In a Riverside, CA ice rink, where figure skater Sasha Cohen (who is Jewish) was performing, the event organizer brought a police officer with him to tell the school choir to stop singing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen so as not to "offend" Ms. Cohen. Ms. Cohen was totally mortified as no one had talked to her about this.
Another Cohen (Toronto judge) ordered the Christmas tree taken out of the lobby of the courthouse so as not to "offend" members of other faiths. A leading Muslim cleric pronounced the move ridiculous.
A Jewish rabbi in Seattle was lobbying for an eight foot menorah to accompany the Christmas tree displays in the airport. Instead the airport took down all the Christmas trees. After a public uproar, and the rabbi's pledge not to sue, they put them back up.
The only thing offensive about these situations is the arrogance of the secularists who presume to know what is or is not offensive to members of other faith communities, virtually none of whom are offended by Christian seasonal symbols or activities.
It's the atheists with totalitarian gleams in their eyes that are instigating the whole mess. How about a little tolerance from them.

I don't get why people flip their wigs over the evolution of Christmas. I mean no one agonizes over Labour Day, bemoaning the loss of its true meaning. Who the hell cares? These are days off and parties are implied. Let's live it up!

Well put dolphin.

Shannon appears determined to recycle the same essay several times this season. All this stuff is a little tiresome.

In the end it's an essentially pagan holiday that everyone ought to enjoy and besides, many businesses need the Christmas boost each year or they'd find themselves in the red for the whole year.

Then they might need a new business model entirely.

Half a good idea is better than none. Multiculturalism at its best makes everyone more tolerant. We just don't see it at its best much these days.

Moderation in all things.

I agree with G West...why does she write virutally the same article every year? How about changing your article and making it original next year Shannon?

I also agree with Dolphin about the stupidity about not putting up trees as they may offend somebody. I am not offended by a tree and I am not a christian. I wouldn't be offended by a menorah, or any kind of Ramadan symbol...whatever...let each celebrate his own religion and have tolerance for any and all of them..not pretend that none of them exist... it's all so stupid...

I agree - It's been flogged. So Xmas has become an orgy of consumerist gluttony, like everything else in society. Tell us something we don't know. That only makes it parr for the course, and a fairly accurate reflection of the evolution (devolution) of our value-system. Don't blame Santa, Jesus, Rudolph or George Bush for this one....look in the mirror people.

So Merry Christmas & happy holidays everyone! I'm gonna sit this one out.

so dolphin... is it the atheists or the jews (your examples) who are behind it all? Most atheists i know have no god to offend or impress.

On one hand, you have people like myself who are sticklers for accuracy. Christmas is a pagan holiday and the majority of people out there know it. From another perspective, you have people promoting it to make money. From yet another perspective, you have people who are indeed, victims of commercialism. The environment alone, takes a good brunt of damage from such a holiday. Trainloads of plastic and PCB's, and dead tree's doesn't help things any. And from other perspective, you have the religious nutters who believe to this day that this pagan holiday is for real. And finally, we have what seems to be the majority of the population who is willing to comprimise or at the very least, put up with it because they are being polite and don't want to make waves. Common sense dictates the need for a family holiday and some time off in the dead of winter. The big question is, do we need a heavily commercialized pagan holiday for it, or can we move onto a more appropriate, less commercialized form of time off... its worth asking once a year. I owe you an apology by the way, Shannon. Take care.

I dislike the 'theft of time' that this foolishness brings out.

Time taken to do things like 'wrapping gifts' or 'writing cards'.

Better to gift give when you feel like it (more of a surprise that way) and give out thank you cards any time you feel moved to do so to those in your life.

Stop stealing time, as that leads to other pressures, which can bring out the 'gremlins' in anyone.

In the past few days Canadian troops have been amassing for a huge military assault in Afghanistan.

Yes on the eve of the birth of Christ and his message of peace to the world, our brothers and sisters will be hunting down the poorest peasants on the planet with bullets made by SNC Lavelin of Canada.

What joy this season brings to the sons and daughters of Canada, as we in the name of God send forth our children. To murder on foreign soil, for the now exposed lies of the American government.

How serene the picture as he sights his target, calms his breath and squeezes the trigger, with thoughts of back home, family opening presents as his bullet splits the skull of a child 1000 meters away.

Merry fucking Christmas

Is it possible to Libel Santa?

Christmas, in just a few years, has turned from a personal familly event to a mega consumer orgy. Even the TV news keeps us informed up to the minute, of sales. Are they more than last year? Etc. etc.

