Monday, November 29, 2004

MH - Merry Christmas, Part II

Speaking of which, the December 2004 issue of First Things features an interesting paragraph by Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, quoting statistics from a Catholic League press release regarding seasonal cards:
There were 443 Christmas cards, with only nine featuring the religious significance of Christmas. That’s two percent. Of the thirty-three Hanukkah cards, twenty-six, or 79 percent, feature a Star of David or Menorah. The Kwanzaa cards are all areligiously ethnic. In the Christmas card department, there is also a “Risqué” line and a “Rude’ line on offer. These feature, inter alia, S&M gear and a near-naked female angel asking, ‘Ever make an angel in the snow?” You get the idea. There are no “Rude” or “Risqué” Hanukkah or Kwanzaa cards. It is not plausible that this circumstance reflects simply a business decision on the part of the card companies. In a country where nearly 90 percent of the people claim to be Christian and, curiously enough, even more say that Jesus was born of a virgin, the predominance of “Christmas” cards mocking or blaspheming the meaning of the day – or simply ignoring it – cannot be explained by market dynamics.

No link until next month. To read more, wait until then or, better yet, buy the issue.


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