Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday?

Posted on 12/05/2015 by wdkealy

Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday?

I have been confronted, at this time of year, with the ‘political correctness’ of greeting friends, acquaintances, or strangers with either ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Happy Holidays’. It is a choice we all have and is linked in with our Worldview.

An older lady in a wheelchair sitting in front of a large christmas tree with a smaller christmas tree on each side of the large one.

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

Merry Christmas

There has been much discussion on the date of Jesus’s birth, christmas trees, Santa Claus,etc. This brings into focus how we greet each other at this time of year. Do we say Merry Christmas to our Jewish, Muslim, East Indian friends/ acquaintances? In my vocation of a tennis director/head tennis professional I have come to my own conclusions. It seems to come down to this – am I true to my own worldview in my greeting, or do I hide it behind political correctness?

Happy Holidays

For some years I made the transition from ‘Merry Christmas’ to ‘Happy Holidays’. I had moved from San Diego to Virginia, then up to New Jersey.

My first tennis club in New Jersey was 99% Jewish with a few non-Jewish members – some former Davis Cuppers. The clientele entailed an experienced membership in both tennis and business acumen. Wanting to make a good impression and not wanting to impose my Christmas beliefs on the predominately Jewish membership I found myself greeting them with a ‘Happy Holiday’ instead of my normal ‘Merry Christmas’. Also, finding myself in an East Coast population (New York/New Jersey) with a high Jewish contingent, my greeting of ‘Happy Holiday’ carried over into my everyday life at Christmas time.

Over time, I made many Jewish friends and acquaintances who were ‘true’ to their world view. I re-analyzed my greeting at Christmas time in light of forming these closer friendships and found myself coming to the conclusion my ‘worldview’ was being compromised by ‘Happy Holiday’. I never hid my faith and discussed it freely with other different ‘world views’.  I changed back to my earlier ‘Merry Christmas’ greeting feeling ‘truer’ to myself and my relationship with my Creator.

Does your Christmas/Happy Holiday greeting do justice to your world view, or are you being politically correct?

 

About wdkealy

I retired from a career as a tennis professional to move to Portland with my wife to care for my in-laws and my mother in Abbotsford, BC. Not wanting to retire I took a vocational test and at the top was 'writer'. I have been researching and writing for about five years now and am looking to take more steps forward in pursuing this as a career. Time will tell whether I have the 'passion' to stay the course. My wife and I have three grown children with whom we are close. I had the privilege of coaching a high school team to a state championship in 2010. The team won by 1/2 point which was a credit to all team players. Looking to attend another writer's conference this year and grow. In the meantime I look forward to improving my social networking skills in order to have more meaningful contact with others who share a passion for life.
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