Hitler’s War on Christmas Revealed
Exhibit reveals Nazi plans to de-Christ Christmas
November 18, 2009
If, in keeping with the trends of the time, Bill O’Reilly decides to use Nazi imagery to express his rage at the “war on Christmas” this year—well, he may actually have a leg to stand on. Turns out Hitler & Co. did have beef with the holiday, and, as demonstrated in a new exhibition in Cologne, Germany, actually made an effort to take the Christ out of Christmas and merge it into “Julfest,” a solstice celebration with Pagan roots dedicated to remembering “Germanic ancestors and soldiers,” as the Times of London is reporting.
Nazis replaced the star atop the Christmas tree with a sun, in part to “break the emotional power of the Church,” but also to ensure there was no resemblance to Jewish or Bolshevik symbols. They also rewrote Christmas carols, changing references to baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary into snowy fields and the like. It’s a good thing we already pretty much boycott the Nazis, because otherwise the American Family Association would be all over this; instead they’ll have to stick with protesting The Gap for daring to use the word “Christmas” in the same breath as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa in ads.
How the Nazis tried to take Christ out of Christmas [Times (London)]
Hadara Graubart was formerly a writer and editor for Tablet Magazine.