Christmas has gone, disapeared into a 3 week riot of screaming kids; huge & overpriced & very dry (dangerous) Christmas trees; parents fraught with emotional breakdowns, lest they buy the wrong present for wee wille; visiting relatives one doesn't (and vissa versa) care for; over eating and drinking; and finally self doubt as one thinks that they are the only Scrooges around.

Yes let's boycott Xmas and take it back to at least the semi religious affair it once was.

The first law I make would be - No Xmas advertising at all untill December 1!

The second law I would make - To have an item for sale, it must be in stock for at least 90 days and it must be 40% or more off the list price!

To recieve a Xmas holiday, one must prove that they attended a church, funerals and wedding included, in th past 180 days!

Bah Humbug every one!

I don't see Christmas as a Christian holiday. It's just a welcome break from work and a time to get together with family and friends. The people who remind us that Jesus is "the Reason for the Season" are quaint.

Here is a Suess-like response to the Faithful, courtesy of Pharyngula, http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula

And the Priest, with his priest-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?
It came without Jesus! It came without gods!
"It came without reverends, ministers or frauds!"
And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Priest thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a church.
"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...needs a bit more research!
And what happened then...?
Well...in Doubt-ville they say
That the Priest's small brain
Grew three sizes that day!
And the minute his brain didn't feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light
And he brought back the books! And the logic and reason!
And he...
...HE HIMSELF...!
The Priest skipped church for the season!

I said i was gonna sit this one out, and i still plan to...but good grief check out these officious killjoys:

'Santa Claus does not exist' school tells stunned kids
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23378895-details/'Santa+Claus+does+not+exist'+school+tells+stunned+kids/article.do

Why attacking only Christians?
I suggest several other exciting topics to obscure real life, religious and political problems. Fight circumcision of boys and girls by Muslim, Jews and Pagans alike. Make Muslim and Jews eat pork as a very nutritious and tasty food. Pork is plentiful and healthy. make Hindus eat beef, it is not their mother!
Start doubting whether 6 million Jews killed by Germans during WWII is an accurate number. (David Irving was just released from jail. He was imprisoned just for expressing such a doubt 19 years ago). Try to persuade cannibals to choose another source of proteins.
Say that Carbon Dioxide is necessary for plant growth and global warming is a hoax to enrich Russian oligarchs. Change your name and make your phone unlisted to survive all that.
Marry Christmas everybody. If I can celebrate your Hanukah and Visaki you can celebrate my Christmas.

Rather like Christmas itself, writers and editors have to do Christmas essays. It's tradition, like fruitcake.

I think it bears repeating, every year, that Christmas could do with a severe curtailing. My boss, who runs a retail store, was nearly in a rage when his point of sale system crashed two weeks before Christmas. When businesses get 25% of their annual revenue in the two weeks before Dec. 25, and the economy is depressed for a month afterwards, something needs to be fixed.

I'm having a $100 Christmas, though by necessity.

If you like reading about the history of the pope (or popes) there is a new book non-fiction book available at the Vancouver public library called "The Perfect Heresy" that will surely shock most Christians.

If you'd rather think about happier times, go to Burnaby Village, which hosts Heritage Christmas, and an indoor merry-go-round.

Here are links to recent photos.

http://human-carillon.blogspot.com/

http://balloons-tunes.blogspot.com/

"Another Cohen (Toronto judge) ordered the Christmas tree taken out of the lobby of the courthouse so as not to "offend" members of other faiths."

I think a courthouse is exactly the one place, as opposed to an airport or department store, we really should be concerned -- not about 'offending' people (most people of other faiths may not actually be offended) but for the sake of representing the judicial system the way it's supposed to be: fair, just, unbiased, non-presumptive. A tree in a courthouse says, in all its current symbolism -

Now this approach may fly in a theocracy, but in a multicultural democracy it's just not acceptable. I don't know why this isn't obvious to all. There are distinctions and this is one.

kalgirl

Shannon Rupp, foot soldier in the War against Christ(mas).

The Tyee just can't seem to print enough of her shit.

To paraphrase dolphin, its those with totalaltiarian gleams in their eyes that are instegating the whole mess.

Everyone notice the Black Christmas (just another ethnic holiday)theme in controlled media(such as Tyee this year? I loved Mansbridge all in Illuminati black on Christmas Eve.

Since Cotler, it's a crime to offend a Jew these days. Why is that the whole world except for them celebrates the birth of the heir to their throne and to their office of high priest 2000 years ago? Could it have had anything to do with the deals their corrupt ruling class cut with the Romans were threatened? They tried to kill Him right from the start.

Bet there wasn't much celebrating going on in the wake of the slaughter of innocents.

La plus ca change gordon.