It’s that time of year again. A time of Joy, Peace, and Uproar. Every year we hear it: “Why can’t they say ‘Merry Christmas’ instead of Happy Holidays.” “Wal-Mart (or other large corporate entity) hates Christmas (and therefore Christians)!” “Let’s keep Christ in Christmas.”
I agree. Let’s keep Christ in Christmas. Without it we’d just have ‘mas. Or maybe Holidaymas and that just sounds weird. Below is a Letter to the Editor I wrote a few years ago. It was published in our local paper. I thought I’d recycle it this year. Enjoy.
To the Editor:
I want to respond to the letter titled "God Help Us All" printed in the December 11, 2005 edition of the Times Daily. I wanted to take a minute to remind Ms. Putman that there are other people with other beliefs that also celebrate holidays that overlap with Christmas. Hanukah, Ramadan, and Kwanzaa, to name a few, either coincide with or fall very close to Christmas.
I am a Christian. (I worked in ministry the 10 years previous to this.) My family and I celebrate Christmas. If you come to a party at my house this time of year, it would be a Christmas party. I will talk with my children about the reasons we celebrate Christmas (i.e. Jesus birth). My family will spend a good part of the season helping and giving to those less fortunate than us.
Christ has not been taken out of Christmas. It is not the responsibility of any retail establishment or broadcast entity to share Christ or to make sure he gets recognition this season. It is the duty of those who follow him.
This is the Holiday season. We are a diverse country (and community for that matter). Like it or not, Hanukah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, etc. fall around the same time as Christmas, and millions celebrate those holidays. There is absolutely no reason for Wal-Mart, Target, or Honda to exclude them from their celebrations.
So, I say Happy Holidays! Be it Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, or Festivus! Be merry and love each other.
Happy Holidaymas to all! (And Merry Christmas to my Christian friends.)
I, too, have always perferred saying "Happy Holidays." Not because of all the holidays that you mentioned, Scott, but simply because Christmas Day and New Year's Day are but a week apart. I don't feel like going to the trouble of saying, "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year." It's just too much...too wordy. Unfortunately, like so many others, I have been reprimanded for not being more Christian. Whatever!
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