Last Word On Christmas

Nissenbaum of the University of Massachusetts said modern-day religious criticism of Christmas is historically familiar. "Christmas was really a carnival season," he said. "There's that warm remnant of the Christmas season as a time of drinking and letting go and just misbehaving. That survived but it has survived only on New Year's Eve."

By the early 19th century, Christmas was becoming domesticated and made respectable, he said.

But Nissenbaum is skeptical that churches will ever have the last word on Christmas.

"In every age there have been a significant number of Christians trying to observe the holiday as a pious event, but I don't think they ever controlled the holiday. Its seasonal aspect is too powerful."

"LA Times" 12/21/2005