Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Weathering evolution of Christmas

Ruthe Deskin

Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002 | 8:47 a.m.

Ruthe Deskin is assistant to the publisher. Reach her at deskin@lasvegassun.com.

It's the day after Christmas. Time to acknowledge that it is no longer the holiday of my youth when the birth of the Christ child was the cause for celebration.

The church was the focal point for activities. Proud parents beamed as small children starred in Nativity plays. The choir sang all the lovely old Christmas hymns and clergymen retold the story of Joseph and Mary and the birth of Jesus.

There were three churches in our small town -- Methodist, Baptist and Catholic. At Christmas all three celebrated with music and festivities, including sumptuous food fests.

One young lad, who recognized a good thing when it came along, became somewhat of a legend.

He attended all three churches, proclaiming his affiliation with whichever one was serving the tastiest treats.

The town was decorated with Christmas trees, tinsel and holly, with the main attraction being a Nativity scene in the town square.

The kind of Christmas I knew in my youth will not happen again except within the confines of the church. Perhaps that is the way it should be.

America is such a conglomeration of religions, race, philosophies and political correctness that the true foundation of Christmas eventually will become a Christian heritage not acceptable by all.

What with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) vigilantes in hot pursuit of anything remotely involving religious preference, this nation, under God (per the Pledge of Allegiance) faces inevitable changes.

A stone carved with the Ten Commandments has become a cause celebre and targeted for removal; a Southern town's mayor is being sued for allowing a Nativity scene in a public park; and political correctness has become the ruling force.

In spite of it all, the holiday season is still a time of joy and anticipation.

So far, Santa Claus seems impervious to the changes.

Mall walking is good for your health.

Mall watching is good for a laugh or two.

Old duffers, as well as young Turks, are surely titillated by the sight of young women in their hip-hugging, navel-revealing jeans and tight-fitting tops.

The same outfits worn by youth-seeking, middle-aged women are good for a loud guffaw. And the young men are scruffy renditions of high style in baggy pants and untucked shirttails.

The reaction to all these new fads is in the eye of the beholder -- and good for their shock value.

Growing into the computer age hasn't been easy. I still keep an old typewriter on hand just in case.

Recently everything I had carefully stored went sailing off into who knows where. E-mail I had planned to answer was no longer there.

This is my way of apologizing to those readers who sent column suggestions and comments I couldn't acknowledge.

Someday I will understand all the nuances of the computer world. By that time what I learn probably will be obsolete.

Have a happy New Year.