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Twelve Days of Christmas? Most certainly! But that was no thanks to the ten lords a leaping in our multicultural diversity media gone mad.
As I was preparing last minute Christmas foods and packages on December 24th, the day of Christmas Eve, I searched 78 television channels for Christmas specials or Christmas programming.
I had been keeping company with Christmas, since practically Thanks-giving, through my favorite CD's, but now I wanted the traditional familiarity of old seasonal television features. To my dismay, I found nothing that morning on any of the secular channels that even remotely resembled or sounded like Christmas, the most popular season in the world.
As the TV Guide channel rolled on, I kept my eyes peeled for "It's A Wonderful Life" or "Frosty the Snowman" or "Miracle on 34th Street" or any hint of Christmas concert or symphony from around the world or the nation. I found none of it scheduled. I found nothing on television related to Christmas (except EWTN, of course).
Such a predicament had never before happened. Every other year we've been inundated with Christmas stuff on television, including marathon repeats until I've been ready to pull out my hair because of them.
After ten minutes of channel surf-ing, I shut it off and returned to my CD stash of Christmas music - the Vienna Boys Choir, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the St. Victoria Choir, Bing Crosby, George Strait, Mannheim Steamroller, Cristy Lane -- a supply that doesn't depend on Hollywood.
Hollywood has been doing bad things to us for several years now, and it's getting worse. There really is a War on Christmas, just like there really is a War on Easter. Remember Mel Gibson and The Passion? In fact, it's a War on Christianity. Nothing new, I guess, except in degree and intensity.
Here's a sampling of Hollywood nonsense that was bestowed on us (I took notes) this recent Christmas morning of December 24th, 2005, in a country that professes to be 80% Christian. The titles tell the story.
"America's Most Haunted Places," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad," "Romancing the Stone," "Super Robot Monkey Team," "Grumpier Old Men," "The Jacksons' American Dream," "Sled Head," "Spider Man," and "Biblical Disasters."
Note especially that last title. Here we have much of the world celebrating Christmas, a most joyful time of year, the birth of Jesus Christ, Son of God - and yet Hollywood places "Biblical Disasters" in our homes. It is very difficult to not judge motivation and intent.
There was much more scheduled on the various channels that morning in that same vein including "Dead Zone," "Clear and Present Danger," "Dinosaur Planet," "Brandy and Mr. Whiskers," and "Pahappahooey Island."
It's not that I've been unaware of garbage on TV, but it's never been so saturated without relief at Christmas time. It's a known fact that Hollywood does violence to us at every turn, but this is the first time it added censorship to its crumby agenda. Hollywood tried to censor Christmas Eve.
I tuned in again that afternoon about one o'clock, hoping that Christmas might return to my kitchen television but it was still missing. The afternoon fare according to the lineup on TV Guide channel was "Hollywood Holiday," "Unlikely Angel of Dolly Parton," "World Series of Poker," "Edward Scissorhands," "You Only Live Twice," "A Walk in the Clouds," "African Rights," "The Long Kiss Goodnight," "An All Dogs Christmas," and "Casper's Haunted Christmas."
The last two titles count for little or nothing. The little is related to the fact someone actually allowed the word "Christmas." The nothing is related to the content.
Hollywood simply fails to grasp or transmit the essence of life. It stopped revealing or searching for the truth of things long ago. Hollywood and other powerbrokers who rule major and mass media have become, for the most part, a force against common sense and right reason. It is also a force against me, personally, and also you, whether or not you know it or admit it.
And then I heard a familiar voice that softened my spirit as it soothed my soul. I stopped everything to watch Aaron Neville sing "O Holy Night" in his singular voice. I stayed tuned for more of Christmas on EWTN, which is Channel 59 here in Victoria.
After Aaron Neville came John McDermott, my favorite Irish tenor, singing familiar Christmas tunes. It was the mood and message of the season beaming to me from Irondale, Alabama, which is a far cry from the likes of Hollywood, California. EWTN is, indeed, a voice crying out in the wilderness.
Before the kids and grandkids arrived at our home, Allan and I tied the bows on every last Christmas detail. We put new tealights in all the candle-holders, turned on the light above our manger, and poured a glass of wine. Tinsel Town is a thief but it can't steal the things that count.
~Sue
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