"But Val, aren't you a Christian?" you ask? "Shouldn't this season be about Christ?"
The answer to both of those questions is, in my opinion, yes, which is precisely why I like the idea of "happy holidays." I'm not sure when or how this happened (though I have an idea), but somewhere along the way many Christians became convinced that the perpetuating of the phrase "happy holidays" is a liberal agenda to take Christ out of the meaning of Christmas. (To all of those who are muttering under their breath about the fact that Christmas was not originally even a celebration of Christ's birth, but rather of the winter solstice, I'm aware, but I'm not going to address that because it's irrelevant to my point.)
I guess, in some way, I understand why the phrase "happy holidays" could be annoying. I've uttered merry Christmas before only to be chided with "happy holidays to you too." That's ridiculous and unnecessary. Who honestly has that much time to be offended over something like that?
To get back to my point, though, here is why I do like "happy holidays" more than "merry Christmas."
Most people don't celebrate Christmas.
Most people enjoy their Christmas pandora radio station, hot chocolate, senseless trips to the mall, cold weather, hidden elves, and watching Will Ferrell in green tights fifty times in one month. Cookies and candy canes and wreathes and trees. I enjoy these things too.
But that's not really Christmas. And, frankly, it frustrates me that this has come to be what Christmas amounts to. The solution, however, is not to force everyone into saying "merry Christmas." Most people have made apparent that they don't see Christ at the center of the holiday season, so let them say what they really mean (happy holidays) and let Christmas be for those who mean it.
I haven't stopped saying merry Christmas, because that's what I celebrate (and I make this no secret), but I also don't feel like I'm sticking it to the man when I do so. If someone prefers I wish them a happy holiday season, or a happy Hannukah or some other holiday, I'm happy to honor that desire, and I don't feel like I'm doing a disservice to Christ when I do that. In fact, on the contrary, I think the allowance of "happy holidays" helps to break the phenomenon of cultural Christianity. (And by this I mean the trend of people going to church because it's part of their culture, but not really believing in or following after Christ.)
I'm not posting this as an encouragement to stop using the phrase "merry Christmas," but rather as encouragement to consider why the phrase "happy holidays" makes you angry (if it does), and if it's really worth it.
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