Here in Metro Atlanta, the Christmas decorations go up before all the leaves are down. There is an interesting front yard tableau in my neighborhood that I would like to share with you (see photo).
On the far right we have the Christian nativity scene. Mary, Joseph, the infant Jesus and an angel all have very pink complexions. Heavens forbid that they should be represented as dark-skinned Palestinians.
The other six figures are from Star Wars - three androids in the middle, with Yoda, Chewy and Darth Vader completing the ensemble on the left. Yoda is dressed up like Santa; Darth V. and 2 droids all sport a Santa hat.
Consider the cultural conflation here. There is representation from the christian myth of the triumph of life over death. There is the Star Wars myth of good overcoming evil. Finally, there is the modern gift-giving Santa whose origin dates to the historical figure and exploits of St. Nicholas (Nikolaos of Myra, 270 – 343 CE). Not coincidentally, all of this is being celebrated at the time of the Roman festival of Saturnalia (Dec 17 – 23) and the northern hemisphere winter solstice festivals.
It seems to me that in the “War on Christmas,” the attack is from within.
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