Happy Holidays

I am going to admit something publicly in this post, and I hope I don't get burned at the stake, but here goes.....I am a HAPPY HOLIDAYS person. Lately, I have seen Facebook postings and groups formed regarding the Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays debate, and I even had someone ask me if I realized that my own HOLIDAY card said "Happy Holidays." Yes, I did and Yes, it was deliberate. My reasoning is very simple and has nothing to do with taking Christ out of Christmas. It is simply that, to me, the holiday season encompasses all of the holidays that take place between October 31(if you include Halloween) and January 1. "Happy Holidays," to me, means "Have a Happy Thanksgiving, a Happy Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas, a Happy Kwanzaa, and a Happy New Year." This is the way I look at it, and I don't see any reason everybody else can't try to see it the same way. When somebody says "Happy Holidays" to me, it means that they are wishing me well on all of the November/December holidays that I celebrate or mean anything to me. Why say Merry Christmas to somebody unless you're reasonably sure that person celebrates it. You shouldn't necessarily be afraid of offending them, but you're going to be telling them something that's totally meaningless to them. If somebody were to wish me a Happy Hanukkah, I wouldn't be upset, but I'd probably just say "Uh...ok." And to the argument that "Happy Holidays" is just all about political correctness I say so what. What is wrong with going out of your way to not offend someone. Would you go out of your way to say Merry Christmas to someone you knew was Jewish or Muslim? Isn't this the perfect time of year to be nice and not offend anyone? As to the boycotting of stores that refer to "Holidays" rather than "Christmas," what is the big deal. It is a marketing strategy employed by retailers trying to cover all consumers with their advertising. They are after all, a business, and trying to make as much money as possible. I actually take issue with businesses that try to promote God and Christianity as their marketing strategy, but that is slightly off topic and better saved for another post. I never can understand why these Christian groups spend so much effort this time of year focused on what goes on in stores. Maybe we should all take a lesson from the Grinch who said "Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store." I also don't have a problem with the way schools treat the holidays. Is it really that big of a deal that the time off is called winter break? It is not just December 24 and 25 that school is out, it is a two week period. When they are off for Yom Kippur in September it is called a teacher workday, so all's fair right? I think schools can go too far in taking away any symbols of Christmas, though. Do I think that they should set up a Nativity scene in the lobby, No, but a few wreaths and stockings are fine. Anyway, I know some will think that I am missing the point, but I hope that I have made a few good points of my own.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!