Taking A Stand: Give Christmas respect it deserves

Celebrating “Christmas” takes guts nowadays with all the pressure from different areas telling you what you should say, what you should do and how you should act.

Hey, anybody can celebrate the holidays. All you have to do is put up a Santa in your front door and decorate a tree, listen to a little non-denominational music and go shopping, making sure to wish everyone “Happy Holidays” as you go home to wrap your presents in secular wrapping paper. Hey, you may even get that fuzzy feeling inside from all that giving to others.

See, that’s why there’s a big deal this year about folks wishing Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. It’s the easy way out to go with Happy Holidays.

It’s a way for gutless people to enjoy the fun of the holiday season while conveniently leaving Christ out of the whole thing despite His name being attached to the entire season. It’d be like all my friends getting together on Feb. 12 to celebrate my birthday while leaving my name out of the whole thing.

“Happy birthday, dear yoooouuu, happy birthday to you,” they’d sing, all along avoiding the fact that it’s my birthday they’ve come to celebrate. Kind of silly, isn’t it?

These are the kind of people who surrendered their milk money to the bully without a fight in grade school. They’ve never reached that point where they draw a line and say “no more.”

Many of these are merchants who are afraid of offending a few customers, afraid their bottom-line might suffer a little if they don’t get that extra money. Others are these politically correct freaks who’d be afraid of offending Satan himself.

My big question here is why wishing folks a Merry Christmas should offend anyone. It’s not excluding people from our holiday, it’s including them in it. It’s like inviting someone to your birthday party or, in this case, the birthday party of a close friend.

Why in the world would anyone take offense? If someone wishes me “Happy Hanukkah” or “Happy Ramadan,” I don’t take offense. Actually, although not attending the same church they do, it kind of feels nice that they thought of me on a season which is sacred to them.

Why then should I be ashamed or afraid to wish everyone a Merry Christmas during a season which is sacred to me?

Try to bend it as you like, but Christmas is a celebration of Christ’s birth, no matter how many reindeer and cups of nog you try to put before it. It’s not Xmas, it’s not “the holidays” nor is it the “Yuletide Season” (whatever that is). It’s Christmas, nine little letters even most kindergartners can spell.

Now, unlike many, I’m not holding it against those who choose Happy Holidays. Instead, I’m looking at them and feeling sorry for them, knowing they have no guts, no fight, no courage, knowing if I ever want to steal milk money, they’re the first one’s I’m going to come for. And that’s not to suggest I’m in the business of stealing milk money, which really isn’t that lucrative an endeavor.

Go ahead, announce you have no courage to the world, that’s your business. Maybe Santa will bring you a backbone for Christmas, um, I mean, the “holidays” this year.

Duane Sherrill is a reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].