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Merry Christmas--There, I Said It

© Deb Jones

I am not going to apologize for wishing all I meet a "Merry Christmas." While it is far from being politically correct to actually identify a December holiday by name, opting instead for the ubiquitous "Happy Holiday," it feels natural and right for me to continue issuing season's greetings in the manner I have throughout my life.

Just saying the words, Merry Christmas, brings a smile to my face, and sometimes, even a tear to my eye. For me, there is such a feeling of goodwill in saying those two words it would seem depressive to simply avoid the short phrase. I've not run into anyone who's responded to being wished a "Merry Christmas" by asking me to step outside for a meeting of the fists. The worst response I've encountered is no response at all, no reply, no smile, no spark of light in the receiver's eyes.

Of course, if I know someone well enough to be aware of their spiritual or ethnic culture, I will wish them happiness for the particular holiday that they celebrate. Does that mean I never slip and wish a "Merry Christmas" to a Jewish friend? Oh, I wish that that were so--along with any other of the many verbal faux pas I've uttered--but I've yet to have a friend or acquaintance go to pieces because of my slip of the tongue.

Hey, there's been a time or two that I've been wished a "Happy Hanukkah" and I am no worse for the wear. It is heartwarming to be wished goodwill by another irregardless of the day of the year. The is no offense intended in the words, and none is taken on the part of most people.

I'll be one of the first to admit that the passage of time brings progress, and most of the time that progress results in positive outcomes; in this instance, in these days of political correctness, the wave of the non-holiday is not one such example of progress. It matters not even whether the event in history is factual; the spirit of the belief in the event and/or what the event represents is what is celebrated on the holiday.

It may sound trite, but I believe it to be true: Wishing one another "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah" is a perfect example of the Golden Rule. Irregardless of religious background, it is a spiritual truth for all that we are to love one another as we love ourselves. The sharing of good wishes to others for which we expect nothing in return is a small, but heartfelt, extension of love for others.

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