I have two problems with this meme:
1) This is December. Therefore, the holidays in November and January are irrelevant.
2) Only three of these holidays (Hanukkah, Advent, and Christmas) and two of these religions (Judaism and Christianity) actually matter.
Now the knee-jerk reaction from some who read this will be indignation. How dare I claim exclusivity to the truth claims of Judeo-Christian thought! How dare I suggest that anyone outside of these religions be treated rudely and dismissively! The latter assumption is false. Anyone who approaches me and wishes me a pleasant holiday I will express my gratitude in kind, just as I would hope that they would do the same for me. I can appreciate a person's best wishes to me, even if they are predicated on false beliefs, because that person's sentiment comes from a spirit of generosity. That's basic civility that we should all have. The first assumption, however, is on the nose and that's what this blog entry is about.
If you're groaning about businesses insisting on saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas", I would suggest examining your reasons why. Why does Christmas hold priority over all other holidays? Is it because it's the celebration of the birth of Christ, mankind's savior and part of the Trinity that is the one true God? Or is it because you prefer pine trees over menorahs? If it's the first reason, then you have every right to be upset that other holidays are being treated with equal reverence as Christmas. If it's the second reason, I think you're kind of an idiot. Sadly, I'm fairly certain that the majority of these champions of yuletide celebration fall into that camp.
Christmas devoid of its religious implications means absolutely nothing. Snow, trees, presents, and Santa Claus could be given to a whole other holiday and nothing would change. It's common knowledge at this point that Rome instituted Christmas around the time of Saturnalia and the winter solstice, gradually edging those out and appropriating certain elements. In other words, those pagan traditions still exist because they were attached to a greater and more meaningful tradition that's endured millennia.
Insisting on "Merry Christmas" when one does not adhere to or observe what makes it a holy day is an unnecessary exercise. At best, that's cultural Christianity. It's empty and just as worthless as ethnic /cultural Jewish identity. Both are meaningless when deprived of what gives them their meaning: communing with God. It makes little sense for a non-observant Jew to celebrate a day marking deliverance from religious persecution if they, themselves, don't put any stock in Judaism. But that's what Hanukkah is. Anything else is a cheapening of that holiday and an insult to Jews. The same can be applied to celebrating Christmas.
I honestly don't care if people say "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas". Most of the time I just say, "Have a good holiday." People aren't stupid. They know which holiday I'm talking about because they know me by what I believe and how I try to live. That's what's more important because that's what makes it a holy day and not a garden variety gift-giving day.
-L. Travis Hoffman
12/18/2017
