Every year we have to endure "the war on Christmas." We not only hear about "the commercialization of Christmas" by the retailers, but we hear about specific retailers. Starbucks, for example, has come under fire in recent years for the logo on their coffee cups. Other retailers have drawn fire for similar things.
But one of the most powerful aspects of "the war on Christmas" is many Christians' disapproval of greeting each other with "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." The reasoning seems to be "Happy Holidays is secular and excludes Jesus, whereas Merry Christmas is the only acceptable way to be true to the real Christmas story, the Biblical stories in the Gospel narratives". The most important story that concerns them, of course, is the birth of Jesus, the Son of God.
Your particular preference in choosing a greeting is whether you want to be more inclusive or more exclusive. "Happy Holidays", which includes a multitude of other celebrations, also includes Christmas. "Merry Christmas" although I will argue has become more inclusive as well, is more exclusive than "Happy Holidays".Those who use "Merry Christmas" thinking it is the "Biblical" and "Christian" greeting, need to look at the history and the current trends. A recent poll suggests that 55% of Americans no longer consider Christmas to be a religious holiday. So just like "Happy Holidays", "Merry Christmas" now refers to a multitude of celebrations and traditions that do not necessarily have anything to do with the birth of Jesus. And before someone considers Christmas to be the exclusive territory of Christians, he needs to look at the history. Centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, Druids celebrated the Winter Solstice each year around December 21st. To celebrate this annual cosmic event, they used evergreen trees, holly and mistletoe as symbols of ever lasting life. Keep in mind too that the celebration of Christmas on December 25th didn't happen until the 3rd century AD when Pope Julius 1 made the official proclamation. Early Christians assimilated the customs and the traditions of the Druids into their own religious celebration. Then Christians quickly began to treat the season as if it was their own good idea.
This is not an exhaustive list, but you'll get the idea. "Holiday" celebrations in November, December and January include Thanksgiving, the Solemnity of Mary, St. Basil's Day, Twelfth Night, St. Nicholas Day, Epiphany, Advent Hanukkah, Winter Solstice (Midwinter), Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Kwanzaa, Mawlid el-Nabi, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. So if you meet someone on the street and you're not sure which particular celebration is theirs, then "Happy Holidays" includes them all. There's nothing wrong with saying "Merry Christmas", but this greeting is less inclusive than "Happy Holidays." If you want to be even more inclusive and say, for example, "Happy Hanukkah" to your Jewish friend, just be aware that she celebrated the eight days of Hanukkah this year from December 2 through December 10th. But she may still appreciate the effort. "Happy Holidays", though, includes her without knowing the details of Hanukkah. "Merry Christmas", except for the recent secularization of the term, doesn't include her at all. It also makes you one of a million who don't seem to know there's a difference. It always feels good to people to be included.
I know Christians, however, whose attitudes are "This season is Christmas and I'll say 'Merry Christmas' because it's Christmas and if people have a problem with that, then they can just get over it." If you say that, they probably won't get over Christmas, but they may get over you.
"He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight--
Happy Christmas to all or Happy Holidays would be at least slightly more inclusive without excluding either Christians or those who drink Starbucks coffee."
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