Who took the Carols out of Christmas?

Last week a couple dozen schoolkids, decked out in white shirts and ties, got booted out of Union Square just for gathering sing a few carols. All because the city rules prohibit any organized activity at Union Square without a permit.

So now I'm going to rant about another holiday peeve. Nowadays if you want to hear Christmas carols (at least where I live), you must pay.

Churches and schools collect anywhere from $10 to $50, and sometimes more, to hear their Christmas concerts. These are not concerts performed by professional artists. These are concerts with ordinary church choirs and schoolkid chorus groups. I know these institutions have lights by pay and choir garments to buy. But hey, this is Christmas. It's a time for sharing. I don't mind giving a voluntary commitment to support the effort but I don't think people should be turned away from a little Christmas ear spirit due to lack of funds.

It's bad enough that Christmas has been commercialized to the point that many families are burdened with holiday credit card debt half way into the new year. Let's not extend their debt yet another month or two so they can hear little Johnny perform at school or church.

On another note... why is it that those young fortunates with brand new convertibles and big stereo systems can pump their every-other-word-is-f*** rap music up full blast and drive around Union Square without a permit? Oh that's right... they aren't organized.