Should Season’s Greetings be politically correct?

NO: Saying ‘Merry Christmas’ is a time-honored tradition

By Lee Cole–

What could be more cheerful and wonderful than a total a stranger telling you “Merry Christmas?” It really is the most wonderful time of the year, and it’s made all the more so by the fact that people forget their differences and huddle in the cold winter and celebrate Christ and togetherness. But there are some who don’t think “Merry Christmas” is an appropriate salutation for the season of good cheer. These people have declared a war on Christmas. Well, maybe not a war. But they’re still darn annoying.

Who is bothered so much by hearing “Merry Christmas” that it actually becomes a problem that takes up time on our 24 hour news networks, or space in this paper for that matter? Even as I write, I’m not sure why anything I’m saying has to be said. It’s such an inane, trivial argument, but people seem to care about it a great deal for some reason, as though their Christian credentials would be taken away if they didn’t fight for their favorite holiday. I don’t see it from that angle; Christmas was a pagan holiday before it was anything else and this isn’t about Christianizing anything. It’s simply a matter of common sense: If you’re Christian, say “Merry Christmas.” If you’re Jewish, say “Happy Hanukah.” If you’re of African descent, say “Happy Kwanzaa.” And if for some reason, you celebrate the Roman festival of Saturn, say “Praise Saturn.” For all I care, don’t say anything at all or go full-on Scrooge and shout grumpily at children. In short, if you’ve spent any amount of time worrying about someone saying “Merry Christmas” rather than “Happy Holidays,” you should reconsider your priorities.

I suppose the primary criticism is that it is presumptuous to assume that one would want to hear a Christ-related salutation, when they may very well be non-Christian. But even if you don’t identify as a Christian, what’s so bad about invoking the name of Christ? He taught a message of peace, love and forgiveness. He healed the sick and turned water into wine. He hung out with prostitutes, wore a robe and sandals and knew how to work with wood. Basically, he was a cool dude, although possibly a hipster (he chose a mendicant lifestyle before it was cool and had a crew of bearded hippie fishermen).

Frankly, I find it hard to believe that anyone could really be offended by a perfectly well-intentioned invitation to have a joyous winter solstice. If someone were to tell me “Happy Hanukah,” I would smile, wish said person well with a “Merry Christmas,” and then go about my business, choosing not to dwell on it for very long. In fact, I would be pleased that someone was expressing their culture and tradition rather than being cowed into saying “Happy Holidays.” I appreciate holiday salutations of all kinds, but I certainly don’t find them that important. It’s not what you say around the holidays but rather what you do that makes for a joyous, special season.