Signs of the times? Gag me.

Today I stopped at the local post office to buy stamps -- Christmas stamps to mail Christmas cards to friends and relatives.

At the window, the lady presented the selection of Christmas stamps they had available. These included stamps with images of 1) abstract Christmas tree ornaments, 2) Kwanzaa, 3) Hanukkah, and 4) the Muslim holiday, Eid ul-Fitr, in ornamental Arabic.

I asked the lady what happened to the stamps of the Madonna and Child. She said she didn't know. She asked some of the other postal workers, but none knew anything about them.

I persisted: "Let me see, you're saying that these are your only selection of CHRISTMAS stamps?" She nodded. "... and this one is Christmas tree ornaments, that one commemorates an African-American celebration of dubious origin, this one a Jewish holiday, and the last one a Muslim holiday?"

She shrugged, and I walked away with stamps picturing the abstract Christmas tree ornaments.

Gag me.