Every year prior to the holidays I am on the lookout for stories, articles, and social media posts concerning the ‘war on Christmas’ that many people claim is happening as well as the bellowing accusations of using ‘Happy Holidays’ over the more traditional ‘Merry Christmas.’ This also goes for the overt use of signs, messages and the occasional reminder of ‘Keeping Christ in Christmas’ (KCIC). Yet on the other isle we have those politically correct with a chip on their shoulder that can’t stand a Nativity scene on government property or those that don’t want another religions relics included along with baby Jesus. There’d be danger in the manger if a Hotei Happy Buddha statue and the Flying Spaghetti Monster were hanging in the crib with JC!
I’m not one who cares to step on anyone’s personal walk in spiritual and religious matters nor do I care to condone ones right to free speech yet I always wonder how long the idiosyncrasies that start these conversations will last and when can we get along without bitching about how one wants to describe Christmas as well as the other Winter holidays. Or who can sing what Christmas carol in school or if the word ‘gay’ should be in a Hallmark card that has Deck The Halls lyrics.
For one, we have Sarah Palin again in the limelight writing a book about this and then the ruckus over the postal service making various holiday stamps, including a Kwanzaa and a Hanukkah stamp but, God forbid, not a Christmas stamp. And they call this ‘a war’!? It’s just as trivial as this so called war on terror and war on drugs that have been shoved down our throats.
I for one am not a Christian and I have no problem with hearing or even saying Merry Christmas and celebrating with family and friends. And please, please! if anyone I say ‘happy holidays’ to gets offended and tries to belittle such a simple beautiful saying I hope they will be able to get the underlining sarcasm I might have under my breathe when I tell them that the word ‘holiday’ is from the Old English hāligdæg, meaning ‘holy day’ (as mentioned in the Oxford dictionary). Yeah, holy days lady! Please, for the love you have for your God remember!
And do those that use the KCIC mantra know that Christmas wasn’t even celebrated by those that inhabited early America and in some cases banned? Recall that these were Christians getting away from other Christians when they fled over here. Puritans outlawed it for being a pagan holiday as they knew that the origins stemmed from the solar cults of the Roman celebrations corresponding to the Winter Solstice as well as previous ancient pagan beliefs that saw their deity being born, crucified and resurrected in similar fashion.
Does this, or should this, diminish the holiday season in bringing people together and doing good to others? Only if those that feel offended (on either side of the debate) keep shoving their narrow ideologies down our throats and becoming the Holiday/Christmas Riot Police and demanding the government to pass legislation while on the other hand wanting the government out of out personal lives. FML! Whatever it may be the only ‘war on Christmas’ that should be is the one against corporate business prying for our dollar as well as the rampant consumerism for useless and unneeded things.
So Happy Christmahanakwanzika whenever the time comes.
alongyourpath : sphota-meraki 