Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year...the kids get so excited about every little thing and I love to see the neighborhood all lit up. Even the cold weather doesn't kill my joy to the world. There's really only one thing that gets my shorts in a wad every December. No, it's not fruitcake and garishly decorated sweaters. It's something far more ridiculous and sinister.
Right around this time, every year, the I WANT YOU TO SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS...NOT HAPPY HOLIDAYS whiners come out of the woodwork. And for some reason, I'm shocked by it every. single. year. I guess I expect these people to find better things to complain about...sadly, they never do.
(I'm quite sure I'll offend someone with this post. As luck would have it, I don't care. The whole thing is pathetic. So here goes.....)
An open memo to Christmas Whiners:
Grow up and find a different cause to dedicate your energy to.
First and foremost, lets take a look-see at the calendar.....What do you find? LOTS OF HOLIDAYS. In just 3 months, we have Columbus Day, Halloween, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Years. So from a purely practical standpoint, "Happy Holidays" is a handy way to cover the bases, no?
Secondly, I don't remember where it's written that Christmas-celebrating persons have dibs on December. Believe it or not, there are oodles of people who celebrate something besides Christmas. *GASP* Shocking, I know. Demanding "Merry Christmas" smacks of self-importance and an overly-inflated sense of entitlement.
Third? Grow up.
Fourth? No, really. GROW UP. Someone wished you Happy Holidays. Boo hoo. Put on your big girl pants (or big boy pants) and get on with your life.
Fifth.....I'm not Jewish. But I have been wished a Happy Passover and a Happy New Year and a Happy Hanukkah on several occasions. Do you know what I did? Kick them in the shins and run away crying? No. I smiled. And I said, "Thanks! Same to you!" Do you know why? Because THEY WERE BEING POLITE AND FRIENDLY and I was being polite and friendly IN RETURN. It's a novel concept, I agree.
And one last thing....the most important point of them all: If you're one of the Christmas Whiners, then you should be on your knees, every single morning, thanking your lucky stars that this is the biggest issue you're facing in life. You're not battling foreclosure, job loss, illness, divorce, death? Then you are blessed. I can guarantee there are millions of people who only WISH they had problems this petty.
So lets all use 2011 to mature our wee li'l brains, okay? Lets expand our horizons and embrace the fact that we are a diverse population and we are free to celebrate (or not celebrate) anything we wish.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, MY PEEPS!
I agree with the overall sentiment - if this is your biggest problem, then I envy you, and people should be able to wish you whatever they want to wish you. However, I think the original whiners were actually the "happy holidays" whiners who were offended by being wished a Merry Christmas, right? I'm not personally offended by either one, but I am offended by people who are offended by stupid stuff.
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