Not Seeing the Forest for the Christmas Trees

Here's a picture of a house in Hopkins:

As you can see, quite festive!  We all have a neighbor like this, where their Christmas light display is crazy.  As long as they aren't blaring their choreographed light tribute, with accompanying Trans Siberian Orchestra soundtrack, into their neighbor's houses at 10:30 at night, more power to them.  As a private citizen, you're entitled to celebrate your religious festivities as you wish.

Christmas is everywhere.  Not just the overeager neighbor with a light fetish, but pretty much most communities are drenched with Christmas displays, some more Christian-y than others.  When someone tries to make the argument there is a 'War on Christmas,' I laugh.  There's no war.  The battle is long over and Christian Christmas was triumphant.  What we have now is, more or less, an occupation by Christmas, with constant reminders of the Christmas season everywhere you look, but because some people want to force their religion on others, they refuse to see the symbols of Christmas that are everywhere.

Freedom of religion means that everyone has a right to practice the religion of their choosing, whilst not being subjected to the constant, nonstop barrage of another religion being forced onto them.  As Americans, we're not supposed to have public high school choirs sing Christmas carols or public high school football coaches leading teams in mandatory prayers before and after a game, especially when the kids aren't Christian.  We're not supposed to force people into courtrooms where the 10 Commandments are posted, leading to questions of how the defendants religious beliefs factored into the rulings.  We're not supposed to discriminate against a minority population because of their religious beliefs, even going to the point of a religious litmus tests to determine whether citizenship should be granted.  We're not supposed to have over the top displays of one religion über alles in our public parks, installed by the supposed neutral city government which exists to represent ALL of the community.

When I hear a person scream about the 'War On Christmas,' how their religious freedom is being persecuted when someone dares complain about unwanted, unrelenting Christian screeching, I shake my head.  They usually have become blinded by the Christmas lights.  It's an interesting paradox; instead of the usual demure Christmas lights in a downtown community, an individual tries to push it to the next level by displaying an undisguised Christian religious scene (like a manger scene), a display which some religious, and non-religious people, are NOT okay with.  They then act like they're being persecuted when the overtly religious display is taken down, insisting all Christianity is being driven away, when in reality it's just being toned down, slightly.  It's the same delusional irrationality which drove people to actually protest a private company because their coffee cups only featured Christmas themed imagery, not definitive religious motifs.  They act as if anything short of screaming "Jesus is your savior" into people's faces, mandatory Christmas trees in everyone's houses, and forced singing of Christmas psalms, is religious persecution.  Trust me, Christmas is still the reigning champ, even without the over the top Christianity

Let's take a tour of my town, Hopkins.  I love it here.  For the record, I'm Catholic.  There are no manger scenes on Hopkins city property, and the outside of City Hall is Christmas decoration free.  Inside, you get this:

I think it's quite nice, but legal label to prevent lawsuits aside, it's a Christmas tree.  You can insist it's not, that it's a 'Holiday Tree,' but it's a Christmas tree.  City Hall also had a wreath on display.  Wreaths were not started as a Christian symbol, but at this time of year, the wreath is displayed as a symbol of Christian Christmas, like an advent wreath (there's a great one over at the Basilica!)

Here is a look down Main Street in Hopkins.  Every streetlight has a Christmas wreath on it, with colorful lights, another symbol of Christmas, and candles in the middle of each one.  Pretty, and very Christian.  I know over sensitive Christian readers will insist the candle is not necessarily Christian, and I agree, but I know many Christians, from many different ethnic denominations, whom decorate with candles for Christmas.  And let's be honest, those displays in Hopkins don't look like any menorah I've ever seen.

Here are some more images of the Christmas lights on the streets.

Here is a picture of the Hopkins Fire Department:

Notice the Christmas tree and the Christmas lights there.  And finally, Bandshell Park in downtown Hopkins:

That would be a Christmas tree.  I should mention, as I was taking these photos, the church bells in the downtown Hopkins chimed 6 PM, and then played a melodic bell rendition of classic Christmas music (Silent Night, Hark the Harold Angels Sing), the sounds of which permeated the entire downtown.  I thought it was nice, but I'm not going to deny it was very Christmas, and very Christian.

By the way, visit Hopkins!  It's a cute town.  You'll like it.

Fervent religious zealots are furious at me right now.  For them to make the argument there needs to be a baby Jesus on display in every town, people need to be blind to the insane amount of Christmas and Christian symbols already around them.  I think Hopkins, and most other cities, don't need to add anything else to their holiday displays, let alone something so bluntly Christian as a manger scene.  If you want your Christmas to be real Christian-y, then get to church, like my family does.  We have two nativity displays in our house.  I don't need the post office, the police department, or my city's water management center to have one to validate my religious beliefs.

For those who just want to force everyone in Minnesota and the United States to be Christian, stop it.  It's un-American.  Let people make their own decisions.  That's what a good Christian would do.

I'm not pointing this out in an effort to remove the Christmas decorations in Hopkins.  Quite the contrary; I want to thank the individuals from different religions who don't celebrate Christmas for not feeling threatened or pressured by the simplistic Christmas displays Hopkins, and many other cities, exhibit.  Thank you!  To all those who aren't Christian, Happy Holidays to you, and your family.  To all those who are either Catholic like me, or of a different Christian denomination, a wonderful Merry Christmas to you!