornaments, toys, etc. in their stores. First, shop ’til you drop, as they say, but please, do not buy any of these Christmas items if you do not see one “Merry Christmas” sign in any part of their store. Don’t settle for “Season’s Greetings” or “Holiday Greetings” as their alternative.

Translation: honor the commercialization of Christmas, but don’t buy from Jews.

Bill O’Reilly

This reminds me of the rantings of the originator of the War on Christmas, Bill O’Reilly of Fox News. Last year, a Jewish man called O’Reilly’s show to say that he was concerned about the secularization of the Jews, which he thought was aided by Christmas displays and pageants in schools. O’Reilly told him to go to Israel.

So let me make things perfectly clear for Bill Greco, Bill O’Reilly, and all the other people who are trying to use Christmas as a club to beat up on Jews: that’s not what the holiday is all about. And it’s not about “shopping till you drop” either. And until you learn that, Santa’s going to make sure that you don’t get any felafels in your stockings.