I live in a land where people practice many different religions and celebrate different holidays this time of year. Some people are super sensitive and no one wants to offend anyone so you end up saying "happy holidays" so as to cover the whole broad spectrum. Sean just told me a friend of his knows people who celebrate the winter solstice. Personally, I would not be offended if someone said to me, "Happy Kwanzaa!" It might throw me for a minute but i think I'd be tickled and would hopefully say it back. I think it's ok to specify which day you celebrate and what you call it.
That said, I can understand though that people want to be sensitive to others. Last year I found myself in such a situation. I have some neighbors who are from Bangladesh. They have a cute little girl named Somar (? i think. She told me her name from her balcony 4 floors up from next door) and we say hi to each other often. Anyway, i ran into her last year a few days after Christmas and when I said hi, I said "So, are you having a good..." UHHhhhh... i was going to say "christmas" but then that thought entered my mind: oh hey, she might not celebrate Christmas. I don't know what she celebrates. What do I say? So in my befuddlement I heard myself say, "So, are you havin' a good...time off from school?" pbdrrr... ha ha.
In conclusion, I'm not sure what the point of this post was, other than to tell you that story because i thought it was funny. I guess i'm just trying to say Happy Holidays to you and also Merry Christmas. :)
3 comments:
"I hope you enjoy any holiday that you might be celebrating this time of year, and if not, I hope you have a nice day and aren't offended by the greetings I hereby offer you."
--perfect. that's the new message in our Christmas card.
Well, then you should use this greeting instead:
"The Author of this card wishes to endorse a felicitous Season upon the Recipient, where 'Season' refers to the period between the approximate dates of November 23 and January 2. The wishes are in no way to be construed as adherence to or endorsement of a particular system of beliefs and have no cash value. Should the Season of the Recipient in fact not adhere to established measures of prosperity, including but not limited to economic, familial, or emotional prosperity, the Author accepts no responsibility. By accepting this message, the Recipient absolves the Author from any and all responsibilities pertaining to the salutations contained herein."
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