{"id":12029,"date":"2015-12-07T23:16:15","date_gmt":"2015-12-08T04:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/?p=12029"},"modified":"2022-08-01T07:43:02","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T11:43:02","slug":"my-war-on-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/2015\/12\/my-war-on-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Widening the War on Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Every year at this time, conservative television pundits air their complaints about <em>The War on Christmas<\/em>.\u00a0 They insist that Christmas has been stripped of its true meaning, which for them means shopping for gifts for their family and friends and then hearing a cashier say &#8220;Merry Christmas&#8221; instead of &#8220;Happy Holidays&#8221; after ringing up the sale.<\/p>\n<p>In this case I agree: there is persecution in our shopping malls.\u00a0 It is not right that we single out Christians to suffer this crass, seasonal commercialization of their beliefs.\u00a0 Instead, let&#8217;s be fair: if we are going to cash in on one belief system, we should expose them all to the withering wind of winter merchandising.<\/p>\n<p>It is in that spirit (!) that I offer <strong><em><span style=\"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">The 100 Billionth Pan-Theistic Holiday Catalog<\/span><\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 It is the Sharper Image of Spiritualism, the Brookstone of Belief, the Frontgate of Faith, all rolled into one last desperate grasp for your year-end shopping dollar.\u00a0 Happy gifting!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding: 8px 2px 8px 20px; background-color: #ededed; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 8px;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">JELLO SHOT MENORAH<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 8px;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;\">Celebrate the long nights of Hanukkah in the <em>spirit<\/em> of your ancestors with this colorful Jello Shot Menorah!\u00a0 One shot the first night, two shots the next&#8230; by the eighth night, you will be lit up like a rabbi&#8217;s menorah!\u00a0 Will your bottle of vodka last all eight nights?\u00a0 This fun glass-and-brass set may have the answer&#8230; if you don&#8217;t get <em>shamashed<\/em> first!<br \/>\n$89.95.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 8px; background-color: #ededed; vertical-align: middle;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/jshot1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-12073 size-medium\" style=\"margin: 0px;\" title=\"Jello Shot Menorah - Photoshop Image by CHCollins\" src=\"http:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/jshot1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Jello Shot Menorah - Photoshop Image by CHCollins\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/jshot1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/jshot1.jpg 432w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #fcfdfe; padding: 8px; vertical-align: middle;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/buddha-songbook.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-12074 size-medium\" style=\"margin: 0px;\" title=\"Buddha Songbook - Photoshop Image by CHCollins\" src=\"http:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/buddha-songbook-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Buddha Songbook - Photoshop Image by CHCollins\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/buddha-songbook-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/buddha-songbook.jpg 432w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 8px 20px 8px 4px; background-color: #fcfdfe; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 8px;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">BUDDHA HOLIDAY SONGBOOK<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.1; text-align: left; margin-bottom: 8px;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;\">All your favorite carols about The Enlightened One are in The Eight Days of Buddha Songbook, including the beloved mantra&#8230; &#8220;On the Eighth Day of Buddha, meditation revealed to me: the eight-fold path, seven factors of enlightenment, six paths of rebirth, five precepts, four noble truths, three poisons of the wheel of life, two schools of thought, and Buddha sitting by a Bodhi tree!&#8221;<br \/>\n$12.95.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding: 8px 2px 8px 20px; background-color: #ededed; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 8px;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">&#8220;A FRANKLIN KWANZAA&#8221;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 8px;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;\">We all watch it on TV every year, but no one ever talks about how there is no &#8220;brown&#8221; in &#8220;A Charlie Brown Christmas.&#8221; Good grief, where <em>are<\/em> all the people of color?\u00a0 Don&#8217;t worry, you will find them here in &#8220;A Franklin Kwanzaa&#8221; which stars Franklin Armstrong, the only black kid in the Peanuts neighborhood. Watch Franklin do his best to put the K back in Kwanzaa, in this 26-minute DVD!<br \/>\n$19.95.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 8px; background-color: #ededed; vertical-align: middle;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/frank-kw.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-12114 size-medium\" style=\"margin: 0px;\" title=\"A Franklin Kwanzaa DVD - Photoshop Image by CHCollins\" src=\"http:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/frank-kw-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"A Franklin Kwanzaa DVD - Photoshop Image by CHCollins\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/frank-kw-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/frank-kw.jpg 432w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #fcfdfe; padding: 8px; vertical-align: middle;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/aclock.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-12124 size-medium\" style=\"margin: 0px;\" title=\"A Clock in a Case - Image by Irving, Texas, Police Dept\" src=\"http:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/aclock-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"A Clock in a Case - Image by Irving, Texas, Police Dept\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/aclock-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/aclock.jpg 432w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 8px 20px 8px 4px; background-color: #fcfdfe; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 8px;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">CLOCK-IN-A-CASE (REPLICA)<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"line-height: 1.1; text-align: left; margin-bottom: 8px;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;\">Based on a design by 14-year-old inventor Ahmed Mohamed, this replica clock-in-a-case not only tells time but mystifies friends, teachers and politicians! Like the original, you can open the case to reveal scary-looking wires!\u00a0 So the next time you visit our nation\u2019s capital, bring your replica clock to the White House fence and see if the Secret Service will take you inside to meet President Obama!<br \/>\n$39.95.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding: 8px 2px 8px 20px; background-color: #dfdfdf; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: right; margin-bottom: 8px;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">EMPTY BOX OF ZEN<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 8px;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;\">The best holiday gift for the Taoist in your life &#8212; and perhaps the one in your next life &#8212; is the gift of self-discovery and acceptance.\u00a0 As the sages in our marketing department instructed us to say:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 8px;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;\"> &#8220;This box contains nothing and everything.\u00a0 What is inside the box depends on what is inside you.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 8px;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;\">Gift wrap not available for this item.<br \/>\n$10.00.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color: #dfdfdf; padding: 8px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/box.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-12130 size-medium\" style=\"margin: 0px;\" title=\"An empty box? Or an empty life? Photoshop image by CHCollins\" src=\"http:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/box-300x200.png\" alt=\"An empty box? Or an empty life?\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/box-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/box.png 432w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every year at this time, conservative television pundits air their complaints about The War on Christmas.\u00a0 They insist that Christmas has been stripped of its true meaning, which for them means shopping for gifts for their family and friends and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/2015\/12\/my-war-on-christmas\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-humor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12029"}],"version-history":[{"count":151,"href":"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28285,"href":"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12029\/revisions\/28285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}