The phrase "Merry Christmas" has been turned into a political statement by the cumulative effect of all of this. It is appropriate, if profoundly depressing, that everything in 2021 feels like a political statement.
Liberals can make a case that the concept of the "War on Christmas" is an effort by Christians to retain their cultural supremacy over religious undesirables and heretics. Conservatives can make their own version of the holiday being a form of cultural warfare against Christians. Both arguments are based on the idea that one group negates the other. goodwill toward men doesn't really enter into "On Earth peace, goodwill toward men."
The Bush era can be used to think about why wars drag on. There was a military-industrial bureaucracy that enriched itself immensely in Afghanistan and Iraq. The political-grievance complex of the FOREVER War on Christmas is useful to politicians who invent anti-Christian policies that don't exist to rile up their base. Corporations want to make the holidays more commercial each year so that they can make more money.
It is not a cheery Christmas message to decry the war. The 1914 Christmas Day spectacle of tens of thousands of European troops pausing for a day to feast and carols together is an example of how the phenomena can be understood. In the digital age, grandly romantic images are rare. It is possible that we could attempt the modern equivalent of a truce, which would be simple: Log off.
The War on Christmas is an expression of uneasiness at having to share the country and the public sphere with people who aren't like us, fanned by public actors with a material interest in keeping it alive. We have a choice to make, unlike many of those wars.
It is a sign of how far humanity has come that even a light comparison can be made between a Great War phenomenon and the idea of logging off from social media. To fit one more instance of sloganeering into the framework of the season, do your part this Christmas to End This War. If you have a day, lay down your arms and step away from the feed. The outrage, grievance, and righteous persecution will still be there when you return, just as they were in the first place.
In the spirit of the season, there is a reason to hope that those temptations will be less appealing when you come back.
