Fanaticism

Just a little reminder that Christmas is a National Holiday that marks the traditional birth date of Jesus Christ. Yes, that is exactly what it is. A lot of Americans are afraid that we Christians are somehow infringing on others rights. Specifically the separation of church and state. But on December 6, 1999, the verdict for Ganulin v. United States (1999). declared that "the establishment of Christmas Day as a legal public holiday does not violate the Establishment Clause because it has a valid secular purpose." This decision was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court on December 19, 2000.

A campaign to prevent any mention of the religious aspect of Christmas has been going on for some years. But as you read the facts below that where supplied by Wikipedia you will see that Christmas is a Nationally recognized Holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. That is exactly what it was meant to be nothing less. I think that the 96% of Americans who do celebrate Christmas do have the majority. That is how democracy is ran. The 4% that do not celebrate Christmas are not hunted down and thrown into prison or killed, as with other cultures if their specific ways, faith, are not adhered to.

America, as a whole, does not know which way to turn because the bottom line is money. No company or organization that is for profit wants to offend anybody because that could lead to a loss of revenue. Some would and do sell their soul every Christmas because of money. Say Merry Christmas, Don't say Merry Christmas say Happy Holiday. Now some are going back, say Merry Christmas. Hello, does anyone know there is a war going on where people are being killed everyday, some of them Americans. Christmas is what it is, get over it or get with it. Either way get off the fence and stand for something. I pray it would be for Christ. To our enemies around the world this is exactly how they see us as a society afraid, period. Afraid to take a stand, it may cost them votes. Afraid to make a decision, it may cost them some money. Friend I am here to tell you that life is very short compared to eternity. Where will you spend yours?

During the Reformation, Protestants condemned Christmas celebration as "trappings of popery" and the "rags of the Beast". The Catholic Church responded by promoting the festival in an even more religiously oriented form. Following the Parliamentary victory over King Charles I during the English Civil War, England's Puritan rulers banned Christmas, in 1647. Pro-Christmas rioting broke out in several cities, and for several weeks Canterbury was controlled by the rioters, who decorated doorways with holly and shouted royalist slogans.^[21] The Restoration of 1660 ended the ban, but most of the Anglican clergy still disapproved of Christmas celebrations, using Protestant arguments.

In Colonial America, the Puritans of New England disapproved of Christmas; its celebration was outlawed in Boston from 1659 to 1681. At the same time, residents of Virginia and New York celebrated the holiday freely. Christmas fell out of favor in the United States after the American Revolution, when it was considered an English custom.

By the 1820s, sectarian tension in England had eased and British writers began to worry that Christmas was dying out. They imagined Tudor Christmas as a time of heartfelt celebration, and efforts were made to revive the holiday. Charles Dickens' book A Christmas Carol, published in 1843, played a major role in reinventing Christmas as a holiday emphasizing family, goodwill, and compassion over communal celebration and hedonistic excess.^[22]

During the early part of the 19th century, interest in Christmas in America was revived by several short stories by Washington Irving in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon and "Old Christmas", which depicted harmonious warm-hearted holiday traditions Irving claimed to have observed in England. Although some argue that Irving invented the traditions he describes, they were imitated by his American readers.^[23] The numerous German immigrants and the homecomings following the American Civil War helped promote the holiday by bringing with them continental European Christmas traditions still upheld in Catholic and Lutheran countries on the continent. Christmas was declared a U.S. federal holiday in 1870.

In 1914, the first year of World War I, there was an unofficial truce between German and British troops in France. Soldiers on both sides spontaneously began to sing carols and stopped fighting. The truce began on Christmas Day and continued for some time afterward.^[24] Although many stories about the truce include a soccer game between the trench lines, there is no evidence that this event actually occurred.

