The most famous antagonist of Christmas is undisputedly Charles Dickens’s Ebenezer Scrooge. But even Scrooge felt compelled to shout “merry Christmas” as he pranced gleefully down the street. Call me old fashioned but if he’s shouting “happy holidays,” the classic scene loses its joyous impact.
Many have argued that the term “merry Christmas” should be changed to “happy holidays” in order to appease the non-Christians. Those who prefer “happy holidays” do so because they believe that it is a religiously neutral and includes everyone.
But does it?
The word holiday is derived from “holy day.” The word originally referred only to special religious days, specifically the Sabbath.
So the notion that “happy holidays” should be used instead of “merry Christmas” to avoid promoting religion during this time of year shows the ignorance of others.
On the same note, Christians who get offended when others choose to wish them a happy holiday instead of a merry Christmas are just as ignorant.
Christmas is about so much more than just about celebrating the birth of Christ. Just like Thanksgiving is more than just a commemoration of the pilgrims and the Native Americans sitting down together for a Thanksgiving meal and just like New Year’s Day is more than just replacing all of our 2012 calendars with 2013 calendars.
Each holiday has a specific meaning. Thanksgiving is about showing gratitude for what we have, New Year’s Day is about making resolutions to be better people and Christmas is about showing love and kindness to others.
When I hear the term “happy holidays,” I feel like those special days are stripped of their meanings.
Christmas is a special time of the year. From Thanksgiving to Dec. 26 we all try to show that compassion and kindness to others. We give bigger tips to waiters, we are more likely to shovel our neighbor’s sidewalk or donate to charity or help the homeless. The only real crime is that we stop wishing people a merry Christmas and showing that kindness on Dec. 26.
So to anyone reading this article, I wish you a merry Christmas or a happy holidays.
