Happy Holidays: Rejecting the concept of a "War on Christmas."

There is no war on Christmas.

What there is, is America. A country founded on freedom and the opportunity for tolerance.  A country who's citizens are Muslim, and Jewish, and Atheist, and Agnostic, and Hindu, and Pagan, and many things, and yes, Christian.

When I say "Happy Holidays," I'm wishing you the greetings of a big, long season of joy. I'm acknowledging that not everyone believes the same thing, but we're all probably celebrating something this time of year, even if it's simply two days off from work. I'm certainly including my Happy New Year in there and Thanksgiving to boot.

If you celebrate Christmas as honoring the birth of Jesus, I absolutely respect that. And as an American, I would fight to defend your right to your beliefs and your worship. But yours is not the only belief system in America. This is not a Christian nation; it is a nation born of diversity.

I'm pagan, and personally, I believe my Celtic ancestors are the reason for the season. You don't have to agree with me. Isn't America great?

There is no war on Christmas.

When I say "Happy Holidays" to you, I'm extending to you a festive greeting. To snap or sneer back, "It's Merry Christmas!" doesn't make any sense, and it certainly doesn't spread any cheer. Clearly, I chose to say "Happy Holidays" because that's what I wished to say. You get to extend your greetings the precise way you'd like to, too.

The last time someone wished me "Happy Easter," I said, "Thank you." I don't celebrate Easter, but I accepted the greeting graciously because that's how it was meant. When someone says, "Happy Holidays," just say "Thank you."

There is no war on Christmas.

I celebrate Christmas as a secular American holiday. My roommate and I are having a party tonight, on the winter solstice, and we called it a Christmas party. The fact that that might now be read as some sort of exclusive statement because of all this "War on Christmas" nonsense makes me really, really sad and kinda angry. Suddenly, I feel like I should avoid using the word "Christmas" all together, even though Christmas holds a lot of meaning for me, and I absolutely do celebrate it.

Growing up in South Florida, I had friends who celebrated Christmas, and friends who celebrated Hanukkah, and we all said "Happy Holidays" and we all enjoyed that everyone was celebrating. It's difficult for me to understand why that's not OK with some people - wonderful, even. Certainly, it seems the most Christian way to be - love your neighbor; leave the judgment to God, right? That's what I learned in Sunday School long, long ago.

There's only a war on Christmas if you create one, which is exactly what many Christians in our country have been doing for the past few years. For some reason, it seems, some Christians have a problem with respecting the diversity of religious beliefs in America, which to me boils down to disrespecting America itself.

If that's you, I'm asking you as a fellow American, to please stop it.

Happy Holidays.

Comments

[Suebob]

Happy Yule!

[Liz]

Thank you!

[Kim]

So... I have an issue. I have an issue with people who celebrate "Christmas" but don't believe in Christ as the messiah/ultimate teacher/miraculous human being. I wish there were a different word for people who celebrate the "cultural" Christmas and not the "religious" one. My husband, who hasn't gone to church voluntarily since age 13, celebrates "Christmas" but believes that Christmas is the day we celebrate Jesus about as much as he celebrates feezle-day. I mean, seriously, he celebrates "talk like a pirate day" more than he celebrates a religious aspect of Christmas. And that's where I pause. Should you celebrate Christmas if you don't put any emphasis on Christ? Christ is the reason for Christmas. Yes, there was/is Saturnalia and the solstice and several other holidays that just "happened" to fall in the same time and yes, Jesus was really born in April when they did the census for taxation, just like they do today... but CHRISTmas is celebrating CHRIST. *sigh* But on the other hand, I want to celebrate with my friends and relatives, even the ones who aren't church goers... so that leaves me in a moral quandry. And no, I don't think there is a war on Christmas, but I think that a lot of people are failing their religion, questioning their beliefs (not a bad thing) and having crises of faith... and the "faithful" mourn this loss.

[Liz]

Hi Kim, Well, the "christ" in the word Christmas has its origin in the time when the church decided that appropriating pagan celebrations and traditions would help convert people to Christianity. That didn't just "happen"; it was purposeful. It was a purposeful decision to take the solstice and create a holiday to celebrate the birth of their Christ to stamp out paganism and convert people to Christianity. Otherwise, you'd probably be celebrating the birth of Christ in the actual month of his birth. And, btw, your holiday would be a lot less fun.

Today, the holiday on Dec. 25th is known worldwide as "Christmas." And when you celebrate a secular Christmas, you are still celebrating Christmas, no matter what the origins of the name. Christmas is only about celebrating Christ if you're Christian.

Thanks for your thoughtful comment.

[Not Fainthearted]

Thank you and happy holidays to you too!

As a Christian who celebrates the religious celebration, I wish that those that get their undies in a bunch about getting wished a happy holiday would stop thinking that they're speaking for me.

I also wish that people who think there is a vast conspiracy against Christmas would take a long hard look in the mirror and their January bank/credit card statements and see if maybe, just maybe they aren't contributing to the secularization of the holy day they'd now like to have a war about.

sheesh.

Thanks for venting for me in a much nicer fashion than I can do for myself :D