In the later part of the 20th century, the United States experienced controversy over the nature of Christmas, and its status as a religious or secular holiday. Some considered the U.S. government's recognition of Christmas as a federal holiday to be a violation of the separation of church and state. This was brought to trial several times, including in Lynch v. Donnelly (1984)^[25] and Ganulin v. United States (1999).^[26] On December 6, 1999, the verdict for Ganulin v. United States (1999). declared that "the establishment of Christmas Day as a legal public holiday does not violate the Establishment Clause because it has a valid secular purpose." This decision was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court on December 19, 2000.

Concerns regarding Christmas' combined Christian and secular nature continued into the 21st century. In 2005, some Christians, along with American conservative commentators such Bill O'Reilly, protested against the perceived secularization of Christmas. Some believed that the holiday was threatened by a general secular trend, or by persons and organizations with an anti-Christian agenda. The perceived trend was also blamed on political correctness.^[27]

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday that marks the traditional birthdate of Jesus of Nazareth. Christmas combines Christian celebrations of the birth of Jesus with various secular traditions and customs, many of which were influenced by ancient winter festivals such as Yule^[1] and Saturnalia. Over time, many popular Christmas traditions have developed, including the display of Nativity scenes and Christmas trees, the exchange of gifts and cards, and the arrival of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Popular Christmas themes include the promotion of goodwill, giving, compassion, and quality family time.

Christmas is traditionally on December 25. It is preceded by Christmas Eve and in some countries is followed by Boxing Day. Some Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on January 7, which corresponds to December 25 of the Julian calendar. These dates are merely traditional and neither is thought to be the actual birth date of Jesus.^[2]

Christmas is celebrated in most countries around the world, owing to the spread of Christianity and Western culture, mixed with the enduring popularity of existing winter celebrations. Various local and regional Christmas traditions are still practiced, despite the widespread influence of American and British Christmas motifs disseminated by film, popular literature, television, and other media.

Here is a list of National Holidays. If you want others there is a way to do it. But you cannot take Christ out of Christmas. I would pray for those that celebrate Christmas celebrate it for the real reason and give praise to God for coming down and giving us all a way to eternal life through Jesus Christ. Christmas is not up for debate. Why do some people think it is? Would anybody want to disrespect Martin Luther King or George Washington or Christopher Columbus, I don't think so.

Federal holidays are designated by Congress in Title V of the United States Code (5 U.S.C. § 6103).[1]

The eleven recognized Federal holidays are:

Date	Official Name	Remarks
January 1	New Year's Day	Celebrates beginning of year, marks traditional end of "holiday season"
Third Monday in January	Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.	Honors Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights leader; combined with other holidays in several states (traditionally January 15)
January 20, every fourth year, following Presidential election	Inauguration Day	Swearing-in of President of the United States and other elected federal officials. Observed only by federal government employees in Washington D.C., and certain counties and cities of Maryland and Virginia, in order to relieve congestion that occurs with this major event. Note: Takes place on January 21 if the 20th is a Sunday (although the President is still privately inaugurated on the 20th).
Third Monday in February	Washington's Birthday	Honors George Washington. Often popularly observed as "Presidents' Day" in recognition of other American presidents. (traditionally February 22)
Last Monday in May	Memorial Day	Honors the nation's war dead; marks traditional beginning of summer. (traditionally May 30)
July 4	Independence Day	Celebrates Declaration of Independence, usually called the Fourth of July.
First Monday in September	Labor Day	Celebrate achievements of workers and the labor movement, marks traditional end of summer.
Second Monday in October	Columbus Day	Honors Christopher Columbus, traditional discoverer of the Americas. In some areas it is also a celebration of Italian culture and heritage. (traditionally October 12)
November 11	Veterans Day	Honors all veterans of the United States armed forces.
Fourth Thursday in November	Thanksgiving Day	Traditionally celebrates the giving of thanks to God for the autumn harvest, and customarily includes the consumption of a turkey dinner.
December 25	Christmas Day	Celebrates the Nativity of Jesus which is traditionally observed on 25 December. Secular aspects of this holiday include giving gifts and decorating a Christmas tree.