In the Spirit of the Season

We all know that the Christmas season is a trying time for those in retail, and understandably. There are a lot of karens out there, and not all of them are Nick. That quip is a compliment, BTW, and an experiment to see if a good buddy of mine (or anyone who knows him) might notice.

Yesterday while out shopping I actually found myself alone before a line of unattended cash registers, an unusual enough occurrence in normal times but highly irregular during peak shopping seasons. But it was relatively early in the morning, a bit before eight in fact.

With a dawning paranoia and looking around for the candid camera, I at first saw no one. Then I heard a voice from somewhere among the shelving assuring me, "I'll be right with you sir." In a moment a young woman appeared, maybe 20 or so, and apologetically began to ring up my items.

She spoke of this and that as she scanned. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, we can't get help. Ugh, it's so cold, I don't like the cold. I haven't even begun my Christmas shopping yet, I don't know when I'll find the time. I'm working every day, and Christmas Eve until 4. I don't care if we have a white Christmas, cause snow's just another thing to be a problem." God bless her, she went on for a bit. But if it was good therapy for this frazzled young woman, I was glad to lend an ear.

I paid, and after she gave me my change she held out my bag of purchases to me. Then, and I do mean with the sweetest smile and the most truly, genuinely pleasant voice, one of the most pleasant you can expect this time of year, more so, really, she offered, "Merry Christmas, sir." 

"Merry Christmas," I said back. I do hope she has one.

Christmas 2019

Ripping off a meme making its rounds of the Internet, let me say today:

If the house isn't spotless, it's still Christmas.

If the meal isn't perfect, it's still Christmas.

If the gifts aren't ideal, it's still Christmas.

But if there's no Christ, it isn't Christmas.

Take a breath and remember that it is most emphatically not about the whistles and bows. It's about Christ.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Christmas 2015

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

Merry Christmas everybody!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! Hope your 2014 was wonderful.

The Monday Holiday Law

Today is Martin Luther King Day! Of course, today really would have mattered little to him, as it isn't his birthday or anniversary or anything important to him or his life. But thanks to the Monday Holiday Law, most holidays are celebrated on the Monday after a truly important day, if it falls on a Sunday, or on the nearest Monday if it happens to fall at a different time of the week. Why do we do it? So that workers may enjoy an extended weekend several times a year. Perhaps too so that it may make the work week easier to plan if we simply get the day off at the start of the week rather than as an interruption to the flow of things on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

But have we ever considered that such a practice is immeasurably insulting to the people and the events and the causes which we celebrate? We are speaking about people who gave their lives so that we could be here today to grill or watch ballgames or what have you, causes which speak to the soul, and events so important to our history as a nation that without whose remembrance we commit a great affront to our collective memory. And what do we do?

Shove them around the calendar for our convenience.

Wow. That Dr. Martin Luther King was such a great guy, let's make his birthday a holiday. Only let's make it on the nearest Monday if January 15th inconveniently falls on a Tuesday this year, so that we can enjoy a prolonged vacation. Whatever we do, we better remember our heroes in the way which suits us best: by us taking time off to do as we please. That's what matters: our convenience.

That's simply wrong.

Say, Merry Christmas!

A recent poll presumes to show that more Americans, by a slight and ever narrowing margin, prefer, or are at least okay with, a Merry Christmas greeting over a more generic Happy Holidays. But why ought there be any worry over such a relatively minor distinction?

Even when we say Happy Holidays there's no reasonable way to dispute that what we mean is Merry Christmas. There would be no greetings at all without a holiday season having grown around Christmas. Indeed, it mocks the holiday spirit itself if not the very idea of a broader human kinship when we start to think that it's all right to sweep a part of the beliefs of a very large part of our populace under the rug. If tolerance and respect for all cultures is what we should strive towards, then it is more than fair to ask the rest of the folks to respect Christians and their holiday by accepting a heartfelt Merry Christmas greeting.

It would seem that a person of a non-Christian faith, or of no faith at all, if truly comfortable in their belief, would have no issue with hearing Merry Christmas if it were directed at them. True, we frequently hear the old liberal argument that such things seem to force a belief on others. Yet how deep is their faith, how truly do they hold whatever personal beliefs they claim to regard as the final answer to life's questions, if a mere two word sentence leaves them quaking in their boots? If their creed is that shallow or their will so weak, they have deeper issues than what a simple Merry Christmas should bring on.

Meanwhile, and at the risk of being labeled a Limbaugh or Hannity (which would cause no uproar here as we don't mind people knowing who we are or what we favor) by those seeking to inflame those who do not share our beliefs, why ought Christians tolerate second class citizenship? Why can't our culture be included among all those other cultures which we are supposed to (and generally do) tolerate?

So go on, and tell people Merry Christmas. If they are insulted by that, we will have learned all about them which we need to know.

Say 'Merry Christmas'; That's What it's About

A recent poll presumes to show that more Americans, by a slight and ever narrowing margin, prefer, or are at least okay with, a Merry Christmas greeting over a more generic Happy Holidays. But why ought there be any worry over such a relatively minor distinction?

Even when we say Happy Holidays there's no reasonable way to dispute that what we mean is Merry Christmas. There would be no greetings at all without a holiday season having grown around Christmas. Indeed, it mocks the holiday spirit itself if not the very idea of a broader human kinship when we start to think that it's all right to sweep a part of the beliefs of a very large part of our populace under the rug. If tolerance and respect for all cultures is what we should strive towards, then it is more than fair to ask the rest of the folks to respect Christians and their holiday by accepting a heartfelt Merry Christmas greeting.

It would seem that a person of a non-Christian faith, or of no faith at all, if truly comfortable in their belief, would have no issue with hearing Merry Christmas if it were directed at them. True, we frequently hear the old liberal argument that such things seem to force a belief on others. Yet how deep is their faith, how truly do they hold whatever personal beliefs they claim to regard as the final answer to life's questions, if a mere two word sentence leaves them quaking in their boots? If their creed is that shallow or their will so weak, they have deeper issues than what a simple Merry Christmas should bring on.

Meanwhile, and at the risk of being labeled a Limbaugh or Hannity (which would cause no uproar here as we don't mind people knowing who we are or what we favor) by those seeking to inflame those who do not share our beliefs, why ought Christians tolerate second class citizenship? Why can't our culture be included among all those other cultures which we are supposed to (and generally do) tolerate?

So go on, and tell people Merry Christmas. If they are insulted by that, we will have learned all about them which we need to know.