One of the pinnacles of the American identity is religious and cultural diversity and freedom. America is known as a melting pot, and consequently, Christmas isn't the only holiday celebrated around the early months of winter. There's also Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, Mawlid el-Nabi, and Rohatsu, among many others. So, why is saying "Happy Holidays" such an attacked political issue?
"Happy Holidays" includes Christmas, as well as being supportive of our diverse neighbors' beliefs. Inclusiveness isn't an attack on Christmas but rather a message of support and well-wishes to all people, no matter their religion or lack of one. No one is asking Christians to put away their nativity scene or to stop saying "Merry Christmas" to people they know are Christians -- just that they don't assume their religion is the only one that matters.
It's time to start acknowledging that the United States is not a Christian nation. The United States does not have an official religion (or an official language, for the record), and even the Founding Fathers made it clear that they did not want America to be a Christian country. John Adams even said, "the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." "God" or any similar name implying a higher power doesn't appear one single time in the Constitution. Additionally, "In God We Trust" wasn't added to currency until the Civil War, and "under God" wasn't added to the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954.
Even though the United States is not a Christian nation, no one is trying to take Christianity away from those who practice it. Allowing others to feel included in practicing their respective religions is not diminishing Christians' own freedoms. Although America was thankfully founded to guarantee religious freedom, the quote "when you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression" is still applicable to this situation.
Specifically saying "Merry Christmas" just to spite PC culture is unnecessary and immature. Being inclusive comes at no cost to you but could make a person's day. While yes, saying "Merry Christmas" isn't a huge deal, and I doubt people of other religions would be offended by it, it is so simple to show people in your community you acknowledge they might be different from you, and you respect those differences. Choosing to say "happy holidays" to people you don't know is as simple as choosing to be a decent person. After all -- the holiday season is about love, isn't it?
