What’s wrong with “Happy Holidays”?
Posted on December 23, 2005
I don’t know if I should be surprised by all this furor about people saying “Happy Holidays” as opposed to “Merry Christmas.” When I was younger, I figured people said “Happy Holidays” because it was shorter than saying “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.” I thought it was a two for one deal on good tidings and wishing people well, especially since I might not see them until after New Year’s Day.
As I grew older and learned about other religions, I found out some of those religions even had holidays around the same time as Christmas. I also found out a bit about Boxing Day and (within the past few years) Festivus. At work, I know people who are Hindu, Moslem, and Jewish. Wishing people “Happy Holidays” seems to cover a lot of ground, not just Christmas.
I think the tempest-in-a-teapot controversy “Merry Christmas” may be more of a reaction to the over-commercialization of Christmas. It’s being commoditized. Many people look at it as a time away from work or school, rather than celebrating the Birth of Christ. (I’m not even going to get into the argument over Christ’s actual birthdate, aside from stating that some Christian religions celebrate the birth of Christ at different times of the year – not December 25th.) It makes sense. Christianity used to have a monopoly on Christmas, but not any more. It’s become more secular in nature. It’s true. I mean, what do Transformers, Barbie, or DVD players have to do with the Son of God? Nothing. They’re just material goods that will bring some pleasure to someone for a while, but not much beyond that.
Personally, I don’t care one way or the other about what a person says. I think we should treat each other well, regardless of the time of year and regardless of our faith, belief, race, creed, etc. Be good to each other. Is that so hard to understand?
Related posts:
- The Spirit of Christmas
- Sitting ’round, talkin’ ’bout the weather
- Some Updates for the Holidays
- Apple OS
- Welcome to 2005
Leave a Comment
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
