One of the areas I wanted to expand into is our (society's) focus on Christmas, even though there are some people who don't celebrate Christmas. (I could add that there are people who do celebrate the commercial Christmas, who don't really celebrate the religious Christmas...OK, I just added it.) In particular, there's the debate over "Merry Christmas" vs "Happy Holidays". What I don't understand is why people get offended over the use of "Happy Holidays" - how is that in any way, shape, or form, offensive? "Happy Holidays" in my mind is a good phrase to use for those whom you're unsure of their belief structure, and out of respect, you don't want to make an assumption one way or the other. My four-year-old son has been saying "Merry Christmas Happy Hanukkah Happy Kwanzaa". To me, that's a nice gesture as you're now including more people, but there are people (I know of a few) who's belief structure does not involve celebrating the holidays. Happy Holidays seems to cover all the bases to me, and there's no need to be offended. Of course, I could go in the complete other direction and say the same thing about being offended by being told "Merry Christmas" if you don't believe in Christmas, and I could find some validity in that too.
The bottom line for me is this: whether you say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or something similar, isn't the real point here that someone is expressing good will towards you? And if so, why can't it be left as simple as that?
Sharp left turn (this is my turn signal, albeit last-second); what is a holiday anyway?
Merriam-Webster definition:
1. holy day
2. a day on which one is exempt from work; specifically : a day marked by a general suspension of work in commemoration of an event3. vacation <on holiday>4. a period of exemption or relief <corporations enjoying a tax holiday>
I think most people use the word holiday in a more general sense. If I think of the holidays we generally recognize, most people would probably agree with the following list:
- New Years Eve/Day
- Valentines Day
- Easter
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas/"The Holidays"
If I were to then put a general description of those holidays, I think most people could probably agree with the following non-religious descriptions:
- New Years Eve/Day - a milestone celebration of making it through another, and a chance to begin anew
- Valentines Day - a celebration of love and of people special to us
- Easter - a celebration of the rebirth of life, either in the religious context or in the seasonal context (the unofficial beginning of spring)
- Memorial Day - a pause to remember those to have sacrificed their lives for our freedoms
- Independence Day - a celebration of those freedoms
- Labor Day - a day of rest and escape from the necessary evil called work
- Halloween - a giant costume party
- Thanksgiving - a celebration of all that we have to be thankful for
- Christmas/"The Holidays" - a celebration of gift-giving and expression of good will
What do all of those have in common? They are all celebrations of life, of love, of freedom, of happiness, of fun, of thanks. And though it is good to have these annual reminders, shouldn't these be celebrated as often as possible? Every day?
I made a New Year's resolution 16 years ago that I've kept every year, and it's this: to no longer make specific resolutions. But for 2012, I'm making a new resolution: to make each day, or at least one moment in each day, a holiday, to celebrate life, love, freedom, happiness, fun, and thanks.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, AND SAFE TRAVELS ON LIFE'S JOURNEY IN 2012!
I really like you last thought. That's something we all should do.
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