Hatin' on Christmas

I hate Christmas. Not the Sweet-Baby-Jesus's-birthday Christmas, but the everything-but-Sweet-Baby-Jesus's-birthday Christmas.

I detest the commercialism. Nothing irritates me more than hearing normally intelligent, thoughtful people extolling the virtues of Santa like some kind of TV Christmas Special archetype...you know the one who, in the last act, discovers that the true meaning of Christmas isn't in a box. Many U.S. retailers depend on the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year, a greeter at Wal-Mart was trampled to death on "Black Friday" by shoppers too impatient to wait for the store's 5 a.m. opening. The family is blaming Wal-Mart in a wrongful death suit. The same day, two people were killed in a (possibly gang-related) shootout at a Toys R Us in California. These things sicken me for so many reasons. Just when I think we can't get any lower, we get out the picks and shovels.

I detest the protests. Not the protesters. They're just blind, ignorant people, doing what they believe to be right. Sometimes, I think Christians could take a page from their book. The atheists have a story to tell, and you're going to hear about it whether you like it, or not. Nevertheless, Christmas is a big time for complaining about God, Jesus, and all things religious.
I think what bothers me most about the protests, is the singling out of one single Christian Holiday. I understand being spread a little thin during Hanukkah, but how about Passover? Where are the atheists during Ramadan? Why not go to Mecca during the Hajj and protest? Don't forget to take lots of pics for your supporters back home, though. What about the pagan holidays? I'd love to see a Beltane protest. What about the Buddhists, Shintoists, and Hindus? Do they not deserve to be protested? AA recognizes a 'Higher Power', where are the protestors for those meetings?
wow...i feel a little better, now.

edit: 29 Nov 2008 corrected details on shooting.