The real War on Christmas happened a long time ago, at the first Christmas:

“When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.” (Matthew 2:16)

You can tell a lot about a person’s mental state by what they fear. King Herod was evidently very intimidated by the thought of thousands of peacefully dreaming children warm in their beds. So that first Christmas, countless dreams were snuffed out; voices were silenced before anyone had a chance to listen, collateral damage in King Herod’s expedient fight for the status quo.

It did not have the effect that King Herod intended.

Herod, if you can hear my voice, know that billions of dreaming children across the planet squeal with delight each year in celebration of what you tried to kill.

The Herods of this world understand that each generation is a threat to the current power structure. All it takes is for one generation to rise up together and say we’re no longer going to run the world through force and violence and lies. And that is a very intimidating and unsettling idea to those who make their living that way. Well, Christmas won. I say let them tremble.

And to the Holy Innocents who we honor today: Though we had to say goodbye too soon, we hear your voice in the joyful cries of every child on the face of Earth who wakes in hope each Christmas morning. May this generation honor you by building a world where children are no longer pursued to their deaths simply for being born in the wrong place and time, and where indiscriminate violence is replaced with indiscriminate love.