"Happy Holidays" Just Doesn't Offend Me, Frankly!

Published on December 10, 2005 By Gideon MacLeish In Current Events

Now, don't get me wrong. I have seen a bit of a conflict over expressions of Christmas that I have, at time, considered GROSSLY unfair and unConstitutional. But not so much as to really perceive a wholesale "war on Christmas".

You see, a lot of this debate has centered on the use of the word "Holiday" in place of "Christmas". And, honestly, I think it's silly, and, frankly, making a lot of good and decent conservative Christians into caricatures of themselves.

See, when I was little, we sent out Christmas cards with the message "Happy Holidays". Sure, we used "Merry Christmas" cards as well, but "Happy Holidays" was just a shorter way of acknowledging the overall holiday SEASON, not just the day of Christmas. It wasn't meant as a putdown.

Frankly, I find it ironic that in the Christmas season, which we have dedicated to "peace on earth, goodwill to man", we would allow ourselves to be embroiled in such a conflict. Sure, there are idiots such as Michael Newdow who would like to see Christians silenced outside of their own private homes, but Newdow is in the minority, even among atheists (and his new album is, well, dreck. He makes me long for the harmonic stylings of Will Shatner and Leonard Nimoy....but I digress). The fact is, the majority, even among atheists, simply DON'T CARE.

The fact is, the word "holiday" derives from the words "holy day" anyway. So, in fact, you're pretty much saying the same thing.

So wish me a Happy Hannukah, Kooky Kwanzaa, Friendly Funky Monkey dance say, Merry Christmas (with or without an "x" for the first syllable), or a Happy Holiday. I really don't care. What I know you're really saying is "Have a great holiday celebration...and don't hit the egg nog too hard".

And, frankly, I appreciate that you cared enough to mention it.

Comments

bakerstreet

on Dec 10, 2005

This is akin to the language situation. A few Liberal twits want to force states to offer services and classes in other languages for immigrants. Using the outrage over that, ultra-conservative twits decide they want to make English the official language and OUTLAW the use of other languages in school, etc...

Same with this. Some dolts want to force private entities to say "holiday" instead of Christmas, so their mirrors want to force others to say Christmas instead of holiday. It isn't the word that is the problem, it is the imposition.

Dr Guy

on Dec 10, 2005

Happy WInter Solstice, and triday postponement thereof!

ParaTed2k

on Dec 10, 2005

The only time it really bothers me is if the city or business has all sorts of Christmas decorations and nothing but Christmas decorations... but then won't put "Merry Christmas" up with it.

It aslo bothers me when schools and cities make sure other religious holidays are represented, but then ban any reference to anything Christian.

"Happy Holidays" works when they refer to the whole holiday season.

Texas Wahine

on Dec 11, 2005

It doesn't bother me either way. We call it Christmas. We called it Christmas when we were religious, and we call it Christmas now that we aren't. When we want to express well wishes for the entire holiday season, "Happy Holidays" works just fine, too.

I'm not sure this "attack on Christmas" is all people are making it out to be. I've NEVER felt pressured to change the way I celebrate the holidays. Perhaps I am just lucky, I dunno...but it just seems like a lotta nothing to me.

Mary146

on Dec 11, 2005

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and all the joy that comes with it . In my family it's what we have said for generations, and it's what we still say. All this todo to me is just abunch of chicken pucky. Me, I'm going to enjoy Christmas and New Years just as I do every year.

Cheers,
Mary146

cactoblasta

on Dec 11, 2005

It vaguely irritates me. There's practically nothing religious about Christmas anyway these days. Why not just call it what it is and get over it? The more of these celebrations you attend the more presents you get anyway, so it actually pays to go along. I'm all for celebrating every single one of them.

Dr Guy

on Dec 11, 2005

The more of these celebrations you attend the more presents you get anyway, so it actually pays to go along. I'm all for celebrating every single one of them.

That is a deliciously ironic way of looking at it!

Ozymandiaz

on Dec 12, 2005

For me it isn't the "happy holidays". I'm with you on that one. It is just this whole p.c. thing. I walked into a building the other day and the receptionist informed me that the decorated tree was a "holiday" tree. The word Christmas is being removed from schools and public places. Granted this is a big commercialized bonanza. Non the less, it is a commercialized bonanza based on Christmas. Not Hannuka or Kwanza or the new year. It hasn't to do so much with the religion, for me anyway, it is the watered down, politicaly correct rewriting of history. It has been rewritten enough.

Gideon MacLeish

on Dec 12, 2005

I'm not sure this "attack on Christmas" is all people are making it out to be.

When Michael Newdow states publicly that he wants to ban Thanksgiving and Christmas as federal holidays (and there's no "he said, she said" here...I HEARD one of the interviews myself), and has federal legislation in the courts to attempt just that, frankly, there IS an attack on Christmas.

I am going to use same argument for liberals as I do for Christians and Muslims RE: their extremists: Until prominent liberals begin taking a stand against their more militant factions, they WILL be lumped with those extremists.

Locamama

on Dec 12, 2005

If someone wishes me Happy Holidays, I am not offended but I do think trying to change a Christmas tree to a holiday tree is retarded.

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