WHY I SAY HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

There are many Holidays during this season

It's that time of year.....The Holiday season is in full swing.  There always seems to be those who consider Christmas as THE Holiday Season, but it isn't.  The Holiday season has evolved into four holidays that are celebrated in close proximity to each other.  The Season begins with Halloween and ends with New Years.  There is All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Diwali, Day of Muharram,Birthday of Baha'u'llah, Veteran's Day, Al Hijra,Thanksgiving (U.S.), Ashura,St. Nicholas Day, Virgin of Guadalupe, Santa Lucia Day, Las Posadas,  Hanukkah, Advent, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Boxing Day,  Kwanzaa, and New Years. It is also during this time we honor Native American Heritage Month.  


Some of these are legal holidays, some are religious holy days, and some are commonly accepted days. The term holiday is derived from the old English word hāligdæg or holy day, so when I say Happy Holidays, I refer or recognize that this season is a special time of year for people of all faiths, a family time for many, and a time to remember the past, look at the present, and hope for the future.

SANTA LUCIA DAY (SWEDEN)

I never heard of All Saints Day(The Protestant celebration) or All Souls Day (the Catholic celebration until l I joined the United Methodist Church. I also learned about Advent and Las Posadas. I didn't know about Al Hijra, Ashura, St. Nicolas Day and many others in this list until I did research to write this blog. Holidays like Halloween and Christmas are considered to pagan celebrations in origin but turned into Christian meanings through the adoption of All Saints Eve and All Saints Day and Christmas.


Christmas is not the actual birthday of Jesus. No one really knows when Jesus was born. No one knows the actual date he was crucified. Yet, Christians defend Christmas as though it was the birthday of Jesus. Popular phrases like Jesus is the Reason for the Season and Keep Christ in Christmas are quoted by good people who believe that this Holy Day is not a holiday. The American Family Association of Tupelo, Mississippi, keeps a list of who is nice (those businesses that say Merry Christmas and Keep Christ in Christmas) and who is naught (those businesses that say Happy Holidays or Season's Greetings). I just don't get the difference and why all the fuss.

Stores have declared they will open on Thanksgiving Day this year. I don't know why there is a fuss about this either. One of the blogs I follow written by Matt Walsh declares those who shop on Thanksgiving Day are the problem. The very people who seem to complain about this are often those who support the laissez faire approach to business. They believe that our government regulates business too much. They feel we should eliminate the EPA, the FAA, the FCC, OSHA, and many other government regulatory agencies so businesses can concentrate on being profitable and thus provide more jobs so the economy will grow and we will have full employment. Yet, when business wants to make more profits by being open on holidays, they are appalled. They are the same ones who often get upset if someone says Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. They consider this as a war on Christianity. they believe strongly in capitalism. This group is often labeled as conservative.

But let's be fair, we cannot continue to tax and spend and expect business to grow. We cannot clamor for higher wages without realizing that higher labor and labor benefits will cause prices to rise. We cannot expect corporations to stay in the United States if we don't allow them to continue to operate and meet their competition. Jobs have been lost in our country because of high taxes and cheap labor in other countries. We often hear about the plight of the disadvantaged and the desire to eradicate injustice through a strong Central Government. This group often sees business or big corporations as "evil". This group is accused of believing in redistribution of wealth. This group is often labeled liberal.

We have those who expect us to believe and practice religion like they do. They want to impose their morality on all citizens for they think that is what makes the country great. They believe we are a Christian nation. There are others who fight to exclude religion from public schools, local, state, and federal government functions. They strongly believe in a secular government.

We hear so often the term "politically correct" that is used to convey disgust, disapproval, or disdain for the actions, the writings, and the vocal statements of those who dare to be outside of their group. This whole issue seems to boil down to who is and who is out, who is acceptable and who is not, who is Christian and who is pagan. If you are called a liberal you are considered to be communist or a socialist. If you are conservative, you are assumed to be a member of the Klan, a racist, a bigot, or ignorant.


Do as you will, but I will continue to say Happy Holidays for I respect those of all faiths, nationalities, ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations who are citizens of our great nation.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL!