{"id":2383297,"date":"2024-12-24T07:33:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T12:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shunning-family-over-politics-is-an-affront-to-the-christmas-spirit\/"},"modified":"2024-12-24T07:35:30","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T12:35:30","slug":"shunning-family-over-politics-is-an-affront-to-the-christmas-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shunning-family-over-politics-is-an-affront-to-the-christmas-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"Shunning Family Over Politics Is An Affront To The Christmas Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fshunning-family-over-politics-is-an-affront-to-the-christmas-spirit%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2383297&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-times-issues-multiple-corrections-for-article-falsely-claiming-900000-u-s-children-have-been-hospitalized-for-covid-19-during-pandemic\/\" title=\"New York Times Issues Multiple Corrections For Article Falsely Claiming 900,000 U.S. Children Have Been Hospitalized For COVID-19 During Pandemic\">article discusses<\/a> \u200bthe growing polarization among American families, particularly during holiday gatherings, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/daily-wire-cofounder-rips-harrys-razors-for-dropping-advertising-over-misalignment-of-values-screw-harrys\/\" title=\"Daily Wire Cofounder Rips Harry\u2019s Razors For Dropping Advertising Over \u2018Misalignment\u2019 Of Values: \u2018Screw Harry\u2019s\u2019\">political disagreements<\/a> increasingly lead to \u2063severed relationships. It references the \u200dclassic story of *A \u200dChristmas Carol*, highlighting its message of reconciliation and togetherness, which stands in stark contrast to modern practices where political affiliations dictate\u200d personal relationships. A specific example is\u200b cited involving Amanda Calhoun,a \u200bYale fellow,who \u200dsuggested distancing oneself from <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">family \u2064members wiht opposing political views<\/a>. The author shares a\u200b personal \u2063story of a friend whose close relationship with his brother has been jeopardized due to political differences following an election. This trend of political division is illustrated through instances \u200bwhere families and friends no longer share holidays, reflecting \u2064a broader societal shift away from unity\u2064 and toward discord based on political beliefs. The article calls for a return to the spirit of Christmas,encouraging people to prioritize relationships over political disagreements.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/a-family-having-christmas-dinner-together-6518021\/\">RDNE Stock Project\/Pexels<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/24\/shunning-friends-and-family-for-their-political-beliefs-is-an-affront-to-the-spirit-of-christmas\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Shunning%20Friends%20And%20Family%20For%20Their%20Political%20Beliefs%20Is%20An%20Affront%20To%20The%20Spirit%20Of%20Christmas&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/24\/shunning-friends-and-family-for-their-political-beliefs-is-an-affront-to-the-spirit-of-christmas\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Shunning%20Friends%20And%20Family%20For%20Their%20Political%20Beliefs%20Is%20An%20Affront%20To%20The%20Spirit%20Of%20Christmas&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/24\/shunning-friends-and-family-for-their-political-beliefs-is-an-affront-to-the-spirit-of-christmas\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/24\/shunning-friends-and-family-for-their-political-beliefs-is-an-affront-to-the-spirit-of-christmas\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Shunning%20Friends%20And%20Family%20For%20Their%20Political%20Beliefs%20Is%20An%20Affront%20To%20The%20Spirit%20Of%20Christmas&amp;body=As%20we%20celebrate%20Christmas,%20all%20of%20us,%20regardless%20of%20our%20political%20persuasion,%20should%20strive%20to%20live%20out%20Jesus%E2%80%99%20words%20in%20Matthew%205:43-44.%20%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/24\/shunning-friends-and-family-for-their-political-beliefs-is-an-affront-to-the-spirit-of-christmas\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Every year, various movie versions of Charles Dickens&rsquo; classic <em>A Christmas Carol<\/em> air on our televisions, reminding us of the importance of putting others first and how Christmas is a time of reconciliation instead of division.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, in modern-day America, we have forgotten that message.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1443125119\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>After Donald Trump&rsquo;s recent election victory, leftist Yale fellow Amanda Calhoun commented on why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-michigan-house-member-files-to-impeach-governor-gretchen-whitmer\/\" title=\"BREAKING: Michigan House Member Files to Impeach Governor Gretchen Whitmer\">family members<\/a> who voted for Kamala Harris should refuse to celebrate the holidays with their friends and family members: &ldquo;So, if you are going into a situation where you have family members, where you have close friends who you know have voted in ways that are against you &hellip; it&rsquo;s completely fine to not be around those people and to tell them why.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As I write in my recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Stumbling-Toward-Utopia-National-Nightmare\/dp\/1956454470\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">book<\/a>, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.faithfultext.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stumbling Toward Utopia: How the 1960s Turned Into a National Nightmare and How We Can Revive the American Dream<\/a><\/em>: &ldquo;This is not new. In the last few political cycles, commentators on the Left openly called for children to confront, vilify, and humiliate any relatives, including parents, who may have voted for conservatives, at family get-togethers such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Thus, these holidays, when Americans normally put their differences aside to appreciate each other, have turned into a battle royale of angry partisan warfare.