On The War for Christmas

"There is no such thing as a feast 'without gods' -- whether it be a carnival or a marriage. That is not a demand, or a requirement; it does not mean that that is how things ought to be. Rather, it is meant as a simple statement of fact: However dim the recollection of that association may have become in men's minds, a feast 'without gods,' and unrelated to worship, is quite simply unknown."
--Josef Pieper, Leisure, The Basis of Culture. Seen quoted in the 30 November 2006 number of The Wanderer.