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Christmas Tag

Two operatives from Campus Reform recently visited the campus of the University of Virginia and asked students to sign a petition to ban Christmas for being "non-inclusive." Unsurprisingly, they were able to find people to sign it. From their website:
VIDEO: UVA students sign petition to ban Christmas In this season’s most anticipated holiday spin-off, Campus Reform visits the University of Virginia dressed as “The Hipsters Who Stole Christmas.”

It's difficult to think of anything less controversial than Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts crew but the classic Christmas special mentions Christianity explicitly which is a problem for some people. A staffer at a middle school in Texas decided to use imagery from the special as decorations but was told the decorations had to come down. Todd Starnes of FOX News reported:
School censors "Charlie Brown Christmas" poster One of the most poignant scenes in “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is when Linus stands on a stage and recites a passage from the Holy Bible describing the Christmas story.

Sometimes life gives you extra lifey years. 2015 has been that kind of year for me. Through it all, I've learned much, grown even more, and have gained a greater appreciation for the human experience. I'm blessed beyond measure; constantly amazed by the inordinate number of incredible people with whom I have the privilege of sharing a little bit of life with. Each of whom has taught me how to be a better me, how to love harder, laugh louder, embrace the suck, and squeeze every ounce of life out of every singe day. In this Season of Giving, of celebrating the single greatest gift given to mankind, I would like to share with you what this year has shared with me. Some lessons I've known, but came to understand differently. 1. Take the time to tell others how important they are to you.

While the Christmas seasons is full of traditions that stem from the Victorian era, diseases of this past era are also now returning. England is reporting a rise in illnesses related to malnutrition:
Cases of malnutrition and other “Victorian” diseases are soaring in England, in what campaigners said was a result of cuts to social services and rising food poverty. NHS statistics show that 7,366 people were admitted to hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis of malnutrition between August 2014 and July this year, compared with 4,883 cases in the same period from 2010 to 2011 – a rise of more than 50 per cent in just four years. Cases of other diseases rife in the Victorian era including scurvy, scarlet fever, cholera and whooping cough have also increased since 2010, although cases of TB, measles, typhoid and rickets have fallen.
While food poverty is one explanation, other factors must include immigration from third world countries and anti-vaccination adherents.

Drawing on the stories of the annunciation of the birth of Jesus, Christmas is viewed as a time of peace and goodwill to all. But for anti-Israel activists and organizations, the holiday season is a perfect occasion to conduct political warfare against the Jewish state.

NGOs, The PA, and The Hijacking

For years vehemently anti-Israel NGOs (non-governmental organizations), charities, and even church groups have been exploiting Christmas symbols, themes, and traditions in order to promote one-sided narratives of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Exploiting Christmas for anti-Israel These recast religiously-themed narratives situate Israel and Jews as the villains and omit any mention of terrorism, or Israel’s need to protect its citizens from harm. Palestinian Christians in these narratives are depicted as undeservedly maltreated by Israel. Special attention is given to how Palestinians are allegedly hurt by the security barrier surrounding Bethlehem and its adjacent communities.

We first ran this video on Christmas Day 2010. Kathleen wrote: Merry Christmas everyone! There’s a viral video going around called ‘A Social Network Christmas.’ It retains the story, so ...

This small poetic effort of mine has become somewhat of a holiday tradition. Merry Christmas Eve to you all! 'TWAS THE BLOGGER'S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the ‘sphere Bloggers were glad to see Christmas draw near. Their laptops were turned off and all put away The bloggers were swearing to take off the day. Their children were nestled all snug in their beds While visions of extra time danced in their heads With a father or mom not distracted by writing No posts to compose, and no links to be citing.

On Christmas Day 2011, as part of our "Open" post, we noted the following:
What a bunch of kill joys, How to Discuss Climate Change With Your Uncle During the Holidays (because after racist relatives, climate change deniers are the biggest problem at family Christmas dinners).
The advice was from a guest contributor at Think Progress: http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/12/24/391548/discuss-climate-change-holidays/ Of the several pieces of advice, I liked this coaching on how to bolster your own credibility, because nothing says "genuine" like a preplanned strategy to bolster your own credibilty: