Home for Christmas

Originally recorded as a radio commentary, December 22, 2021, and posted on PhyllisSchlafly.com

The moment I hear Bing Crosby start to sing the classic Christmas song “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” I can’t help but think about the deep connection between America’s favorite holiday and the great American institution of the family. But why is it that so much of our Christmas celebrations seem to revolve around family? It certainly can’t be because every Christmas with family features “snow, mistletoe, and presents on the tree.” Something about family reaches past all the external circumstances and into the very heart of every man, woman, and child.

The answer can be traced all the way back to the very first Christmas, when Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary as Joseph stood guard over them. If you think about it, it did not have to be that way. Jesus is God, the ruler of the universe. He knew his earthly mother and his adopted earthly father before time began. Yet, our infinite God chose to enter this world in the arms of a loving family. He humbled himself as a mere babe and demonstrated for all how family can help us through hard times. He proved that the love and warmth of family can be felt in a lowly stable as much as in the palace of a king.

That is why we still celebrate Christmas with family today. The bond of family helps develop us into responsible citizens in our formative years and gives us a place of refuge when life gets tough. At Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, we proudly call ourselves a pro-family organization because we believe the family unit is still the best place for men, women, and children to prosper. We want a government that does not hinder the familial bond honored by the newborn Messiah.

Whether or not your Christmas celebration features “snow, mistletoe, and presents on the tree,” it is my prayer that you will be surrounded by the love of family as you remember the night that hope incarnate came to dwell among us.

On behalf of myself and the entire staff of Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, merry Christmas and may God bless you in the New Year.

 

The Christmas Miracle of José Feliciano

Originally recorded as a radio commentary, December 23, 2021, and posted on PhyllisSchlafly.com

In the spirit of the Christmas season, I would like to tell you a truly heartwarming story from the writer of one of the most popular Christmas songs of the last century.

The singer, José Feliciano, is best known for his iconic Christmas anthem “Feliz Navidad.” Few people know that he is also a bold defender of the unborn. The Catholic Feliciano says that he does not like to inject politics into his music because he does not think people respond well to celebrities who tell them what their politics should be. Certainly, the elites of Hollywood could learn a thing or two from him. However, in an interview with the National Catholic Register, he declared that the one political issue he will be vocal about is being pro-life.

Mr. Feliciano was not always a defender of the unborn. He even said that he previously “would have called [himself] pro-choice.” What do you think could have caused such a radical transformation in the life of someone constantly surrounded by the leftist dogma of the mainstream music industry?

The great Christmas miracle of José Feliciano came from his unborn daughter, Melissa. As he put it, “when I heard Melissa’s little heartbeat on the monitor, I said, ‘Well, wait a minute. Even if there is a heartbeat, that’s life.’”

Feliciano’s story should give hope to all pro-life Americans who worry about the future of our movement. If the man who wished the world “a merry Christmas from the bottom of [his] heart” can see life in a heartbeat, no one is beyond hope.

The heartbeat laws that have taken America by storm capitalize on the innate truth we all accept that where there is a heartbeat, there is life. You too can make this truth a part of your message. The abortion industry would like nothing more than to suppress the fact that unborn children have detectable heartbeats as early as three weeks after conception. We must spread this scientific fact to anyone who will hear. Who knows? Sharing that simple truth in a respectful dialogue with your pro-abortion friend might be enough to cause another Christmas miracle like it did for José Feliciano.

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