Joy of Christmas

If you follow the news much, you may have noticed the ongoing kerfuffle over Wal-Mart’s request that employees say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” (see: Wal-mart declares war on Christmas)

Wal-Mart has defended its actions as being more inclusive, accounting for celebrations from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. As a result, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights called for a boycott of the retail giant and “an apology for insulting Christians by effectively banning Christmas.”

From a very basic practical view, Wal-Mart’s approach makes some sense; “Happy Holidays” is an easy, mindless greeting employees can offer as they attempt to handle the mayhem that ensues starting the day after Thanksgiving. After working many a New Year’s and Christmas Eve at McDonalds, I can understand the use of that.

But considering the larger cultural concession American society has been making, this bit of mindlessness might not be worth the cost.

Some of you may have heard about the Capitol Grounds Christmas tree being renamed the “Capitol Holiday tree” several years back. Similarly, retail outlets such as Lowes now sell pre-decorated “holiday trees.” Perhaps I’m misinformed, but I always thought Christmas was the only winter holiday with decorated trees.

And in spite of federal recognition of Christmas as a national holiday, the actual word “Christmas” has all but disappeared from public schools; Christmas break has become “Winter break,” Christmas performances are now “Holiday plays,” “Holiday concerts,” or even “nights of seasonal entertainment.”

When I was a kid in public school, we spent a day of class learning about the significance of Hanukkah — dreidels and all — yet there was not a word about the historical religious traditions of Christmas, a holiday that most students in my class only understood to be “Santa Claus Day.”

The list goes on ad infinitum, from banning of nativity scenes on public property, to companies listing Christmas as simply “December 25th” on their holiday calendars. People are going to ridiculous lengths to avoid the C-word and anything closely related to it, all for the sake of remaining non-offensive and inclusive.

This certainly isn’t a new complaint, but I believe we often characterize the issue incorrectly. It’s more than whining about the silly political correctness that infects every aspect of our lives. [Beyond Political Correctness: Are There Limits to This Lunacy?]

And it isn’t about a bunch of rabid fundamentalists trying to impose their religion on the rest of the country. The problem is that we are increasingly coming to understand “inclusive” to mean ignoring our own culture for the sake of others.

Whether the multi-culties like it or not, the majority of Americans celebrate Christmas. For Christians, like myself, it is a day of deep religious significance. For others, it is good food, a generous spirit, and the chance to spend time with friends and family.

Christmas, be it the traditional religious celebrations or the commercial incarnation more popular today, is a part of our culture here in the United States. Yes, for a few it is just another day of winter. But holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving have ingrained significance for this country throughout history.

But instead of celebrating our history and culture, we tip-toe around the very mention of it, fearful that by asserting our own traditions we’ll somehow damage the sensibilities of those around us. [One Nation, After All : What Americans Really Think About God, Country, Family, Racism, Welfare, Immigration, Homosexuality, Work, The Right, The Left and Each Other]

And yet we don’t expect others to do the same for us. I wouldn’t be offended at being wished a “Happy Hanukkah.” What, exactly, makes “Merry Christmas” so much more offensive? [Festivals Together: A Guide to Multi-Cultural Celebration]

If ignoring such a culturally significant holiday makes our nation more “inclusive,” perhaps we ought to ignore all celebrations and greet everyone with “have a happy winter day” instead?

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