Rick and the abolition of Christmas
I have been tickled, over the past week or so, by the suggestion that my friend, former councillor Muir, previously of a nearby parish, was behind that dastardly notion that we should abolish Christmas, in his wonkish guise. Here he is, defending his position (and with a very flattering photo) over at Comment is Free. I believe that the listeners of Talksport have a campaign to send Rick Christmas cards; any readers of this blog wanting to communicate with Rick on the subject of Christmas, identity or cohesion are, I’m sure, welcome to send him Yule-themed cards care of IPPR, 30 - 32 Southampton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7RA. I’ve picked out a cute one of a kitten with tinsel round its neck…
In what sense is a card showing a kitten with tinsel around its neck a CHRISTmas card? Tinsel is indeed a Christian symbol, by virtue of the stories of the Holy Family in a cave with the spiders weaving their webs, but kittens…? Christmas is about Christ, not cutsy symbols…
Daniel - not being purist about Christmas, I was picking the most kitsch card I could find to add to Rick’s pile…
WHAAT?? - “Tinsel is indeed a Christian symbol, by virtue of the stories of the Holy Family in a cave with the spiders weaving their webs, but kittens…?” Cave? Wot cave? Pull the other one Daniel. I have never, ever, come across this daft explanation for tinsel before. Besides, every self-respecting barn / cow stall / place wot has manger-for-babies-use-of has a cat for the rodent-catching, ergo kittens. Sheesh and crickey and by-eck man. Be realistic.
How much do humbugs cost these days?
[...] Antonia added an interesting post on Rick and the abolition of Christmas.Here’s a small excerpt:I have been tickled, over the past week or so, by the suggestion that my friend, former councillor Muir, previously of a nearby parish, was behind that dastardly notion that we should abolish Christmas, in his wonkish guise. … [...]
The Christmas Cat-Jolakottur as he is known in Iceland!
And it’s good to see Daniel has been reading the Gospel of James where the nativity of Jesus is set in a cave or is that Mithra.
I’m grateful to you for your correction Manfarang. A short Google has now shattered every nativity myth, er, story I’ve heard. How fundamentalists maintain the absolute truth, non-self-contradiction and accuracy of the Bible continues to elude me. I’m off to buy some tinsel (not)