Hold on to your tradition.

I know its coming-the air is taking on a chill (I had to break out my scarf), some days when I walk outside I can smell the snow. There have even been a few fires in the fireplace already. Winter is right around the corner. Best of all? it’s that time of year again. Family, tradition, the spirit of giving, celebrating the birth of Jesus……. oh and lest we forget…… the complete and total moronic activity of the secular folks. That’s right ladies and gentleman, your religion and right to observe Christmas and Thanksgiving are once again under attack. Let me rephrase that-you can celebrate these things as long as you don’t call them what they are or celebrate them in any way that resembles the way they have been celebrated for hundreds (and thousands) of years.

Once again a perfectly innocent celebration has become fodder for some ridiculous parent that clearly just wants to hijack the holiday for her own purpose. This woman is suggesting that somehow a decades’ long tradition of a Thanksgiving march and celebration OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS is demeaning to Native Americans and likens it to asking children “dress up like slaves (and kind slave masters), or Jews (and friendly Nazis), or members of any other racial minority group who has struggled in our nation's history." What an outrageous suggestion! For one, Thanksgiving in no way celebrates the Pilgrims mistreatment of the Indians. Thanksgiving thanks God, celebrates a bountiful harvest and the Indians HELPING the Pilgrims learn to farm and work this land. The tradition of Thanksgiving isn’t celebrating the years after mistreatment of Native Americans, but more of a “thank you” for helping us learn to get through winter, or of a “thank God for this food to eat.” In fact, Native Americans already had a Thanksgiving type of celebration, long before settlers came to America. We do not ignore the mistreatment of those native to this land, it is taught in the schools, but Thanksgiving is not about that. People need to get a grip.

But, as we all know, this is just the latest in the no-so-hidden attack on religion and tradition in our country. Manger scenes that must be taken down, banning “Christmas” parties in the schools, signs and sounds of “Happy Holidays” and “Seasons Greetings” hammer our eyes and ears from every angle. I was literally falling off my chair laughing when I saw this video denigrating retailers that cannot acknowledge Christmas, but want to make a ton ‘o cash off the holiday. I am 100% behind this movement and have also begun what will be a new tradition of celebrating Merry Tossmas in my home-right along with Christmas.

What really bothers me? It seems more and more accepted to completely obliterate any religious association with all Christian holidays. I do not think Jewish Americans would appreciate the Christians exclaiming “You can no longer celebrate Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur because it excludes us! We must be included; therefore you have to sanitize your celebration to fit what we want!” How ludicrous is that? How about Muslims sacred celebration of Eid al-Fitr? Should Christians demand inclusion in that? Of course not, it would be completely absurd!

That folks, is exactly the point-things have gotten absurd out here. I don’t care if people do not want to celebrate Christmas, that’s fine-it’s your right, but stop trying to turn a religious holiday into something it’s not. Stop trying to hijack our holiday. For goodness sake-get your own holiday! You cannot take the religion out of the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birthday. It can’t be done-that is what you’re celebrating. If you don’t like it, celebrate something else-ON A DIFFERENT DAY.

I love this time of year. I love the tradition. I love the family. I love it that my 16 and 17 year old daughters still ask if we are cutting our own tree this year-as has been our tradition since they were 4 and 5. I love the spirit of giving every time I pass that crazy bell ringer at “wally world”. I love dropping off toys for kids at the local collection bin. And most of all, I love having this day set aside where I can celebrate Jesus and religion and all that those things mean to me.