Well, folks, Christmas has come and gone. As is often the case with the season, I'm stunned by the generosity of friends and family. Most of the gifts I received were clearly the result of genuine thoughtfulness. I like to think that the gifts I give hold similar importance to their recipients, but one can never really know. Virtually without exception, mine was a fabulous holiday. I hope everyone can say the same.
Unfortunately, there are always those determined to undermine my sunny demeanor. The recurring conflict between "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays" bothers me. There are actually people (presumably non-Christians) who take offense when another wishes them a merry Christmas because it excludes well-wishing for other concurrent holidays. Wait...what? I may not be a good one, but I'm Catholic, so it follows that I celebrate Christmas. A theoretical Jewish friend would not, of course, celebrate Christmas, but I would never, ever be offended if that friend wished me a happy Hanukkah.
The United States is increasingly secular and I see nothing on the horizon that would slow that process. Nowadays, the phrase "Merry Christmas" is mostly a more concise way of saying "I hope you have fun on this upcoming December 25th." How is that a bad thing? The people who get angry are probably the sort who would interpret my self-identification with Catholicism with an endorsement of the Crusades...and Manifest Destiny...and probably slavery. It requires such a huge leap to hear "Merry Christmas" as a bad thing that I'm very nearly speechless. Happily, my fingers still work.
I was touring through Oprah's message boards before Thanksgiving--I'm comfortable enough with myself to admit it--when I saw a lady's post about her vowing to never celebrate Christmas again. Care to guess why? Go ahead, take some time. I'll wait.
Ohhh, so close, but still wrong. It's because Christmas is a lie! She has no fewer than three sources (THREE!) the 'prove' Jesus wasn't born until September 11, 0001 CE. Thus, Christmas, the supposed celebration of Jesus Christ's birth, is wrongly placed on the calendar and should therefore not be observed.
There are plenty of literalists out there who see the Bible as an historical text rather than a religious tome. That's silly. Those people simply lack imagination and live their lives in fear of defending their own opinions. Christmas certainly started as a straight celebration of the birth of Christ, but the word Christmas has become synonymous with the ideas of family, friendship, kindness, generosity, peace, and love--the driving forces behind any religion. In some sense, Christmas has come to represent what all religions hope to achieve.
Does this particular holiday draw attention away from other concurrent holidays? Almost certainly. Does that really matter? I don't think so. 'Tis the season to be jolly, regardless of what you believe. Just remember, when all's said and done, others wishing you good things deserves appreciation, whatever your personal beliefs.
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