"Let's put the Saturn back in Saturnalia"

Garrison Keillor has been indulged by the Baltimore Sun in publishing a mean-spirited anti-Semitic rant (ostensibly about messing with the lyrics of "Silent Night", but really a somewhat hysterical attack on Emerson, the Unitarians and other pointy-head Eastern seaboard "elitists") that seems to me to be a sign that his recent medical issues have seriously affected his judgement. And no, it's not satire, duh, it's a reminder of why the Coen brothers most recent movie about growing up Jewish in Minnesota is still relevant.

"Unitarians listen to the Inner Voice and so they have no creed that they all stand up and recite in unison, and that's their perfect right, but it is wrong, wrong, wrong to rewrite "Silent Night." If you don't believe Jesus was God, OK, go write your own damn "Silent Night" and leave ours alone. This is spiritual piracy and cultural elitism, and we Christians have stood for it long enough. And all those lousy holiday songs by Jewish guys that trash up the malls every year, Rudolph and the chestnuts and the rest of that dreck. Did one of our guys write "Grab your loafers, come along if you wanna, and we'll blow that shofar for Rosh Hashanah"? No, we didn't.

Christmas is a Christian holiday - if you're not in the club, then buzz off. Celebrate Yule instead or dance around in druid robes for the solstice. Go light a big log, go wassailing and falalaing until you fall down, eat figgy pudding until you puke, but don't mess with the Messiah."

Ugh.

I will indeed celebrate Saturnalia, starting with my favorite clip from The Big Bang Theory (repeated last night):
"It's a Saturnalia miracle!"

And to cleanse the palate from GK's nastiness, here's a holiday song beloved by many:

This song, Fairytale of New York, was written by The Pogues in 1987, and sung by Shane McGowan and Kristy McColl (lyrics here). Here it's covered by Billy Bragg and Florence and the Machine