Leave Our Christmas Alone

December 2, 2005

 

The movement to erase Christmas from the American landscape is nothing new. It's been going on for years, largely under the radar. This year, it's become a bit more noticeable due to some high-profile backlashes.

 

First, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights called for a boycott of Wal-Mart after an e-mail from a Wal-Mart employee confirmed a change in that company's policy regarding the greeting of customers. The e-mailer was responding to a customer's complaint that the greeting of “Merry Christmas” had been replaced with “Happy Holidays.”

 

The other newsworthy incident involved Lowe's, the home improvement store. They began selling Christmas trees but announced in banners above them, distributed to each store, “Now Here! Fresh Cut Holiday Trees.” The interesting sidebar to that story is the Spanish version below the English announcement called them Christmas trees. One was left to infer that only those speaking English would be offended by Christmas.

 

After much pressure from disgruntled customers, both Wal-Mart and Lowe's relented and dropped the political correctness but they're swimming against the tide. Target and Sears and many other retailers have opted for “Holidays” instead of any reference to Christmas in order to, in their words, be inclusive. I don't get it. If someone wishes me “Happy Hanukkah” I don't get bent out of shape. I've attended Jewish Pesach seders, or Passover meals. I'm certainly not offended. The Jewish religion is steeped in tradition and I respect that. So is Christianity, and most Jews I know respect that.

 

This insidious backlash against calling Christmas what it actually is seems not to come from other religions but from people who either celebrate Christmas but feel guilty that some don't, or from those who just despise religion altogether. Their substitution of “Holiday” for “Christmas” has reached the point of annoyance.

 

It should be noted that the term “Happy Holidays” has been traditionally used to connote the combination of Christmas and New Year's Day. Now, it's being used in order not to offend those who don't celebrate Christmas. Which begs the question: How many other holidays will have to go generic as a result?

 

I'm neither Catholic nor Irish. Should I be offended by St. Patrick's Day? Of course, Valentine's Day is pretty big around our house but are we leaving others out, perhaps making them feel, uh, uncomfortable ?

 

Let me lay it on the line. This is a nation where the majority rules. If the majority of Americans pick a certain person to be president, we don't worry about the rest of the folks who voted against him. We're not concerned that they may feel left out or get their feelings hurt.

 

But Christmas goes beyond just the wishes of the majority. It's an American tradition. A recent Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll revealed that 95 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas. Ninety-five percent! That's not some simple majority. It's darn near every single American. That's not to say that celebrants seek to exclude anyone. Everyone is certainly welcome to partake of Christmas. Just because you choose not to participate doesn't mean the rest of us should stop what we're doing in order to kowtow to 5 percent of the country.

 

I'm not suggesting we go to the other extreme, either, and start going nuts any time someone says “Happy Holidays.” However, when I see Christmas trees renamed “Holiday” trees and Christmas ornaments called “Holiday” ornaments, I have to stop and ask myself: Is this store ashamed of Christmas? If so, I'll take my Christmas -celebrating self and my Christmas money someplace else. Then we'll see just how merry their Christmas will be.