BOSTON – When the Yale Glee Club began an impromptu rendition of the Christmas classic, "Carol of the Bells," aboard a moving Metro-North commuter train in Connecticut, last week, train conductor Bob McDonough immediately sprang into action. Using his ticket puncher, as shown in this Associated Press video, he became the club's musical conductor as the members joyfully sang, delighting homeward-bound passengers.
Christmas, the most beloved and widely celebrated holiday, is upon us. Yet while many long to experience Christmas joy, there are signs of a veritable Christmas war in schools, at cash registers, and on the phone with strangers.
Public institutions and certain principled organizations are adamant about keeping faith out of public places, and many endure daily moments of awkwardness at cash registers or with strangers on the phone over the choice of holiday versus Christmas greetings. Rather than point the finger, as many do at political correctness or liberal politics, I would like to suggest that the cause of the dying of the Christian Christmas has all along been … Santa. Yes, that jolly, burly fellow with the white beard, who once a year plops through the chimney with gifts, is the ultimate secularizer.
