Caity Healy | Lifestyle Editor
Pop quiz, which of the following would be the least offensive for the majority? A, “merry Christmas,” B, “happy Christmas” or C, “happy holidays.” If you answered A or B, you’re likely not thinking of others and what they might celebrate this winter season. If you answered C, then congratulations, you clearly care about others and their cultures.
While it may seem easy to just say “merry Christmas,” as many of you probably have for years and already have the tendency to do, you need to realize that you’re excluding several different cultures and religions. And while many who experience this may not speak up about it, they may just not feel comfortable enough to say that what you’re doing is wrong or potentially offensive to them.
December is a month of multicultural holiday celebrations. The variety of different holidays celebrated ranges widely between Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, St. Lucia Day, Boxing Day, Yule, Omisoka and the list goes on. So to simply say “merry Christmas” means you’re actually leaving out a plethora of different minorities simply because you were unaware, or you’re simply being ignorant.
Doing this is in no way okay. If it’s something you’ve done in the past because you don’t know any better, then now is the time to start changing your speech. Just switch to “happy holidays,” as it includes everyone who celebrates anything, not just the ones who celebrate this one holiday.
However, if you have been saying “merry Christmas” to everyone simply to make a point or to avoid the so-called “war on Christmas,” then you are undoubtedly in the wrong. Choosing to ignore groups of people and discredit everything they believe in and celebrate is offensive and just plain rude.
How anyone can be so careless and inconsiderate of other cultures honestly blows my mind. When it comes down to it, saying “happy holidays” requires essentially the same amount of effort as saying “merry Christmas” does. And guess what? It still includes Christmas. It’s a win-win. You aren’t offending anyone, and you still get to include the holiday that you choose to celebrate.
If you still want to continue saying “merry Christmas” in 2017, then you also need to accept the fact that you are someone who chooses to be offensive on purpose. Accept the fact that you are someone who disregards other cultures or looks at them as less-than. Accept the fact that if someone chooses to say “happy Hanukkah” to you, then you have zero right to be offended. Are you willing to accept all of these things about yourself?
Rather than looking at saying “happy holidays” as an inconvenience, look at it as an opportunity to be appreciative and respectful of all cultures. It’s honestly amazing to look at other cultures and see everything they believe in and stand for — appreciate the differences that make us who we are. December is a month for us to grow culturally and be accepting of others. Choose to be on the right side of this shift; when the opportunity arises, choose “happy holidays.”
Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu
