Is Merry Christmas an Outdated and Offensive Term?
It’s that time of year. Giving and receiving. Returning and repurchasing. Finding time to get together with family and friends. Spreading good cheer and love…And STRESS!
This week, I’m pondering the phrase, “Merry Christmas,” which as we all know has caused a lot of controversy in schools, in our everyday interactions, and Starbucks coffee cups! Oh, the horror.
But seriously, I ask you, and I don’t mean this to turn contentious, what is your feeling on using the phrase? Do you still use it? Do you feel political correctness has gone too far? Or are many of us being short-sighted and not empathetic enough, thinking only of our narrow existence? Is changing, “Merry Christmas” to “Happy Holidays” really that strenuous? If it includes more people in this feeling of good cheer and love I mention above, is there harm in changing a few words with the same message?
I’ve thought about this myself. Being an educator, I must continually think about the words I use. How I make people feel. I care about that stuff. I want every student sitting in my classroom to feel accepted. To feel understood. To not feel ostracized to the best of my ability. That they matter. That their voices matter. I have differing races, sexual orientations, socio-economic backgrounds, learning levels…in short, I have a cross-section of America and an international world. It is a microcosm of the world we live in. It extends well outside of my classroom. It extends to all of us, in the US or globally at large.
Over the course of several years, I’ve used both phrases. I used to be very careful to only use “Happy Holidays.” I felt it was important. Not everyone is Christian or celebrates Christmas. Many of my colleagues are Jewish or hold other beliefs, and I’ve been schooled one too many times not to realize I’m assuming a helluva lot when I say: “Merry Christmas.”
But here’s the thing for me. And I may change my mind again. Who knows! But to me, the phrase isn’t about Christ at all, believe it or not, even though that’s the root of the word. Let’s face it. Christmas has become less and less about “Jesus,” the figure and person, than it is about a “feeling” and a state of mind in its purest sense. (And to some, it’s only about presents and that’ the most troubling of all.) Most of us realize the date has nothing to do with any real birthday, that it fit the timeline of the clashing paganism of the time. The whole thing is fabricated. Come on! Right? For those who still believe, that is fine and wonderful too. Let it be.
I have Christian values in my heart but without the institution of religion. In fact, I don’t believe in a traditional god in any way. (You should all know that by now!). And I am not offended when someone says, “Merry Christmas” to me, even though I am not a practicing “Christian.” I understand that isn’t the issue anyway. That what offends me isn’t in question necessarily, but that it MAY offend someone else. And if I care about other people, I should care about whether or not I offend them. It’s that simple for me. Just because it doesn’t offend me, doesn’t mean that is the end of it. That, frankly, is selfish and egocentric. So when I continue with my thoughts below, I’m not being insensitive to the reasons behind the controversy.
I have come to take a side on this, even if not popular. When I say, “Merry Christmas,” I look at it as my language of saying: Goodness to you. Happiness to you and your family. Prosperity and luck and love. It means all those things to me. If someone says a phrase in their language to me, a simple hello or thank you or best to you or anything that is a term of good will, I accept it as just that. Their way of saying: “I wish you well” or “I want happiness for you.”
There are many languages and many ways to speak to people. Just because I may not practice or know their language, I gladly accept and understand it’s simply an extension of who they are. Therefore, while I do understand where the animosity stems from, I have chosen to bring Merry Christmas back into my lexicon. Because to me, I wish nothing but the best, heartfelt wishes of health and happiness to those around me, and that is the way I choose to say it to people this time of year. Any phrase that is a term of good will and love, shouldn’t be censored.
Christmas should not be about presents. Or commercialization. Or greed. And sadly, it seems that is all it has become for many. And that is the only offensive part.
So to you all, I say, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I hope you understand, that when I say it, I am simply wishing you a season filled with love, that feeling of giving and filling our souls with that which is not about us. And I do hope, you won’t be offended by that. xo
This week, I’m pondering the phrase, “Merry Christmas,” which as we all know has caused a lot of controversy in schools, in our everyday interactions, and Starbucks coffee cups! Oh, the horror.
But seriously, I ask you, and I don’t mean this to turn contentious, what is your feeling on using the phrase? Do you still use it? Do you feel political correctness has gone too far? Or are many of us being short-sighted and not empathetic enough, thinking only of our narrow existence? Is changing, “Merry Christmas” to “Happy Holidays” really that strenuous? If it includes more people in this feeling of good cheer and love I mention above, is there harm in changing a few words with the same message?I’ve thought about this myself. Being an educator, I must continually think about the words I use. How I make people feel. I care about that stuff. I want every student sitting in my classroom to feel accepted. To feel understood. To not feel ostracized to the best of my ability. That they matter. That their voices matter. I have differing races, sexual orientations, socio-economic backgrounds, learning levels…in short, I have a cross-section of America and an international world. It is a microcosm of the world we live in. It extends well outside of my classroom. It extends to all of us, in the US or globally at large.
Over the course of several years, I’ve used both phrases. I used to be very careful to only use “Happy Holidays.” I felt it was important. Not everyone is Christian or celebrates Christmas. Many of my colleagues are Jewish or hold other beliefs, and I’ve been schooled one too many times not to realize I’m assuming a helluva lot when I say: “Merry Christmas.”
But here’s the thing for me. And I may change my mind again. Who knows! But to me, the phrase isn’t about Christ at all, believe it or not, even though that’s the root of the word. Let’s face it. Christmas has become less and less about “Jesus,” the figure and person, than it is about a “feeling” and a state of mind in its purest sense. (And to some, it’s only about presents and that’ the most troubling of all.) Most of us realize the date has nothing to do with any real birthday, that it fit the timeline of the clashing paganism of the time. The whole thing is fabricated. Come on! Right? For those who still believe, that is fine and wonderful too. Let it be.
I have Christian values in my heart but without the institution of religion. In fact, I don’t believe in a traditional god in any way. (You should all know that by now!). And I am not offended when someone says, “Merry Christmas” to me, even though I am not a practicing “Christian.” I understand that isn’t the issue anyway. That what offends me isn’t in question necessarily, but that it MAY offend someone else. And if I care about other people, I should care about whether or not I offend them. It’s that simple for me. Just because it doesn’t offend me, doesn’t mean that is the end of it. That, frankly, is selfish and egocentric. So when I continue with my thoughts below, I’m not being insensitive to the reasons behind the controversy.
I have come to take a side on this, even if not popular. When I say, “Merry Christmas,” I look at it as my language of saying: Goodness to you. Happiness to you and your family. Prosperity and luck and love. It means all those things to me. If someone says a phrase in their language to me, a simple hello or thank you or best to you or anything that is a term of good will, I accept it as just that. Their way of saying: “I wish you well” or “I want happiness for you.”There are many languages and many ways to speak to people. Just because I may not practice or know their language, I gladly accept and understand it’s simply an extension of who they are. Therefore, while I do understand where the animosity stems from, I have chosen to bring Merry Christmas back into my lexicon. Because to me, I wish nothing but the best, heartfelt wishes of health and happiness to those around me, and that is the way I choose to say it to people this time of year. Any phrase that is a term of good will and love, shouldn’t be censored.
Christmas should not be about presents. Or commercialization. Or greed. And sadly, it seems that is all it has become for many. And that is the only offensive part.
So to you all, I say, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I hope you understand, that when I say it, I am simply wishing you a season filled with love, that feeling of giving and filling our souls with that which is not about us. And I do hope, you won’t be offended by that. xo
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