WHAT’S THE POINT?
Now that we are in the middle of the holidays, let the shopping begin, the anger at the stupidity of other drivers, the parking lot brain death, and the joy of the season ring out across the land.
Traffic officers are sprouting all across our fair city. Fourth Street is awash in traffic cones, meter maids writing tickets as quickly as their little printers can print, all the while accompanied by the symphony of frustrated drivers honking at someone who is desperate to get that “good” parking spot on the first level, while causing traffic to back up onto the street for a block, while some mother and her two exhausted toddlers try to maneuver themselves, and their baby SUV, into mommy’s Excursion which has blocked easy passage in the parking structure for hours.
But beware the political correctness police are out again, and on top of all the other stresses, we must tip-toe through the mine field of not offending anyone and being sure to include everyone.
This is supposed to be the time of year when as a society we step back and embrace each other, in a collegial and friendly way, mind you. We must avoid any behavior which might be construed as sexual harassment, so be sure to ask permission before hugging someone of the opposite or same sex.
As we approach the big holidays of Christmas and Chanukah, we must also remember that there are others too. There is of course Kwanzaa, that week following Christmas for our African-American citizens.
But in this age of all-inclusiveness, let us not forget that there also is the International Day of the Disabled (Dec. 3); and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12); Ice Cream and Violins Day (Dec. 13); Forefathers Day (Dec. 21); Eggnog Day (Dec. 24), and of course, New Year’s Eve.
This month also is Anaplastic Anemia month, certainly a heart warmer for those in the know.
Again, we have the Winterlit holiday display of a tree with ornaments on the Promenade. There is the annual display of the Christmas story in Palisades Park. And there is the annual argument over whether or not these are appropriate displays in this city of multi-ethnic, multi-religious, pan-theistic, atheistic, pool of citizens.
There are those who want to abolish all symbols of the holidays, or rename them into linguistic nonsense. Making a Christmas tree a “holiday tree” is as pointless doublespeak as calling a tax cut a “revenue reduction.”
The question is: “Does the celebration of ‘Christmas,’ a religious event celebrated by the various adherents of Catholicism, Protestant, Lutheran, Episcopal and Methodists, (an event by the way that was originally a pagan ritual) equate to the establishment of one religion — Christianity, or is it an acknowledgment the holiday exists?”
Since the lighting of a plastic tree with fake snow on the Promenade is not the forced attendance at religious events, and the individual state, or federal government has not mandated that only one church is the “official” religion of the United States of America, or the individual state involved, I do not see an establishment clause violation.
Nor do I see a free exercise clause violation, in that the display of the Christmas story does not prevent Jews from celebrating Chanukah, Muslims from Ramadan, or Druids from their Moonfest, or whatever they have.
The government of course avoids the direct support of religious holiday displays by having private enterprises or public/private enterprises do the deed for them.
Acknowledging a holiday is a precarious position for a government to take because it opens the door for greater involvement by the state in spiritual/religious matters, but of itself, I do not see that it would do any harm. The government acknowledges all sorts of questionable events throughout the year. There are enough proclamations, declarations and national days of celebration and remembrance to fill a phonebook.
Clearly, however I would state that equal time should be given to the other established religions who wish to publicly acknowledge their holidays, which, certainly does in fact happen.
The fact is that we live in a society in which there are three major religions — I’m unsure of where the buddhists/hindus fall on this topic, but they should be also be included if they have holidays — which celebrate holidays, and one racial group that has a week of ethnic celebration, called Kwanzaa.
We acknowledge all sorts of other events, accomplishments, traditions, eth-nicities and points of view, from National Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 10, 2005, obviously effective this year) to Leif Erickson Day (honoring the great Greenland explorer of 1,000 years ago.) So why can’t we honestly acknowledge that religious holidays happen?
After all, we are inundated from late September on, with Christmas shopping adverts, and Chanukah displays of food and menorahs. Is it really unreasonable to say, “Yes, there is a holiday called Christmas, people celebrate it by killing a tree, dressing it up, and spending money they don’t have to buy junk they don’t need, for people they don’t like. Oh, and yes, other people do this too, with Chanukah, and Kwanzaa.”
Government should be in the business of governing. But if that means that we avoid all religious events then we should follow that to its logical extension, and we should preclude the senates and assemblies, the city councils, the governors and the president from declaring “Cheese Manufacturers Day” and “National Septic Tank Pumpers Day.” But that’s not going to happen because they celebrate a slice of America, and all they are doing is raising awareness. They do no harm; they might do a little good, and in the end, they celebrate a part of what as a country we are.
If recognizing that Christmas happens, along with Chanukah, Ramadan, and an occasional Moonfest, creates goodwill across our society, what’s the harm? Plus we get the added income from all those extra parking tickets. And every city likes a good revenue enhancement. (Contact David Pisarra at or (310) 664-9969.)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 29, 2005. Read the original PDF.