Christmas is coming and while I can’t wait until my vacation begins, there is a lot of work to do but no pain no gain as they say.
School Christmas concerts are about to begin and the Grand Forks Gazette’s Christmas supplement is set to come out with the Dec. 19 issue, some of the many things on my pre-holiday “to do” list.
Christmas is about giving and the birth of Jesus Christ and while I celebrate the holiday, and believe in Jesus for that matter, I don’t subscribe to the theory that we should always refer to it as the Christmas season, as opposed to the holiday season.
I’m not a fan of political correctness, or how far some people take political correctness, but wishing someone a Happy Holiday is more preferable to wishing someone a Merry Christmas.
It’s arrogant to assume that everyone is a follower of Jesus and that everyone observes Christmas, as late-December is also the time for other holidays like Hanukkah and Kwanza, and whether one observes those holidays or not, there are some that do and one should respect that.
Only wishing a Merry Christmas implies that you don’t respect or acknowledge other holiday traditions – not everyone has the same traditions or beliefs.
Canada isn’t a religious state that follows one belief system but rather a country where people have religious freedom; the right to believe and practice whatever religion they wish to and that might include a not observing Christmas or believing in Jesus.
One might not like that some don’t observe Christmas, and everything related to it, and people are entitled to feel that way but others are allowed to have opposing views.
There are countries where one belief system is in place and things don’t tend to be too festive in those areas.
When one wishes someone “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings,” one is essentially wishing Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza and Happy New Year at the same time – all inclusive, non-exclusionist phrases.
So as you prepare for whatever holiday you observe, have a happy holiday.