Thoughts on Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas. Ah, the intensity with which that meant something when I was not yet an adult. It meant something above and beyond just being a holiday. It meant something in a wonderful secular way — a time period when people were more friendly, when you could address a stranger and wish them well, when it meant a very specific thing that only occurred in December unlike anything else during the year.
And it meant, as I grew older and could appreciate something beyond the gifts and friendliness, something in a wonderful ‘larger than life’ spiritual way — a time when people could remember that we are all brothers and sisters, truly, and that we should act like good siblings instead of arguing, competitive, resentful, fearful siblings, when we could remember that Humans are not the top of the chain, but that a higher being called by many glorious names throughout the world and religions is higher than all of us and has a plan for us, a plan larger than we could obtain alone.
It’s now with a sense of underlying sadness that I lament that my children will never experience what I and so many others my age experienced as the end of an era when one could say “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Hanukkah” (and once I got to college and learned about Kwanzaa, “Happy Kwanzaa”… which actually now makes me wonder what one can say to a Muslim during December… let me check… … oh, interesting: see last paragraph for my findings, but for now, back to our normally scheduled program).
We’ve made a mistake.
Over the last ten years I’ve watched as all specific references are replaced with “Happy Holidays.” “Holidays” rolling Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa into the same league as Flag Day, Presidents Day, and the host of other beloved day-off-from-school vacations that make life a joy for a day and a long weekend through the non-December months.
“Happy Holidays” is a watered-down, emotionally limited, un-intense expression that pales in comparison to the specific intense wish I would like to greet people with.
So I will rebel.
I’ve started saying “Merry Christmas” to people and workers in stores. If it’s near Hanukkah I also wish them “Happy Hanukkah” to make sure I’ve got the bases covered.
Now, back to the side-note about what one says to a Muslim around Christmas time:
Wow, on the topic of the Muslim perspective on Christmas, I like this webpage (Note: I haven’t checked out the rest of the site so I only refer to this one page). I’m not going to sum up what they say there because I’m running out of time, but I recommend you read it.
Also, I like their paragraph that starts with:
“While we as Muslims believe that the entire Qur’an is the word of God and we would like every one to accept it as such, God Himself has given the freedom of religion which we respect.”
… sounds like something I’d say if you replaced “Qur’an” with “Bible!” Good stuff, and well said.
[30 minutes is up… I’m trying to stick to just 30 minutes per entry so that I’ll actually work on things consistently and not get bogged down… and here’s where I ran out of time, so I didn’t get to go into more detail about the Muslim perspective. Darn.)