It’s the holidays, don’t be so serious

In a desire to spread good cheer in the days leading up to Dec. 25—but also making sure their comments are viewed as politically correct—many Christians opt for the words “happy holidays” when they greet a friend or an acquaintance for fear that a simple “Merry Christmas” might be perceived as offensive. And with carefully orchestrated greetings and decorations, some retail stores would rather cast the holidays in a generic glow rather than hail one religion over another.

In short, the growth of religious and cultural minorities in America and the desire to establish a clear distinction between secular and religious symbolism has put mainstream Christianity on the defensive, or so goes the rhetoric.

No, Christmas is not the victim of a “liberal plot to ban the sacred Christian holiday,” as Fox News host John Gibson purports in his new book. Christmas is alive and well and so is Hanukkah. This kind of fear-mongering that pits one group of believers against another happens every year in the media and quite frankly, the talk is getting old. The world hardly needs another conflict.

From a marketing standpoint, retailers want to be inclusionary and if that means presenting holiday themes that are religiously neutral, how can you blame them? Maybe the bigger problem is the fact that we have a giant retail machine that forces Christmas in our face before it’s even Thanksgiving.

It’s hard to believe that true Christians are offended by a “happy holidays” or a “season’s greeting” here and there. Don’t worry, Bethlehem nativity scenes aren’t being banned—and neither are the symbols of Hanukkah. Saying “happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” is a flap about nothing. It’s just a polite thing to do if you don’t know the other person’s religion.

The real question is whether or not the secularists in general are destroying religion in public places. It can be argued that in some instances they are, but isn’t religion supposed to be a private matter anyway, reserved for homes, churches and synagogues?

Last we checked, our country was founded on separation of church and state. Let’s not change the Constitution now.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.