The War on Christmas… *Groan

I get a little sad when I come across a screed like this on my Facebook feed:

"WHAT A CROCK OF SH!T..... We can't say Merry Christmas now we have to say Happy Holidays. We can't call it a Christmas tree, it's now called a Holiday tree? Because it might offend someone. If you don't like our "Customs" and it offends you so much then GO HOME. I will help you pack. They are called customs and we have our traditions If you... agree with this...please post this as your status!! I AM A PROUD AMERICAN CITIZEN... MERRY CHRISTMAS Do you have what it takes to repost this? MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! If ya don't like......you can MERRY KISSMYASS!!!!"

Ugh.  Does anyone actually really believe in their heart that there is a ‘war’ on Christmas?  Is this a real thing?  I remember back a long time ago, I had a job in a hardware store.  This is where I first came across this War on Christmas business.  One of the cashiers wished a customer ‘Merry Christmas” as she left with her purchases.  Another cashier wandered over to her till and admonished her:

“You can’t say Merry Christmas anymore!  You have to say ‘happy holidays’!  They’ll get offended.”

“It’s all about them coming over here and shoving their beliefs on everybody else!  Soon we won’t be able to celebrate Christmas anymore” someone else piped up.

Really?  Because in the 35 years I’ve been alive, I’ve never personally encountered anyone trying to ‘take Christmas away’ from me or anyone else.  I don’t know anyone else who has had that experience either.  I’ve had plenty of people tell me that they heard from a friend about a guy who had a business who had to take down something Christmassy because someone or other got offended, but truthfully, no one I’ve ever known has had a ‘War on Christmas’ encounter. 

I find it so sad that so many otherwise intelligent and insightful people are duped by this nonsense, so in the interest of fairness, I will parse this statement and give my thoughts on it…

"WHAT A CROCK OF SH!T..... We can't say Merry Christmas now we have to say Happy Holidays.

Nobody has to do anything.  If I want to say Merry Christmas, I do.  If I want to say Happy Holidays or Season’s Greetings, I do.  It’s called freedom of speech.  I use all these phrases.  If I know someone celebrates Christmas, I wish them Merry Christmas.  If that person celebrates something else or I’m not sure, I use the generic Happy Holidays.  Wishing someone Merry Christmas who doesn’t celebrate Christmas isn’t offensive; it’s just stupid.  It doesn’t make any sense.

In a professional capacity, I do the same thing.  Now I realize other people have to, at the behest of the companies they work for, use the blanket statement of Happy Holidays, but is that really controversial?  Once again, not everyone celebrates Christmas, but you want to use an inclusive greeting.  What on earth is the big deal?  And don’t get me wrong, only a miniscule fringe actually object to the Merry Christmas thing.  Most newcomers to Canada understand and accept Christmas is what the majority of citizens celebrate and are more than happy to participate in the festivities, at least in a secular capacity.  But they aren’t obligated to.  It’s called freedom.

We can't call it a Christmas tree, it's now called a Holiday tree? Because it might offend someone.

Okay, I think ‘holiday tree’ is stupid too.  It’s a ham-fisted attempt to use neutral language, but it’s taking it to a ridiculous degree and giving fuel to the ‘war on Christmas’ crowd.  However, my simple antidote to that is to call it a Christmas tree.  Period.  I do.  Everybody else I know does too.  Nobody is forcing me to call it a holiday tree, like I’m going to get a fine every time I utter the words.  And to my knowledge, no one has ever been offended by calling a Christmas tree a Christmas tree.  I’m sure that if I dig hard enough, some story will turn up that someone, somewhere was rankled with a ‘Christmas’ tree, but that only proves that some people are waaaay too sensitive.

If you don't like our "Customs" and it offends you so much then GO HOME. I will help you pack.

Ours.  Yours.  Us.  Them.  I suspect this is the real point behind this diatribe.  And again, I’m not sure where these ‘offended’ people are… I’ve never personally encountered any.  I’m not sure replacing the word Christmas with the word Holiday or Season with the mindset that we live in a multicultural and multifaceted society and the word Christmas may not apply to people we don’t know qualifies as someone not respecting “our” customs (assuming you know who “we” are, and I think you do *wink wink*), but it’s one of those bogus arguments that sways otherwise intelligent and rational people.  The argument has twisted from using a respectful, inclusive and innocuous greeting into “them” (and I think you know who “they” are *wink wink*) taking away your right to celebrate Christmas.  Trust me, “our” precious Christmas isn’t going anywhere.  Wal-Mart and Best Buy will see to that.

Oh, and all you Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Atheists and everyone else who doesn’t like it can go home.  Someone will be along to help you pack.  Oh, you were born here?  Well, go back to where your ancestors came from, wherever that is.  Oh, you’re Aboriginal?  Well, go back to the reserve and stop spoiling the party by having beliefs and stuff.  Yeah, I mean, it’s human rights and all, but there’s human rights and then there’s human rights… if you catch my meaning.

They are called customs and we have our traditions If you... agree with this...please post this as your status!!

What are called customs?  Is saying Merry Christmas really such a sacred custom and tradition in our society?  I always thought of it as a seasonal greeting, like Happy New Year, Happy St. Patrick’s Day or Happy Easter.  But whatever… it’s not like anyone is actually STOPPING YOU FROM USING IT or anything.  You want to say Merry Christmas?  Say Merry Christmas!  Say it to everyone!  Say it until you’re blue in the face.  But allow others to say whatever they want to say.  Once again, freedom of speech.

“We” (*wink wink*) have our traditions?  And…?  Who is screwing with it?  Nobody.

By ‘tradition’, you mean ‘I want the cashier at Wal-Mart to say Merry Christmas to me because if the cashier says Happy Holidays, it’s like they’re saying Hanukkah or Ramadan is just as important as ‘our’ (*wink wink*) Christmas, and we all know that slippery slope and soon they’ll be taking away our Christmas trees and tearing down churches and such…’  Sheesh.  Who needs that kind of validation?  If Wal-Mart wants to say Happy Holidays, Season’s Greetings, or Have a Wonderful Life Day, that is their right.

You know, freedom of speech and all.  (Am I detecting a theme here?)

I AM A PROUD AMERICAN CANADIAN CITIZEN... MERRY CHRISTMAS Do you have what it takes to repost this? MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! If ya don't like......you can MERRY KISSMYASS!!!!"

Sweet… what a great Christmas message this is: Say Merry Christmas or you can kiss my ass!  I’m sure Jesus is thrilled with this.

And that’s ultimately my point.  Isn’t this War on Christmas nonsense really, really antithetical to what Christmas is supposed to represent?  Do average people who are inclined to post this on their Facebook page stop to think about that?  I mean, I know someone like Bill O’Reilly knows that the War on Christmas is bullshit, but why not real people? 

Seriously, is this something Jesus is really worried about?  I’m sure Jesus is far more concerned about the incredible amount of stress his birthday puts on people in December, never mind the ongoing plight of the homeless and hungry, the victims of war and tyranny, the sick and neglected and abused and lonely… you know, the people with real problems, the problems that we as a society should be committed to solving instead of bickering over a non-existent issue. 

I know the person who posted this well.  She is a good, kind and conscientious person.  She has known her share of discrimination and bigotry in her life.  Which makes it all that sadder she is willing to foist narrow sentiments like that onto others.  I don’t get angry when I see this… I feel pity.

For the last time, there is no war on Christmas.  There are, however, numerous wars on common sense.