I just want to get this off my chest. A little rant about the holiday that dare not speak its name.
I'm amazed at how uncomfortable people are, saying anything other than "Happy Holidays." Perhaps it's only in California. It's not just the check-out cashiers and the public transit operators. Everyone at work has been correcting themselves.
"Merry Christma - I mean..."
"Happy Hanukkah, oh whoops."
Except for my closest friends, everyone I know - or run into on the street - seems to be self-editing this one greeting. It's the PC thing to say, presumably because it's intended to be non-offensive.
But you know what? I think I'm offended by Happy Holidays.
I think it represents everything that's wrong with American pop culture: the generic-ization of everything (I know, not a word, but the meaning's clear). Why do we stumble so over a simple wish of good cheer?
My international friends say it's like the wal-mart of holiday greetings. Bland, timid, trying to please everyone, but completely lacking in real information and personality. "hey, have a happy whatever-you-happen-to-celebrate, I'm so worried about offending your sensibilities." And if that's what we're communicating, that's ridiculous. And empty.
In a country where we have the freedom to celebrate whatever we wish, we should be wishing each other exactly what we mean. I want people to wish me a Happy Hanukkah. A Happy Kwaanza. A Happy Epiphany. A Merry Solstice. Dare I say it, a Merry Christmas.
Whatever season you celebrate, I want to hear it.
I want to hear who you really are.
Otherwise, this seasonal silliness is analogous to the racial fallacy of being colorblind. We should be celebrating the things that make us unique, not trying to erase them.
Lest we run the risk of losing the meaning entirely.
2 comments:
I think it depends on what you really mean to say. If you mean "Merry Christmas" but say "Happy Holidays", then - yes - that's lame. But since most of us celebrate two or more holidays this time of year (New Years + one or more others), "Happy Holidays" seems the reasonable thing to say if you are wishing a general season of good cheer, rather than just 1 (to 8) day(s) of good cheer.
You really could cut this quite finely, I suppose. Like, if you're going to see someone between Christmas and New Years, "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hannukah" might be more appropriate than the generic "Happy Holidays." But if you're just wishing good cheer for the holiday season in general, "Happy Holidays" would be closer to your actual intent.
i think that the idea behind it is that we fear offending someone by assuming that they celebrate christmas. i feel that most people to whom i would say "merry christmas" are not offended by it, no matter what they believe or celebrate (just as i am not offended by a pesach sameach around easter).
what i fear, however, is the subtext that i see (imagine?) in the bill o'reilly's of the world that not only should the greeting's recipient not be offended, but they owe society an explanation for not celebrating christmas (unamerican!). maybe i am letting my own paranoia insert that into the "war on christmas".
at any rate, i tend to default to "merry christmas" unless the recipient is jewish, or japanese, or what have you.
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