The War on Christmas

Spoiler alert: there isn’t a war on Christmas.

Every December some people get very upset about those who wish them “happy holidays” instead of “merry Christmas.” To them it looks like they aren’t supposed to fully enjoy Christmas, that the “PC police” are out to get them, and/or that it’s bad to be a Christian these days.

And that is not the intention of those wishing you a happy holiday.

Despite my mixed feelings about Christmas, I have no problem with you enjoying and celebrating your holiday to its fullest. (And if there were some kind of war on Christmas, my Gods, you’ve already won. Christmas is inescapable in the U.S.! It’s on TV, in every store, on every radio channel, on the houses, etc.)

Anyway, the point of “Happy Holidays” is to be inclusive. It’s to acknowledge that not everyone you meet believes the same as you and worships the same as you. If I know someone is Christian and/or celebrates Christmas, then I wish them a “Merry Christmas.” If I don’t know someone’s religion or if they celebrate Christmas, then I go ahead and say “Happy Holidays.” Because Christmas is a holiday and is covered. It’s as simple as that.

Don’t get worked up if a store clerk says “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” to you. They need to be respectful to the maximum number of people and they can do that with the “Happy Holidays” message. It includes Christians and also those who are not Christian. It’s giving good wishes to everyone (and hey, even though I don’t celebrate any holidays in December, I’ll go ahead and take the good wishes).