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I have a dear friend who has had a wonderful relationship with his older brother for over 60 years despite their political differences. My friend is a conservative Republican, and his brother is a far-left Democrat.&nbsp;On the day after the election, his brother posted that he will no longer talk to nor associate with friends and family &mdash; including his brother &mdash; if they voted for Trump or any other Republican. My friend grieves his brother&rsquo;s reaction and the potential loss of relationship simply because he exercised his constitutional right to vote for the candidate who will likely implement policies he supports.<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, as a result, he will not be seeing his brother this Christmas. My friend will continue to love his brother, but he is not about to toss a match on gasoline until his sibling&rsquo;s temper cools.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In homes nationwide, children have turned against parents and parents against children over political matters. I have friends who have not seen their children or grandchildren for years because of this.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In the past, certain events brought family and friends together, regardless of their political or religious beliefs. Whether it was jointly rooting for a favorite sports team, discussing their favorite movies or TV shows, or sitting around the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/remember-we-are-the-majority-here-are-ideas-on-what-we-can-do-moving-forward\/\" title=\"Remember We Are the Majority \u2013 Here Are Idea\u2019s On What We Can Do Moving Forward\">dinner table<\/a> at Christmas, Americans came together rather than apart.&nbsp;The friendship between conservative Jimmy Stewart and liberal Henry Fonda is one example I share in my book:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>One (Stewart) was a dedicated Presbyterian family man who had a forty-four-year-long marriage (and was a decorated war hero). The other, Fonda, an agnostic, endured several divorces (and father of Jane Fonda). They could bicker over politics, but at the end of the day, they remained good and devoted friends who cared deeply about each other despite their differences.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Unfortunately, as our society has become more fragmented and people have hunkered down into their individual tribes, these bonds have not only started to fray but are now on the verge of becoming irreparably broken. That breakdown has reached the family dinner table &mdash; but it cannot continue.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As we celebrate Christ&rsquo;s birth this Christmas, all of us, regardless of our political persuasion, should strive to live out Jesus&rsquo; words in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew%205:43-44&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Matthew 5:43-44<\/a> to &ldquo;love your enemies.&rdquo; For us conservatives, that means showing respect rather than returning the fire of those with whom we may disagree.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>By following Christ&rsquo;s words, the open wounds tearing our society apart can start to heal. We can once again stand together despite our differences and seek the common good for each other rather than personal vengeance for ourselves. That is my hope and prayer this Christmas.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Timothy S. Goeglein is the author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.faithfultext.com\/stumbling-toward-utopia-products-9781956454475.php?page_id=30\"><i>Stumbling Toward Utopia: How the 1960s Turned into a National Nightmare and How We Can Revive the American Dream<\/i> (Fidelis 2024).<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Tim Goeglein<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/timgoeglein\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2024-election\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2024 election<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/bible\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Bible<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/christianity\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Christianity<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/christmas\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Christmas<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/family\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Family<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/friends\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">friends<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/holidays\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">holidays<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/politics\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/religion\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Religion<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every year, adaptations of Dickens&#8217; A Christmas Carol remind us to prioritize others and embrace reconciliation during the holidays<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":594,"featured_media":2383298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Family-Christmas-Dinner.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[47339,3881,47340,5894,29041],"class_list":["post-2383297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-christmas-spirit","tag-family","tag-moral-values","tag-politics","tag-traditions"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Family-Christmas-Dinner.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2383297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/594"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2383297"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2383297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2383301,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2383297\/revisions\/2383301"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2383298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2383297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2383297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2383297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}