I’m about the least political person you can meet. Growing up, my predominant source of information about current events in the United States government was probably Saturday Night Live, and later, the Daily Show. Now it’s predominantly friends and family who already have a pretty solid position as to where they stand on the spectrum of left to right. This may make me a “bad American,” or a cliché disillusioned millennial, but it’s the truth. Despite my general disinterest, there are still issues that occasionally pique my attention, even if only in that some controversies are so ridiculous that I feel compelled to learn how they came to be.
Recently I learned there has been a “War on Christmas” for quite some time. I even saw a commercial on YouTube that warned me of its dangers. I guess in the simplest of terms, it boils down to what you say to people during the December-ish time of year to express merriment. Most of us probably grew up saying “Merry Christmas!” and receiving the same exclamation in return. At least, I did. More recently, it has become commonplace to say, “Happy Holidays!” This difference may seem benign, but apparently replacing the former with the latter is an attack on the foundation of our very country.
The fear is that this shift in seasonal vocabulary is a slippery slope; that it will eventually lead to the removal of Christmas as a national holiday. Left wing pundits will say it’s simply a way of being more inclusive to the many cultures in this great nation. Some on the right may believe it’s a compromise that threatens the very foundation of our country, and a gross over-reach at an attempt to be politically correct. In fact, according to the YouTube guy, Dennis Prager, this attempt at including those that may not celebrate Christmas actually results in the exclusion of those that Americans who do celebrate Christmas.
I grew up in a very Roman Catholic family and have celebrated Christmas my entire life. I’ve never given it a second thought when someone wished me any celebration. And I think everyone could use some time off from the rat race – I’ll take any excuse I can get: Chinese New Year, Boxing Day, Hanukkah, Kwanza. Maybe the rule should be that whatever it is you celebrate, wish it onto others.