Those who look for ways to be offended will usually find them
Christmas usually is thought of as a joyous time of year, what with the “peace on Earth” and “goodwill toward men” stuff.
But as the calendar brings the winter solstice every year, so does it bring the usual raft of “War on Christmas” bleatings from the O’Reillyphiles. Instead of basking in the season’s warm, glowing warming glow, some individuals insist they are under attack by agents of evil who utter the following chilling words:
“Happy holidays.”
Most of the time, people don’t bother to acknowledge the existence of other people. They just operate in their own self-centered monoverse. So when someone goes out of their way to wish you “Happy Holidays,” it’s not being disrespectful, nor is it an attack on your religious beliefs. They’re just being nice.
Let’s break down the phrase into its component parts:
- Happy: having or showing a feeling of great pleasure, contentment, joy, etc.
- Holidays: a day (or days) set aside by law or custom, usually for the commemoration of some event
By this rigorous analysis, it seems that “Happy Holidays” is merely a non-denominational pleasantry. If you want to read in something sinister, that’s your choice. But calling “Happy Holidays” an attack on Christianity is the same thing as saying a teddy bear named Muhammad is an attack on Islam. The reactions to the perceived slights may be different, but the underlying principle is the same.
And really… what difference does it make? You know how you roll… what does it matter what somebody else says? People will bring you down only if you let them.
