There was a post on Facebook yesterday about Happy Holidays being the correct greeting at this time of year; I would have gladly replied to that, but comments had been closed off. It’s probably better anyway for me to make my own, lengthier, post.
The words “Happy Holidays” are empty to me so I would never greet others that way. It's so generic, so non-specific! I live in India, where there are many religious festivals in the year, and every time, I join in the greetings. At present, where I live Hindus are still celebrating Deepam – you can see the fire on the mountain, which will burn on, visible for miles around, into Christmas. On the main Deepam day last week, everyone, Hindus and non-Hindus, were greeting each other with Happy Deepam. It was the same for Diwali, in October, and in January, we have Pongal, and it will be Happy Pongal, to and from everyone.
Nobody asks what religion a person is; it’s the happiness of the festival that we wish each other. It doesn’t matter which word follows. Happiness is universal. Next week, Hindus will be greeting me with Happy Christmas, and I’ll greet them back the same way.
A generic Happy Holidays, supposedly to include all possible religions, it absolutely meaningless to me. It’s a cop-out in my view, a way to avoid actually figuring out what is being celebrated, and excluding oneself from any religious connotations, and feeling good about oneself for being inclusive. I believe it is the preferred greeting of atheists, but I’m not an atheist, though I was raised as one.
But anyway: the very word “holiday” is wishy-washy to me. It carries no depth. I realise that the Happy Holidays greeting originated in the USA and there, “holiday” means religious celebration. It doesn’t in British English, which is the language I grew up with. Holiday, in British English regardless of its etymology, simply means a day off work and school. So happy holidays, strictly speaking, in Britsh English just means, happy time off work and school. That’s why in British English, the word is always specific: school holidays, bank holidays, summer holidays. And as I am retired, every day is a holiday!
Now, we have Christmas holidays. Because traditionally, holidays off work and school are granted for Christmas. Three days off work for Christmas and Boxing days, and a few weeks off school.
Back to being inclusive: in the USA in particular, it seems Hanukkah is the second biggest religious festival in December. While I know and have known several Jews, I have no idea how or what day Hanukkah is celebrated; if I did know, I would wish them Happy Hanukkah on that day. But in the UK – where I lived for many years –Hanukkah is not at all a public festivity, unlike Christmas. Nobody knows when it occurs; it’s a private, not a public celebration.
But at Christmastime, the entire British world goes berserk! Everything, music, decorations, gift giving etc is centred around Christmas in the month of December. The generic “the holidays” means nothing; that’s the American version. In British tradition, it’s specifically Christmas holidays at this time of year.
But: surely children of other faiths must feel left out, if they are not allowed to participate in the purely secular festivities of Christmastime? Because they ARE mostly secular. Jingle Bells and White Christmas are secular songs. Coloured lights, images and banners are secular decorations. Christmas trees are secular. Gift giving is secular. I remember once looking for a Christmas card with a nativity scene on it – not a single shop had one! Even digital Christmas cards are mostly secular: scenes of snow and Santa and glasses of wine.
A generic Happy Holidays, supposedly to include all possible religions, it absolutely meaningless to me. It’s a cop-out in my view, a way to avoid actually figuring out what is being celebrated, and excluding oneself from any religious connotations, and feeling good about oneself for being inclusive. I believe it is the preferred greeting of atheists, but I’m not an atheist, though I was raised as one.
But anyway: the very word “holiday” is wishy-washy to me. It carries no depth. I realise that the Happy Holidays greeting originated in the USA and there, “holiday” means religious celebration. It doesn’t in British English, which is the language I grew up with. Holiday, in British English regardless of its etymology, simply means a day off work and school. So happy holidays, strictly speaking, in Britsh English just means, happy time off work and school. That’s why in British English, the word is always specific: school holidays, bank holidays, summer holidays. And as I am retired, every day is a holiday!
Now, we have Christmas holidays. Because traditionally, holidays off work and school are granted for Christmas. Three days off work for Christmas and Boxing days, and a few weeks off school.
Back to being inclusive: in the USA in particular, it seems Hanukkah is the second biggest religious festival in December. While I know and have known several Jews, I have no idea how or what day Hanukkah is celebrated; if I did know, I would wish them Happy Hanukkah on that day. But in the UK – where I lived for many years –Hanukkah is not at all a public festivity, unlike Christmas. Nobody knows when it occurs; it’s a private, not a public celebration.
But at Christmastime, the entire British world goes berserk! Everything, music, decorations, gift giving etc is centred around Christmas in the month of December. The generic “the holidays” means nothing; that’s the American version. In British tradition, it’s specifically Christmas holidays at this time of year.
But: surely children of other faiths must feel left out, if they are not allowed to participate in the purely secular festivities of Christmastime? Because they ARE mostly secular. Jingle Bells and White Christmas are secular songs. Coloured lights, images and banners are secular decorations. Christmas trees are secular. Gift giving is secular. I remember once looking for a Christmas card with a nativity scene on it – not a single shop had one! Even digital Christmas cards are mostly secular: scenes of snow and Santa and glasses of wine.
The Birth of Christ, the only non-secular part of Christmas, has diminished so much it’s really just a tiny, private part of the whole festivity, and practiced in private within families and churches. Nobody need know you’re a Christian. Nativity scenes are even banned in some British communities. Certainly in communal buildings, and I assume in schools. Christmas has truly gone secular. It’s not religious. It’s for everyone. It’s inclusive, judging by the contemporary symbols of Christmas.
I grew up in Guyana, a British colony in South America, and I remember how we used to drive around in the week before Christmas Day, looking at the way houses were decorated, and admiring and counting Christmas trees in the windows, pointing and exclaiming at the most beautiful lights and decorations. Every house had a tree. It seems to me that Hindus and Muslims - half the population - also put up trees. It was wonderful for children to see those trees! Surely anyone, regardless of religion, can put one up, if only for the kids, and give them gifts in the name of Santa? Don’t they feel left out, if Santa doesn’t bring them anything?
As an adult, I don’t really celebrate Christmas any more. I wrote a short nativity play for my daughter’s children’s’ school, and that’s it. I’m in India, and it will be just another day. My Hindu cleaning-lady asked me today why I don’t have any Christmas decorations up (Hindus LOVE decorations! As colourful as possible!) I had to laugh. I showed her a little tea-light holder with a star on it:”That’s it!” I told her. But on the day itself, I’ll be saying Merry Christmas to everyone I see, whether they are Hindu or Christian or something else, and they’ll say it back to me. That’s how it’s done here. I think that’s the best way.
Merry Christmas all! From my heart to yours!
