It has already started... the annual "everybody fill yourselves with rage because there is an all out war on Christmas!" chatter and email and all around ridiculous anger over nothing. The first and most common thing to be attacked is the use of the phrase "Happy Holidays". I find this to be particularly crazy because there are SEVERAL holidays all in a row, all of which a Christian would celebrate... so not even counting the perfectly fantastic holidays associated with other well established (and even OLDER) religions, there are at least 3 in a row. I, like many other holiday-loving joyful (that's right, I'm joyful...) folks out there, want to share their elation and happiness over the impending events associated with all of the winter holidays we may celebrate. We wish everyone a "Happy Holidays!" to cover all bases, and to wish you happiness and health throughout the winter holiday season, not just one day as a "Merry Christmas!" would simply wish... no... please enjoy every last minute of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and have a rockin' New Year while you're at it. Hey, if you happen to celebrate a winter holiday other than Christmas, I'd love nothing more than for you to enjoy the hell out of that day. I mean, it's nicer than saying "Be Happy, Dammit!", and not as limiting as "Merry Christmas!". What the heck is wrong with that?
See, people want to act like we are excluding Christmas... when I really think what they mean to say is "How dare you acknowledge there may be a holiday other than Christmas that someone may be preparing to celebrate?!" The rather funny part about all this is, I never hear any Jews complain about being wished a Merry Christmas, which completely means nothing to them, and in turn completely ignores their holiday... but the Christmas lovers, they get super pissed when you say something that respectfully includes their holiday and wishes them nothing but happiness for that day, and the other holidays they'll be celebrating around that time as well. So... WHO is waging war on what?
We have a Christian, Jewish, Atheist mix going on in our family, and so maybe this makes me more aware of the fact that other traditions and holidays exist. I'd never assume a stranger celebrated one or the other, but I may want to show them kindness, and a genuine wish for my fellow human being to enjoy whatever it is they do celebrate. They act like the stores FORBID Christmas, hide it (hiding it where... behind the enormous inflatable Santas that are on display before Halloween even comes around?!), prevent their employees from saying it, and what's this about hanging Christmas trees upside down? What does that even MEAN?! Is that the new anti-Christmas thing to do? Would it just totally be denying Jesus or at least make him super mad to see an upside down tree? If someone knows more on this, please enlighten me.
In conclusion... if someone wishes you Happy Holidays, just be happy that they have something nice to say to you. If you're gonna bitch that they weren't specific enough and narrowed it down to one holiday only, then "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." They were being nice, you're rejection of the sentiment is not nice and really is quite rude. I have decided, this year, when someone bitches to me about saying Happy Holidays I will, indeed, take it back. I will, instead, wish them a very "Merry Christmas! But I hope your New Year blows." (You know, since that one doesn't count anyway...)
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