Where I live (near Los Angeles) you can drive for blocks without seeing a single home with Christmas lights, let alone a manger scene or some other religious decoration. And you can drive miles and see fewer than a dozen.
I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, in an area where most residents were either Italian or Jewish. So many homes had Christmas decorations that you could almost be sure that if the home wasn't decorated, a Jewish family lived in it. And while I was -- and remain -- a committed Jew, I loved -- and still love -- those decorated homes. It makes December special.
But today, December is not special in large swathes of America. Secularism has taken its toll. And the lack of color this time of the year compared to decades ago perfectly exemplifies some of its consequences.
Secularism literally and figuratively knocks color out of life.
Without God and religion there is, of course, much to enjoy in life. You can enjoy Bach without believing in God (though Bach would not have composed anything if he didn't believe in God); you can enjoy sports, books, travel and so much more.
But there is a monochromatic character to life without God and religion. And you can literally see it this month. When I compare blocks of homes without Christmas decorations to blocks filled with homes with Christmas decorations, I think of my trips to the Soviet Union and other communist countries. One of the first things that struck any visitor from the West was how gray everything looked. There was essentially no color -- just as today's decoration-free homes appear.
Secularism in the West has a deadening effect. It tends to suck the joy of life out of individuals and the larger society. It is particularly noticeable in young people. Secular kids are more likely to be jaded and cynical than kids raised in religious Christian and Jewish homes.
(Conversely, secularism has an enlivening effect in fundamentalist Muslim countries, which tend to suck the joy out of life even more so than secularism does in the West. That's one reason one can root for secularism in Iran and against secularism in the West.)
What secular joys can compare to a family putting up Christmas decorations and a Christmas tree, going to church together, singing or listening to Christmas carols and engaging in the other rituals surrounding Christmas? None.
The same question can be posed to Jews. What secular joys compare to having Shabbat meals every week with family and friends, or building a sukkah (the holiday booth) with your children for Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles)? None -- for adults or children.
A Christian caller on my radio show told me about his son-in-law who doesn't celebrate Christmas but does celebrate "the first snow." With all due respect, celebrating the first snow, or the winter solstice, does not bring the joy to an individual's life or a family's life that celebrating Christmas brings.
Growing up, we would drive around and look at the lights. A tradition we maintain with the boys. When we saw a house that was not lit, we would say, "oh, they're Jewish." Because if you weren't Jewish, you'd put up Christmas decorations. That's just what we did back in the day.
I find it odd when someone asks me if I put up a tree. Or when people say they don't anymore because their kids are grown. I think, "how sad." Because even when I was single and living alone, I put up a tree. Not just a little table top tree. The full deal. And I put welcome candles in every window that faced the street.
My 92 year old friend still puts up a minimum of 5 trees each year in her home. I just can't imagine letting a Christmas go by without decorating, and hope I never reach the point in my life where I don't want to bother.
Our small town is still big into outdoor Christmas decorations. Main street and all shops are decorated.
I love driving through small towns and seeing all the decorations. We are rural America and we still do up Christmas the right way. :)
I'm not to sure I want the secular (non-believers in Christ) decorating or celebrating a Christian religious holiday. It has always struck me as odd that they (secular) want to benefit (day off/gifts etc) from a Christian religious celebration. I find it so hypocritical of the secular.
Why should they (secular) benefit from a Christian holiday? Or corrupt that event for themselves?
I guess I would label non-decorated areas as non-Christian and avoid those areas, period.
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in our town things are lit bright and shiny. We have a huge park with trees that our county does a light show every night from 5-10, you drive through and set your radio to a certain station and the lights blink to the music. it is beautiful. We have neighborhood lighting contests and our downtown is beautiful.
Our house is....well I am married to a *Griswold* and our 2 acre fenced yard is lit up and they refer to it as *our last name Runway* LOL WE have deer, Santa's, disco ball things in our green house throwing colorful lights and lights shining on our camper. yes all lit up!
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in our town things are lit bright and shiny. We have a huge park with trees that our county does a light show every night from 5-10, you drive through and set your radio to a certain station and the lights blink to the music. it is beautiful. We have neighborhood lighting contests and our downtown is beautiful.
Our house is....well I am married to a *Griswold* and our 2 acre fenced yard is lit up and they refer to it as *our last name Runway* LOL WE have deer, Santa's, disco ball things in our green house throwing colorful lights and lights shining on our camper. yes all lit up!
Honey's it is awesome, we have taken grandbaby twice through the lights first time he fell asleep and second his eyes were huge! there are big tunnels of swirling lights you move through and a whole section with lights in the 12 days of Christmas!
we have big light ornaments, bells, candy canes, etc. on all city light poles along the two main roads though town and one whole business street is lined with trees down both sides and every tree is light up. A local welding company designed this awesome huge elaborate star and it is lit up on the hill by our hospital along the interstate all year round but with holiday colors in December.
I feel so glad to live in a smaller town, we are only population 30,000 in our whole county which includes 4 towns LOL
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I always decorated and when couldn't, Caitlyn did.
But this year, our outside decorations are still not up.
Everyone has been busy with work, family, and school, no one has had time.
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I wandered our neighbourhood last night with Pooch and saw lots of lights and blow up Santas and Blow Up snow men, but you're right, Snicks. Not one manger.
I wouldn't be so quick to blame the secular or the "liberals" for the lack of lights. I know plenty of people who don't put lights up outside due to the safety factor alone. They don't want to be on ladders in the snow and cold etc. People don't have the time to dedicate to it either.
My mom is one of the most faithful Christians I know and she has never decorated the outside of the house. Ever. It's more of a time crunch issue for a lot of folks. People don't have the time to dedicate to it or they don't want to spend the money on all those lights, and replace them every year. It seems funny that folks would assume an undecorated house would belong to a Jewish family. Most homes in my neighborhood growing up didn't have more than a wreath outside. The homes decked out in lights were the exception not the rule.
I know plenty of Christians who don't decorate and plenty of non believers who do.
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Also, I think that generally you find what you are looking for in the world. The author of this opinion piece clearly wants to blame secular folks for sucking the joy out of Christmas. However I think there are more homes than ever before decorated outside. As I said, growing up, a home with more than a wreath was the exception. I can't think of a single one of my friends who had exterior decorations on their home beyond a wreath. However now every neighborhood you drive into has a whole bunch of homes all decked out and covered in lights. It seems like more and more folks than ever are covering their homes in lights. I think you find what you are looking for.
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When I was a little girl tons of neighborhoods decked out for the holidays, then the energy crisis happened in the early 70's and after that only a very few decorated their homes on the outside.
So, we were in Michigan, and there were lots and lots of houses decked out with lights. That was really nice to see. One house made me laugh really hard, though. It was the most lit house we saw; think Griswolds with the whole yard done, blow ups, not a part of the house or barn or trees left unlit, and on the roof were the words spelled out in lights - SIMPLIFY CHRISTMAS.
Oh, the irony.
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