Tis' the season to be jolly!
With out fail, year after year, during this season of jolly there are those who like to fight over who is right and who is wrong. You know whom I'm talking about. Those Atheists trying to take Christ out of Christmas and the liberals trying force us to tolerate others by saying "Happy Holidays" rather than a hearty "HO! HO! HO! Merry Christmas!"
It actually got to me this year. I cannot let this one pass. You have to know the true meaning of Happy Holidays and how I came to learn its true meaning. I believe understanding its true meaning will take the fight out of us and actually make this season more jolly for everyone, yes, even for the Atheists, liberals, conservatives, and religious advocates.
It all started a long time ago, give or take 2 weeks, when I was a guest on "TalkingPoint" a TV program in Southern Utah. The topic of the show was "The War on Christmas!" The extremely cogent show hosts, who happen to stand on opposite ends of just about every thing from religion to politics, discussed Christmas.
You could tell that blood was boiling for some of the guests at the show. During a segment where guests participated there was a strong opinion that Christmas is being attacked and it should just be left alone, followed by a rhetorical question, "What would the world be like with out Christmas?" If you are wondering, I too voiced my opinion. It was a different opinion than the one that I have now. That's the strange thing about opinions; they can change, especially through experience and learning.
It was the question that stuck with me. "What would the world be like with out Christmas?" As I thought about it a few things come to mind:
- Christmas has only been around for about 1500 -1700 years.
- Today Christmas is celebrated in some parts of the world but not everywhere.
- With some exceptions only Christians celebrate Christmas
- Every one else celebrates their own holidays.
Based on PewResearch, Christians only make up 31.5% of the worlds population. Additional research shows that in the United States anywhere between 73-77% are Christian. In Central and South America Christians make up over 90% of the population.
So what does all this mean? Christians are the majority in the States so the other ~25% should just go with the flow, Right? No. It means that 1 in 4 of the people around you have no sentimental value tied to the phrase, "Merry Christmas." If you live in a tourist heavy city, it means that 2 out 3 people are likely to not believe in Christ and for them Christmas is just a foreign celebration for Christians. Now don't let your automatic attitudinal response over run your hypothalamus.
Take a big breath, Breath In... Breath out... I just did and it felt good!
Just last Monday I was at Toastmasters, a public speaking club that will change our life, and during a segment of the meeting a member shared a story. My friend, Jon, told about the tradition of Hanukkah and it's ties back to Judas Maccabeus and the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire of the 2nd century BC. This small group wanted to free the temple of the Syrian-Greek Army and with God on their side they went back to Jerusalem and fought like lions! The Syrian-Greek Army was one of the mightiest of its day, yet this small group forced them out of the land and was able to rededicate the Temple.
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| Hanukkah Candelabrum |
The story goes that they had just enough oil for one day, but through a miracle it lasted 8 days, enough time for more oil to be brought to the temple. That's why Hanukkah is celebrated over 8 days and the middle candle is used to light the 8 candles (over the period of 8 days) on either side of it. That was the first time I had ever heard that story. I also learned that my friend was Jewish and celebrated Hanukkah.
During our conversation he mentioned that he was going to build a large Candelabrum (a 9 candle stand) for his front yard and we started throwing ideas about how to make it. After the conversation it occurred to me that I did not know the appropriate salutation for Hanukkah. He said, "Happy Hanukkah." So, I said to my friend, "Happy Hanukkah!" Jon, knowing that I am a Christian, responded, "Merry Christmas!" We embraced and went about our day.
Before last Monday hearing people say "Happy Hanukkah" was humorous, because all I knew about Hanukkah was the Adam Sandler Song. After spending the day thinking about it, my paradigm changed. I considered these questions:
- Does the phrase, "Happy Hanukkah" mean anything to me?
- Does the phrase, "Merry Yule" mean anything to me?
For some they will carry some sort of meaning. The phrase "Merry Yule" might be joyous or offensive for some. For most those phrases are just strange words using the well known "Happy and Merry." Both are holidays celebrated during or near Christmas time. If one or both of the phrases didn't stir any kind of sentiment, think about that for a second. Not having a sentimental value tied to a phrase makes it meaningless. The same thing occurs for 1/4 of the people around you when they hear the phrase, "Merry Christmas."
Realizing that made me wonder what can be said to those who I don't know well enough to know what they celebrate? It occurred that we have another phrase that can and should having jolly sentimental feeling to everyone. "Happy Holidays!"
Happy Holidays does not take Christ out of Christmas. It's quite the opposite; it puts Christ into Christmas for every one that celebrates the Holiday of Christmas. What's more, it brings the thoughts of Hanukkah to those who celebrate Hanukkah. It does the same for those who celebrate Yule. "Happy Holidays" includes everyone that celebrates during the season to be jolly!
To include every one, isn't that the spirit of Christ? The next time you hear a cashier or a school teacher say, "Happy Holidays!" remember they are including every one no matter what they celebrate. And you can do the same by replying, "Happy Holidays!" The bigger challenge is to act in such a way that every one around you will have happier holidays because of you! That is the true meaning of "Happy Holidays!"
FYI:
If you jump on Google and search "
Holidays Celebrated in December" you will find that there over
40 different holidays celebrated.
Here is a basic list of holidays celebrated in December as found on
Wikipedia
