Merry, Happy, Season's Greetings

I found a soap box and I'm on it! (Season's Greetings Y'all!") Every year, same story.  Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah, "Yea it's Kwanza," Happy Thanksgivikah, blah, blah, blah.  Until you get to the dreaded "Happy Holidays," or worse, "Season's Greetings!"  Really?  Why?  What makes Christians so upset about the later greetings? 

This time of year is celebrated by many different faiths.  I believe that even those without a religious belief system seem to enjoy the generous spirit, the gatherings, etc.  I mean, who doesn't like egg nog and decorated homes?  I have an atheist friend that literally called the day before Christmas and asked if she could come the day after Christmas with her new husband.  Both are atheist, and the best we could do was open gifts on Christmas day and then run through the house putting our tree and decorations away as we were throwing away wrapping paper from the morning.  I thought it was the considerate thing to do.  She laughed after I told her what we did.  She might be atheist, but being in a home with Christmas decorations or music would not have caused her to feel violated. 

Sensitivity is something that Christians are missing the point of here.  If you need to see the words "Merry Christmas" to feel like you are being respected, then you have missed the mark.  I am a Catholic Christian.  I was raised Jewish and believe that my take on this comes from the Christian side of my brain.  I am not going out of my way to assume that a card that comes with "season's greetings" or "happy holidays" is wrong.  If someone wants to extend well wishes for this more general time of year that celebrates what we are thankful for, the birth of my savior AND the oil lasting in the temple for eight nights, I will say thank you, shop a store if it has what I am shopping for, and smile as the employee hands me my bag and receipt with a smile on their face as they wish me a very thankful,  merry, happy, season's best wishes. 

Please consider that when you boycott a company, you are affecting every employees' job security with your choice to not shop their place of employment.  While you might want to stand up for the church when you say you refuse to have someone address you with "Happy Holidays," what you are saying is, "If I don't stand up for the church in this manner, you will not respect me."  No, what you are failing to do is allow Jesus, who technically is your church, to work through you and your actions.  Your actions are saying that you believe that your choice to boycott until change happens means that your personal needs are bigger than HIM.  He wants you to turn the other cheek.  (That does not mean show your tail, for my smarty-pants friends out there.) 

This is not what the birth of our savior is all about.  It is so sad when you realize what it does when it's the latest craze to email out the the list of stores to shop or not shop, or to post on your Facebook wall what stores are open or not open on Thanksgiving day.  There might be a family that needs those extra working hours to pay for the upcoming season of gifting.  Please consider that our actions speak louder than our words.  The words happy holidays are not offensive.  The choice to not accept them are.