Happy Holidays?

WARNING you are about to fall into a rant.

I'm done, done with wishing anyone Happy Holidays. December 25th is also Christmas day across the globe whether or not you celebrate it and it so happens I do. I am going to wish people Merry Christmas, not only that I am going to say Merry Christmas instead of goodbye where ever I go. You see, people specifically wish others well on momentus dates and occasions, strip out why you are wishing people well and you might as well say Happy Root Canal or Merry Grocery Shopping! I refuse to water down my reasons for merriment and goodwill for some sort of PC canard. Am I going to be offended if my Jewish brother in law wishes me a Happy Chanukka? Nope. Will I wish him back one? Yes.

You think if he said Happy Chanukka to the checker at the grocery store, they would correct him by saying, "Oh and Happy Holidays to you too." You better bet your buttons they wouldn't. I tried it you know. Happy Chanukka. Happy Kwanza. (Alright I am pretty white so that got a strange look, but they wished me happy Kwanza none the less) Winter Greetings. Merry Festivus. Solstice Greetings. Merry Christmas? One brave soul said Merry Christmas back, I got a Happy Holidays in return most of the time with a slight emphasis on the word "Holiday." It's pretty pathetic that the faux holiday from Seinfeld gets more respect than Christmas does. You really don't see Festivus pole lots out there do you? If a politician has the brass to do it you can to. (ht. John Hawkins)

Really though the last straw? Honda Commercials. There is a whole raft of Honda Commercials out there which replace the words "Merry Christmas" in carols with "Happy Honda Days." It's like taking the PC step and then making a ode to greed out of them.

On a related note, John Gibson was filling in for Tony Snow on Black Friday. John, the first sentence I heard from you was: "Buy, buy, buy" blaringly loud. I made a vow then and there to never listen to you when you fill in for Tony. I have heard you talk about your book about reclaiming Christmas from the PC shills, but there is no way I am going to go overboard on the crass commercialism in Christmas either. I don't think that was what you were advocating but that's what it sounded like and it was Real Off Putting.

So Merry Christmas to all folks out there. Happy Chanukka to my Jewish friends and family.