Happy Holidays, Like It or Not!

Happy Holidays, Like It or Not!

Nov 27, '11 6:15 PM for everyone

Tonight I was wished “Merry Christmas” once and “Happy Holidays” twice as we shopped. Neither offended me. No one seemed offended when I responded in kind.

I keep reading about all the people I might offend if I offer “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” So can I be offended by their being offended? (Which greeting actually qualifies as politically correct if both are potentially offensive?) Surely we have more important things to get PO’d about than what kind of greeting is used for the holidays. Hey, nothing represents the spirit of the season more than getting bent out of shape over a friendly greeting, right?

If you want to say, “Merry Christmas,” say it. I don’t care. I won’t be offended. None of the (many) Jews I know will be offended. None of the (many) Muslims I know will be offended. None of the (fewer) atheists or agnostics I know will be offended. Now maybe someone, somewhere, will take offense, but I don’t know them. But for the most part, non-Christians simply don’t care and don’t take it personally.

So why should my more inclusive greeting, recognizing the diversity of our country, a country with religious freedom as part of its foundation, be considered offensive or snidely deemed “politically correct”? Why should a Christian take it personally if I call out a joyful, “Happy Holidays!” Why should this be viewed as some attack on or denigration of Christianity? Why should my failure to wish a Christian (whom I don’t know) a Merry Christmas be any more offensive than a Christian’s innocent good wishes of a Merry Christmas to a non-Christian?

So, if you want to be offended, have at it. If you want to “unfriend” me on FaceBook because my vision of Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men doesn’t match yours, well, see ya. In either case, before you go, or get angry, or offended, allow me offer you my sincere best wishes for the holiday season, no matter what holiday you celebrate, or how you celebrate it (including the All American secular shopping spree -- stimulate the economy, please!).

Happy Holidays to one and all, and, in the words of that great secular marketing icon, Santa Claus himself, “To All a Good Night!”

P.S. For those interested in facts rather than emotion, to my knowledge (and I’ve done some, but not extensive, research, mostly because I just don’t care enough), no one has been fired by a retailer for wishing a shopper a Merry Christmas. That the big retail chains have, of their own accord, altered their circulars to incorporate ALL the possible holidays (Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, Winter Solstice, etc.) in order to sell more merchandise is a corporate decision, aimed not at assaulting Christianity but at enriching their bottom line. But if that offends you, may I suggest, “Occupy WalMart”!

edited for appearance, not content (12/2/13)

Tags: religion, philosophy