I thought I would start posting some Christmas related stuff to get us in a Christmasy kind of mood. Here is a cute Madagaskar video:
And here is a link to a funny video of Santa being coached by a director.
Here is a guide to making your own Christmas TV-movie (via).
And the culture wars have hit Britain:
Go read the rest here.But now, like an unwelcome guest arriving at midnight on Christmas Eve, Britain has imported America's "culture wars," in which Christmas becomes a pitched battle between Christians, secularists and minority faiths.
The Christmas cards of Prince Charles, Prime Minister Tony Blair and his heir-apparent, Gordon Brown, have been scrutinized to see whether they offer anemic "Seasons Greetings" rather than a stout "Merry Christmas." Journalists have been dispatched to find school canteens that have replaced the traditional fattened goose with halal chicken. The tabloids are full of trendy teachers that have banished the nativity play in favor of a multifaith "festival of light."
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Nevertheless, Britain remains officially a Christian country. The British monarch has the constitutional title of "Supreme Governor of the Church of England" and "Defender of the Faith." The 24 most senior bishops in the Church of England, known as the "Lords spiritual," still wield political power through their right to sit in the House of Lords. And this isn't just a fusty constitutional nicety. The bishops were instrumental this year in blocking laws that would legalize euthanasia.
The passions spilled over the last few weeks suggest that this is no silly- season frippery. Christmas has become the latest battleground in a series of skirmishes over whether Britain will remain a Christian society.
However personally pious, everyone born into Britain 50 years ago shared a Christian heritage — at the least, a vague sense of sin, a working knowledge of the Bible and a sense of the year segmented by religious festivals. But this familiarity with religion as the bedrock of national life has eroded within two generations.
