I finished getting my Christmas cards ready today. It has always been a tradition I enjoy, sending out a little greeting to friends and family. I think I still have every single card I’ve received during the last 10 years, since I started using the Internet and making friends all over. However, this year I noticed I was trying too hard when writing the cards. I not only refrained myself from putting “Merry Christmas” in some of them, but I also got worried about the stamps that I bought because they have the Blessed Virgin Mary (which I’m a very big fan of).
Some people may be reading this and thinking WTF! And yes… WTF! Since when it became a problem to wish people Merry Christmas? Back in November I even noticed some people weren’t saying Happy Thanksgiving because of religious connotations. That is just silly. I understand about the respect we should have for other kinds of beliefs, but this is CHRISTmas, and anyone with more than 1 brain cell knows what this season is about.
I don’t remember when I started making mental notes of who I can wish Happy Holidays to or not, in order not to hurt sensibilities or get an embarrassing response. I think I have a pretty good idea of which ones of my friends are not Christians, but I also believe many people enjoy being sent good wishes during this time of the year. However, I become frustrated when I start second-guessing myself; and that is because I call myself a Christian and I’ll always will. So technically people will always get a Merry Christmas from me.
We’re living in a world where we can’t say words that had no other meaning years ago, or where we have to make sure to compartmentalize our brain to be politically correct even when it comes to a holiday wish! Don’t you think that is a little bit crazy?
People are too uptight these days! Yes, I’m an atheist. But I don’t take the receipt of a Christmas card as a personal affront to my lack of faith. I graciously accept it in the spirit in which it was given!
Any form of holiday greeting is just one human acknowledging another human and saying “you mean something important to me and I’m sending you an appreciation of that”.
Whether the source of that connection is religious or secular is irrelevant. What’s important is having people in your life and letting them know that you appreciate them.
Which makes me rethink my policy of not sending out cards.
Because my upbringing is Christian I say Merry Christmas. If someone tells me Happy Holidays, I’m alright with that too. If someone who happens to be Jewish wishes me Happy Haunakah, that’s them expressing love for their religious tradition and I applaud them for doing so. Even Kwanzaa! I love to send out Christmas cards. It’s not just about the holiday, but a reminder to those to whom you send that you are thinking of them during the collision of holidays. I agree people need to lighten up and embrace their traditions instead of embracing the fear of offending someone. There, my two cents for what they’re worth.
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