"Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas"?

My thoughts on …

Did you know that the phrase “Happy Holidays” was started by Christians?  Yes, that’s right folks, it was.  In fact it dates back to the 1600’s in England.  People were acknowledging the fact that there were more than one holiday.  Like the fact that after Christmas, there was the celebration of the New Year.  Plus there was the season of Advent, another very Christian custom, that this year begins on November 30^th and ends December 24^th.  So right there we have more than one Christian holiday in December.  And do you know what?  Nobody has ever wished me a “Happy Advent”.  How annoying is that?

Furthermore, let us remember that Christ was born a Jew.  How many of us really believe he never celebrated Chanukah with his family?  The tradition of Chanukah started over a hundred and fifty years before he was born, so I'm pretty sure he celebrated it more than once.

I’d also like to point out that it was Jesus who taught us to love our neighbors, be tolerant, kind and to not judge others or take offense should someone do something we feel is mean.

So in the spirit of his teachings, I find the phrase “Happy Holidays” just as sweet and respectful of my Catholic upbringing as the words “Merry Christmas”.  To me, someone is simply trying to be respectful of whatever religion I happen to follow, without giving me the third degree about my faith and beliefs.

With this in mind I wish to conclude this entry by saying...

 “Happy Thanksgiving”

“Happy Advent”,

“Happy Chanukah”

 “Have a wonderful Eid al-Adha” (for my Muslim friends)

 “Happy Yule”

"Happy Kwanzaa"

"Merry Christmas"

“Happy New Year”

 

,,Or to put it simply “HAPPY HOLIDAYS” whatever they are, including any I might have missed in this list.