… You’d be forgiven for thinking the War on Christmas ended a long time ago, if it ever existed. Dec. 25 is still a holiday. Christmas trees, eggnog and lights are ubiquitous, seemingly more so every year. And if there was any doubt, Donald Trump — who proclaimed himself the war’s General Patton during the 2016 presidential campaign — took a victory lap of sorts on a recent Mike Huckabee-hosted Newsmax Christmas special: “When I started campaigning, I said, ‘You’re going to say “Merry Christmas” again,’ and now, people are saying it.”
And yet: According to a recent poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University, more Americans believe such a “War on Christmas” exists than at any point in the past decade. …
Like several other equally intractable wars, the War on Christmas is ultimately an expression of discomfort at having to share the country and the public sphere with people who aren’t like us, fanned by public actors with a material interest in keeping it alive. CONTINUED
Derek Robertson, Politico Magazine
The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack