The Christmas Hits Keep on Coming...

The "Talking Points Memo": the Christmas hits just keep on coming.

The secular progressive movement has taken a major bruising over attempts to marginalize Christmas. And as you know, we have reported extensively on the controversy.

Last week, the House actually voted 401 to 22 to respect the traditions of Christmas. That's a good thing. Well, that's angered the SP [secular progressive] press, which has attacked me with glee.

The latest is New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who writes, "Let us all pray for Bill O'Reilly. Let us pray that Mr. O'Reilly will understand that the Christmas spirit isn't about hectoring people to say 'Merry Christmas,' rather than 'Happy Holidays,' but about helping the needy.

Let's pray that Mr. O'Reilly and other money-changers in the temple will donate the funds they raise exploiting Christmas — covering the nonexistent 'War on Christmas' rakes in viewers and advertising — to feed the hungry and house the homeless."

While I always appreciate prayers, Mr. Kristof, you are sadly misguided, Sir. As anyone who watches this program knows, we donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to the poor each year through proceeds from billoreilly.com. In fact, I think it is safe to say this year alone, I have donated more money to help the poor than you have in your entire life. What say you, Nicholas Kristof?

As for the nonexistent Christmas controversy, this proves Mr. Kristof is absolutely clueless, a trait he shares with many at The New York Times. Perhaps Kristof missed the Gallup poll last week that said 62 percent of Americans believe saying 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas' is not a good thing. And only three percent feel the greeting 'Merry Christmas' is offensive in any way.

Kristof also accuses me of ignoring important stories like the suffering in Darfur. Wrong again. I've consistently asked the USA to lead the way at the UN by confronting opponents to strong action against the Sudan like France.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: But basically, it looks like in the Sudan where at least 10,000 people have died, and over a million have been driven from their homes, that the French government simply does not want to put U.N. sanctions on that country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Well, Kristof doesn't know what he's talking about, but he objects to me, calling him a left-wing ideologue. Yet he prints material from a left wing smear site, claiming I want the Air America pinheads put in jail.

That riff on "The Radio Factor" was humorous talk radio hyperbole, as anybody listening would know. But good old Nick doesn't listen. He takes dishonest propaganda and prints it as fact. That's what ideologues do.

Kristof then goes completely off the rails, writing, "Perhaps I'm particularly sensitive to religious hypocrites because I've spent a chunk of time abroad watching Muslim versions of Mr. O'Reilly — demagogic table-thumpers who exploit public religiosity as a cynical ploy to gain attention and money."

So now I'm Mullah Omar. There I am. How nuts is this guy?!

The shame is that Kristoff has done good work on Darfur and human trafficking, but he's a committed secularist and is seemingly happy to write distortions all day long.

But in the spirit of Christmas, I've asked St. Nicholas to bring our pal Nicholas a special gift — the wisdom to see what's really going on in this country and to do some honest analysis.

And that's "The Memo."

By the way, we invited Kristof on “The Factor” this evening, but he apparently is too busy reading those left-wing smear sites.

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

At the risk of overdoing this Christmas deal, I want to tell you that Wal-Mart was pretty much the last retailer not to use the words "Merry Christmas" this season, but now that domino might have fallen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give generously to the Salvation Army. And help your neighbors down the street and across the country, who desperately need it, including those recovering from the recent hurricanes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Notice the little "Merry Christmas" in there? Antonio didn't say it, but it was in there. That's a first for Wal-Mart this year.

Also on the press front, T. Jeremy Gunn, an ACLU director, tells USA Today there is no war on Christmas. Does this mean the ACLU has surrendered?

The San Francisco Chronicle editorializes there is no war on Christmas. Jeff Gelles says the same thing in the Philadelphia Inquirer and says I threaten boycotts, a flat out lie.

And in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, New Era, of all papers — that's where the Amish live — Jane Holahan writes the same lie, that I want boycotts.

It's ridiculous. Off the chart. The print press in this country is in desperate trouble.

—You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com