December Dilemma Watch 2007

Gov. Mike Huckabee, the ordained Southern Baptist preacher who continues to rise in the Republican presidential primary polls, has a new ad out that aims directly for the pro-Christmas set. People shouldn’t be bombarded during this time of year with political ads, Huckabee says while wearing a red sweater, seated in front of a Christmas tree, with “Silent Night” playing softly in the background. Instead, “what really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ, and being with our family and our friends.” Ending with a “God bless, and Merry Christmas,” the ad is sure to please many.

Esther Kustanowitz reports in our Idol Chatter blog that celebrities face the December Dilemma too. Specifically, Madonna, who attempts to balance a belief in Jesus with participation in pop-Kabbalah religion, has canceled Christmas in her home this year. In her post, Esther writes:

In case you haven’t heard, there’ll be no Christmas this year. At least not in the drafty English castle where Guy Ritchie and Madonna make their somewhat religiously confusing home. The adults are not exchanging presents, and the kids will get three presents each, but apparently no fatty or sugary food, or turkey, because Madge has issues with poultry slaughtering practices.
And what about the religious observances? Will they have a crèche? What about decorations? Or a meaningful discussion of their religious beliefs and what impact the season and its celebrations have? To recap, Madonna still claims to believe in Jesus, and is raising her children within the rules of what this article calls a “quasi-religion.” Lourdes is 11, so we’ll see if the Ritchie family commemorates her bat mitzvah. Maybe then we’ll understand. But probably not.

In Green Bay, Wisconsin, a nativity scene was erected in front of City Hall. Some members of the community felt that this was an inappropriate public display of religion, and one man felt strongly enough about it to request that a Festivus pole be erected next to the creche. Festivus, of course, is the fictional holiday, popularized by the “Seinfeld” show, in which an unadorned aluminum pole is posted and people partake in rituals including “feats of strength” and “the airing of grievances.”
According to this Associated Press article, resident Sean Ryan requested the Festivus display in order to “showcase how deciding what religions to include in the display can turn to the absurd.”
Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt, however, is not amused. The mayor says that a Wiccan pentacle display was installed at City Hall after residents requested it, proving that the city is willing to display symbols of legitimate religions.
The “silly antics” of the Festivus request, Schmitt said, “is kind of making a laughing matter of something that’s rather serious.”

Joe Jankowski of Belleville, Michigan wanted to give his wife a Christmas she wouldn’t forget 6 years ago. So he set about fully decorating their double-wide trailer home with Christmas lights and trees. Today, the home boasts 17,000 light bulbs and 30 trees, and it takes Jankowski a full month of work to complete it.
Click here to see Jankowski’s full display on CNN.com.