Put Christmas back into the world

Following years of paranoid political correctness by countries and companies falling over themselves to not offend non-Christians at Christmas-time, sanity has prevailed quite spectacularly in both Britain and the United States, where Mother Grundies have been increasingly active.

According to England’s Daily Express, a few weeks ago, municipalities in Britain were “ordered to celebrate Christmas in the traditional way—instead of being afraid of causing offence to non-Christians”.

The newspaper reported that “in a major victory for common-sense, local government secretary Eric Pickles said local authorities should not introduce politically correct versions such as ‘Winterval’”.

Mr Pickles urged councils to take pride in Britain’s Christian heritage by celebrating the nativity and all the traditions around it. He signalled an end to the practice of councils denigrating Christmas in what has been described as a wave of “Christianophobia”.

“Britain has much to enjoy at Christmas without abandoning its Christianity in a ‘misguided attempt to appease these politically correct grinches’,” the Daily Express said.

His message followed controversial festive celebrations that have ditched or sidelined the Christmas theme.

Birmingham’s annual Winterval festival was designed to appeal to all cultures, while Lambeth council in London sparked fury when it ordered its Christmas lights to be called “winter” or even “celebrity” lights to avoid upsetting other faiths.According to the Express report, Rochdale council provoked anger this year after it decided to celebrate Eid and Diwali alongside Christmas in a display of lights.

Although the Muslim and Hindu festivals had already passed, the lights, they said, were being kept up to “represent the community”.

John Midgely, founder of the Campaign Against Political Correctness, welcomed Mr Pickles’s message: “What a breath of fresh air from the minister, taking on all those who have been pushing political correctness over the years,” he said. “It is absolutely right in our country that Christmas should be celebrated and it does not cause offence to other religions. This is a strong message for the dull bureaucrats who have tried to undermine our traditions.”

Said Mr Pickles: “The war on Christmas is over, and the likes of Winterval, Winter Lights and Luminous deserve to be in the dustbin of history. We live in tough financial times, but there’s no need for town halls to play scrooge.”

And, of course, there is a commercial motivation as well: “It is in councils’ financial interests to draw in shoppers to town centres, given the benefits of packed car parks to councils’ coffers. Shoppers want to see Christmas lights, Christmas trees, carol services and nativity scenes.”

Earlier this year, Pope Benedict and the Anglican archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, both expressed fears that Christianity was being wiped out from public life in the name of equality.

Archbishop Sentamu said the ban on mentioning Christmas was part of a drive to censor Christianity.

During his visit to Britain in September, Pope Benedict also made an impassioned plea for the country to return to its Christian values and condemned the “politically correct brigade” who dismiss Christmas.

Good on Mr Pickles, I say. It’s about time someone read the riot act to those infuriating officers of politically correctness.

Across the Atlantic, in the United States, there been a quite spectacular event that has celebrated Christianity and the Christmas spirit.

At precisely noon at Macy’s department store in Philadelphia a few weeks ago, 600 choristers randomly dotted about the building, suddenly burst into song with a quite magnificent rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus, in an event that played on the new flash-mob phenomenon.

The Opera Company of Philadelphia was instrumental in creating this event as part of the Knight Foundation’s “1000 Random Acts of Culture” which they’ll be doing over the next three years across the country. The singers were accompanied by the Wanamaker Organ, the world’s largest pipe organ. You can view this remarkable outpouring of song on the internet at http://bit.ly/eNFPbP

Political correctness, in my opinion, is not just a threat to one religion but to all. It is put into a nutshell by columnist Don DiCesare of The Western Star newspaper in the US: “How absurd that we should fight over who has the greatest God. But this is what intolerance does and the advocates of this political correctness nonsense, rather than diminish intolerance, inadvertently help to create it.

“We should all live life, celebrate it and the diversity of culture and religion, in a nation that tolerates them all, and where all religions learn to tolerate each other.”

If all religions are somehow correct and they all really worship the one and same God, then the diversity shouldn’t matter. Let’s forget this meaningless ‘holidays’ stuff and use the words that truly describe the season, whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan or whatever faith we believe in. Merry Christmas all.”

I second that. Let’s not only put Christ back into Christmas, but Christmas back into the world. May your celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord be joyful and blessed.