Sadly, while Silver Bells still represents your experience in NYC and mine in Ottawa (and Toronto, earlier), walking along a downtown street past decorated storefronts is hardly typical of the U.S. or Canadian shopping experience any more. Even malls — where you still at least pass other people walking between the Gap and Radio Shack — are dying out, in favour of big boxes where you drive from parking lot to parking lot (assuming that you’re not ordering online).

Besides, the movie it comes from, The Lemon Drop Kid, is loosely based on a Damon Runyon story, and so the city in question is The City, the Big Apple, one of the most multicultural places on, or rather off, the continent, and my own city to boot. (Though I certainly admit that Toronto is very much in the big leagues here.)

Don’t forget that (a) the school choir did sing Christian Christmas songs as well, with no lyrics changed (as well as Hanukkah songs), and (b) Silver Bells is a pop song from a 1950s movie soundtrack, not a Christian hymn like Silent Night or Away in a Manger. I also did not see any mention in the news that atheists were involved.

Most of the people I’ve met who are over-sensitive about mentioning Christmas are Christians themselves, not atheists, Jews, Muslims, etc., as I mentioned here. If there’s a war over Christmas, it’s a civil war within Christianity, not a war between Christianity and other religions or philosophies.

Unfortunately, the Atheists quickly forget
their own hypocrisy and intolerance when they force THEIR view of the world on us. This is a
perfect example of atheism run rampant, when they change words in traditional songs
to try to wipe out any thought of Christ, Christianity or Christmas. There needs to be
tolerance of Christian ideals, just as much as Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, and yes, even Atheism.

Merry Christmas! Peace on Earth and good will toward men.