No, seriously. If I have to hear one more cranky old white person complain about “happy holidays” and the “war on Christmas” I might have an aneurysm. I don’t know if this is a baby boomers thing, or an entitlement thing, or a white Christian thing. Either way, it needs to end.
Here are the facts: Christmas is actually a poorly put together collection of various other traditions from different cultures. According to Last Trumpet Ministries International, Christmas comes from the Roman celebration Saturnalia. The tradition of giving gifts comes from pre-Christian Romans, who celebrated the rebirth of their sun god sometime around December 22. Then, in 4th Century CE, according to SimpleToRemember.com, Christianity incorporated Saturnalia into their celebrations, hoping to convert pagan masses, claiming that the last day of Saturnalia was actually Jesus’s birthday. According to scripture, Jesus was actually born sometime in September.
Now, I’m not saying all this to discourage the practice of Christmas. As it is, Christmas is actually not an all bad holiday. It promotes good will and charity, and encourages compassion among the masses. It has morphed from a bastardized holiday to an almost universal celebration of happiness. However, the inability to recognize that there are other holidays that celebrate around the same time is not only ignorant and rude, but entitled and ridiculous. According to EducationWorld.com, multiple holidays are celebrated throughout the month of December! Kwanzaa, Santa Lucia Day, Hanukkah, Fiesta of Our Lady Guadalupe … the list goes on. Each is unique in it’s celebrations and greetings during their celebratory season, which means depending on what you celebrate, you may be saying "habari gani", or "Hanukkah Sameach", or "God Jul."
So the next time someone says “Happy Holidays” or “Happy Hanukkah” or some variation therein, or the next time Starbucks reveals their next cup that doesn’t feature your personal holiday greeting, remember that you are not, in fact, the center of the world. Instead, appreciate the fact that someone took time out of their day to wish you well in whatever way meant most to them, and respond in kind. Isn't that what Christianity is about, anyway? The spread of love, joy, and happiness?
Sincerely,
A Practicing Christian Who Is Confused And Baffled