Offending Santa: Part Deux: Public Statements of Merriness

"Merry Christmas."

Yup, that's what we did. The company I work for posted a message on our website announcing that the Monday after Christmas we will be closed and, oh, by the way, "Merry Christmas." That's when the complaint calls started coming in. How dare we put the word "Christmas" on our website?!

Now, I know this has been turned into some sort of pseudo political issue and the Republicans are supposedly the great defenders of Christmas and the Democrats are supposedly the group attacking Christmas with their evil "Happy Holidays" message, but really don't we have more pressing issues to focus on? The government is about to shut down due to a lack of an approved operating budget and today marks the official end of the war in Iraq and we are all stirred up about Christmas?

To be candid, we were not attempting to take a stand by posting our "Merry Christmas" message. We were simply saying that we will be closed in observance of Christmas and that "we too will be celebrating with our families." But now, it has become a thing. Our "Christmas e-mail message to customers" has become "Happy Holidays," so we don't get any additional complaint calls.

In my point of view, Christmas is about pausing once a year to do something nice for people. For friends and family, it's an opportuniity to say how much they mean to you and give them a little something that shows it. For customers, it's time to say, "Hey, thanks for your business." For those closest to you, it's an opportunity to break bread, have a little wine and reflect on the past year and state your hopes for the upcoming year.

And, for the kids, it's a time for magic, even when they get a little older and realize that Santa may have been assembling that bike in the garage with a martini instead of bringing it down the chimney. (My daughter, wisely sent us an e-mail for Santa this year with her request and then asked us to forward it to Santa, because she didn't have his e-mail address and thought that we might. Now that's thinking on your feet!) Even my Jewish friend down the street has Christmas lights on his house and he definitely qualifies as jolly. He has managed to have a Christmas tree and a menorah in his house at the same time for years without it spontaneously combusting or drawing any protesters out front.

So, when I say Merry Christmas, what I mean is "Be happy. Enjoy the season. Do something nice for your family and your friends." It's not meant as a recruiting drive for any particular religion. It's not meant to say "Go Newt! Go Rick!" It's not meant to say, "Wow, Glenn Beck really is right!" So please, lighten up, everyone. I am not trying to offend you or pigeon hole your religious or political beliefs when I wish you a Merry Christmas. Just be happy and enjoy the season.

So, whether this time of year involves a tree, a dradle, a Kwanzaa cake or a dim sum brunch on Christmas Day for you, I wish you the best. Be happy, be thankful and reflect on what's most important in your life. Other than that, don't stress on the details and don't get caught up on language. What you take as offensive might be someone just wishing you the best for this time of year.