Happy Holidays! Around the holiday season, I hear a lot of people saying, "I'm not afraid to say Merry Christmas," or, "Keep the Christ in Christmas." It seems like there is a "war on Christmas" nowadays, right?
Wrong. Sorry, but what you think is a war on Christmas is really just a cultural acceptance of other religions that aren't yours.
When you are part of a privileged group, you participate in pushing down marginalized people. When those marginalized people become more equal to you, you can start to feel like you're being oppressed.
Recently, Donald Trump opened a rally in Florida by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Now, that's great for the 70% of Americans who identify as Christians, but for the other 30% of Americans who observe other religions, it is alienating. Americans feel ostracized in their own country by people's persistence in forcing them to observe a "Merry Christmas." The Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of religion.
Why do you think that only applies to your religion?
So, the lady at Walmart wished you "Happy Holidays" — how much does that really affect you? You can still go home and observe all your Christmas traditions, you can still go to church on Christmas, and you can still watch all the Christmas movies on TV. (How many Hannukah movies can you think of? I only know of one, and it's more of a Christmas/Hannukah movie.)
SEE ALSO: I'm A Christian, And When I Hear 'Happy Holidays' I Won't Be Offended Because That's Not God's Will
If someone wishes you a "Happy Holidays," their intent isn't to attack you as a Christian; they want to wish you a happy season and aren't sure what you celebrate, so a generic greeting is better than them getting it wrong.
Its an act of kindness. Don't think of it as anything else.
So really, it's not that big of a deal when you don't get a "Merry Christmas!" from everyone you speak to. Let's make the holidays a little more inclusive. It doesn't always have to be about you.
