I think the "War on Christmas," i.e. the practice of boycotting stores and criticizing people for saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas," is one of those issues that shouldn't really be an issue. I guess it all stems from the idea that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, and as a Christian nation, America should force its people to honor that tradition. Here are a few counterarguments to that idea: - America isn't a Christian nation. While the dominant religion is Christianity, the government isn't allowed to force its people to do anything regarding religion.
- Christmas, in its current form, is barely a Christian holiday, if not outright un-Christian. Not that I have anything against rampant consumerism or Black Friday stampedes, but those probably aren't the types of activities Jesus would have condoned.
- Not everyone celebrates Christmas. Even though schools are off and people take vacation from work, not everyone is a tree-decorating, carol-singing Christmas-celebrator. To expect people to say "Merry Christmas" is like a Hindu expecting everyone to say "Happy Diwali." Different strokes for different folks.
In the end, I sense a little bit of a collective control freak trying to force other people to act a certain way. It takes one to know one. I still think the only thing you can control is yourself. Choose your battles. #lifestyle |