Harris Sherline: Bah, Humbug! And Merry Christmas

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/121209_harris_sherline_bah_humbug_and_merry_christmas/

By Harris R. Sherline

Even non-Christians find offense in the cherished American tradition being referred to as a 'holiday'

It appears that we have become so politically correct that we’re now letting the few dictate the way the majority of Americans can celebrate their holidays.

For example, why is it that many individuals and businesses are opting to advertise sales or send Christmas greeting cards or invitations that no longer refer to Christmas, labeling such occasions instead as “holiday” greetings, parties or sales?

Bah, Humbug! Keep your cotton-pickin’ hands off my Christmas.

Those who know I don’t celebrate Christmas (for personal reasons) may think this is a strange reaction. I’m not a Christian, but I do care about our American traditions. And, one of the most revered in our society has always been Christmas. I also don’t believe it’s necessary to be a Christian to appreciate and support Christian values, which are an integral part of the foundation on which America was built.

Why on Earth are we letting people who are anti-religion — such as atheists and the American Civil Liberties Union — dictate or attempt to dictate what our national values should be? That’s what they are, aren’t they? That is, people who are anti-religion? Who made them the PC police, anyway?

Just what is the “holiday” if not Christmas? The very use of the term “holiday” is shorthand for Christmas, isn’t it? When someone says “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” to us, doesn’t everyone understand that the person offering the salutation is talking about Christmas? Surely, they’re not talking in a vacuum, and they don’t mean “Merry Vacation” or “Merry Shopping.” They mean Merry Christmas, don’t they?

Even as a non-Christian, Christmas has always been a part of my life. I grew up during the Great Depression, and I can still remember the importance of the Christmas season at a time when most people had very little. And I can’t say that growing up and living in a Christian society has ever been a significant obstacle for me. As a Jew, I suppose I’ve experienced my share of prejudice along the way, but I don’t believe the fact that I’m not a Christian has ever prevented me from taking advantage of the boundless opportunities that America has made and continues to make available, regardless of our individual religious beliefs.

So why, I wonder, is Christmas such a problem for nonbelievers? What’s their game? Are they just perverse, or is there some larger purpose underlying their opposition to any recognition of religion in the life of our society, even Christmas?

Part of the reason, I think, is the excessive commercialization of Christmas, which has turned the occasion away from its roots and converted it into a giant shopping event. One of the most troubling aspects of this is the way in which the forces of merchandising, pursuing an impossible goal of offending no one, are now causing many businesses to adopt the PC language of the nonbelievers by referring to Christmas as the “holiday” while promoting the celebration of other “holidays,” such as Kwanzaa — which, incidentally, doesn’t even mark a religious occasion but was created by a single individual to celebrate African-American culture. Will Easter and Hanukkah be the next traditional religious celebrations to be renamed “holidays” to satisfy the PC crowd? Or perhaps Ramadan?

This brings me back to the fact that I’ve noticed a growing number of businesses that no longer invite people to Christmas sales or parties, but to “holiday” events.

Question: Is it possible to avoid offending anyone by discontinuing all references to Christmas in favor of “holiday”? I think not!

I, for one, even as a non-Christian, am offended by this effort to take Christmas out of the Christmas celebration. My guess is that for every person who is placated by references to the “holiday” in lieu of “Christmas,” there is at least someone else like me who is troubled or offended by the obvious ploy of omitting any reference to Christmas.

Perhaps Ben Stein said it best: “I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can’t find it in the Constitution, and I don’t like it being shoved down my throat.”

The businesses that succumb to the PC version of the “holiday” may well find that some of their customers will eventually see the situation as I do and take their business elsewhere — to a store or firm that acknowledges that Christmas is Christmas — Christ included.

To you and yours, Merry Christmas!

— Harris R. Sherline is a retired CPA and former chairman and CEO of Santa Ynez Valley Hospital who has lived in Santa Barbara County for more than 30 years. He stays active writing opinion columns and his blog, Opinionfest.com.

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