As the weather gets colder and the year comes to an end, most people start looking forward to possible snow days and to Christmas. So far we haven't had much more chance for a snow day than we did last June due to our unusual weather, so Christmas is the sure thing at the top of many people's list.
What I don't understand is the fuss made about the specific words used to wish friends a happy Christmas. Why is "Merry Christmas" so offensive? I'm a proud non-Christian and I use the phrase because I appreciate some aspects of the holiday. While I don't agree with all of the fuss made over spending money and gift-giving, I understand the concepts of spending time with the ones you love and generously exchanging gifts. That is a quality unique to Christmas, so I think I should be able to refer to it using its name.
Why do we feel that everyone must be included in the phrase of well wishing at the end of December? There is no inclusion of Christians during Yom Kippur in October. From what I hear from jewish friends, Hannukah isn't necessarily a big of a deal to Jews, it has been conveniently made that way by people who wish to be fair.
I think that losing the Merry Christmas causes us to lose some culture as well. Christmas, whether in the religious sense or not, has always been a part of American culture (and many other cultures). Covering all the holidays in one phrase just makes our society more homogenious. The US is supposed to be the melting pot with all sorts of cultures. We should acknowledge them individually, not by lumping them all together with a "Happy Holidays." What about the atheists? Do we need to create a holiday for them too to make us all even more similar?
How about we just call it what it's called. If you're friends with a Jewish person say "Happy Hannukah"; if you're friends with someone who celebrates Christmas, a "Merry Christmas" will do. Just don't strip a person of his identity by saying "Happy Holidays". If you don't know which holiday someone celebrates a simple "Happy New Year" works.
Merry Christmas.
1 comment:
Personally, I would like my own holiday, and not on my birthday. People could take a week off to celebrate it, no gift giving would be required but everyone would be assigned, in my honor, to read at least one work of nonfiction published in the past five years. They would have to make time to discuss it, preferably after dinner, and with dessert that includes cheesecake and a large steaming mug of coffee.
But getting back to Christmas. Every year I like it less and less. I think Christmas has become more about gift giving then about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Therefore, it shouldn't offend anyone to say Merry Christmas, because, bah humbug, it seems to be all about the presents anyway. I remember in fifth grade receiving really lousy presents for Christmas, including a piece of luggage - -what kid wants to open a huge box only to find out it's a piece of blue Samsonite luggage? I was so disappointed, I kicked it across the living room. I got grounded. Some Christmas.
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