The season for tis-ing the season is upon is, and a chain status that keeps popping up all over my facebook news-feed sure is in a state about the words we use in December. People are worried, friends, "the man" - that faceless extremely politically correct and secular faction that controls wreath distribution - wants to take the Christ out of Christmas, and want to force us all (by threat of gunfire, persecution, eggs thrown against houses) to say "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas".
That bastard.
How dare society stop us from saying Merry Christmas and thrust Happy Holidays in our faces? Where is our autonomy and freedom of religion?
Well...
It isn't stopping or thrusting anything of the sort, for one. And everyone's autonomy and freedom of religion is safe and intact, thanks.
In Canada (and in the US, though you'd never know it to listen to the Republican Primaries) we have a separation of Church and State. What that means is, in very basic terms, public schools are not supposed to be teaching children religious information as fact (just as I don't suspect most Sunday schools have math tests), and government agencies and offices must attempt to be neutral to religion so as to not put the needs of one above the needs of another, making life in our society as fair as possible (this is the theory, I'm not going to examine the practice at such a juncture).
Rather than ignore the many days of celebration that pop up in December (or there abouts), schools and government offices, which aim to remain neutral, have in recent years started to use the term Holidays more often than Christmas. This isn't to kick Christmas in the balls, it is to be inclusive and welcoming and festive, and if you genuinely have a problem with secular agencies doing so, then I can do nothing but shake my head at you. Canada is a secular nation, it is a little unpatriotic to complain about that.
Okay fine, perhaps you are willing to concede that government agencies can say Happy Holidays - but what about the world of retail? Stores that are encouraging gift-buying en mass starting immediately after Halloween then have the nerve to leave out the word Christmas in their decorations, promotional materials, and cashier greetings/goodbyes? How dare they! I want to be wished a Merry Freakin' Christmas after I buy my boyfriend a video game!*
It may shock you to learn some of the following: 1) Some retailers are not Christians. 2) Some may celebrate other holidays this time of year. 3) Some may celebrate nothing at all, but still recognize the opportunity for profit. 4) That isn't a bad thing, that is just what Capitalism is. What are you, a communist? 5) If you're a communist, that's cool too. 6) Regardless of religious affiliation/lack-there-of, most retailers want customers of every possible combination of religion, background, culture, age, gender, etc. 7) If they don't, then they are bigots, and we shouldn't buy from bigots. 8) A shit-tonne of holidays are celebrated (roughly) in December, with a shit-tonne of potential customers celebrating them. 9) Ergo, the best way to wish good will and make the largest percentage of your customers feel nice and want to shop with you again is... Happy Holidays!
No one is telling you what you can and cannot celebrate in your own home, place of worship, or on your own lawn. No one is suggesting you have to call the decorated evergreen in your living room a "Holiday Tree". If you want to wish your friends and neighbours and family a Merry Christmas, then please do.
Getting upset over the phrase Happy Holidays is being obtuse. If someone wishes you that, then you should feel nice. Think about it... they want you to have a wonderful time celebrating something (anything! Even if you don't!) during the first really gross month of winter. That's just a lovely thought, embrace it.
As an aside, I had to fight the urge several times while writing this to write "Merry X-Mas"... I really like word "X-mas"... people complain about that one a lot, too.
*I'm not buying Ben a video game. Sorry babe.
**I want to thank my Facebook friend Ken Spragg for being the first one of my list to be vocal about how absurd the chain status was. Someone defriended him over speaking his mind in a very thoughtful response, which brought up a lot of points that I didn't, mostly about the religious hypocrisy of the issue.
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