If you're one of the types who are offened by the Christmas holiday being called by it's proper name you WILL be highly offended if you continue reading. You have been warned, so dinnae cry to me.
While on the way to pick up my daughter a day or two go the DJ on the radio was talking about the holidays. In his dialog he said Christmas, then paused and apologized saying he wasn't supposed to say Christmas, he was only supposed to say "Holidays". He went on to say the program manager had reamed him about saying Christmas because it's not politically correct and offends some people. I was floored at this, but I guess I should've expected it.
About a month ago my wife informed me that the Navy Ambulatory Care Center, where she's stationed, aboard Subbase New London won't be having a Christmas party this year. Instead they'll be having a "Fall Ball" to celebrate the "Holidays". My wife said that the reason given was "some people are offended by Christmas".
Now Christmas isn't exactly my favorite time of the year. I've had plenty of misfortunes around Christmas, like my house burning down, death of my grandma, caught the wife doing something she shouldna been doin, etc, etc, etc, ad nauseum. Then you've got the way Christmas has been commercialized, which has always been a major beef with me about this time of year. Some of my friends joke with me about trying to have Christmas removed from the calender so I can avoid my general dark moods around this time of year
Now the political correctness people are screwing with Christmas. You can't say Christmas because you may piss off the people who celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanzaa (or God knows who else).
What is it with these people? Do they just hate mainstream America or what? What's there to be offended about by a holiday?
The most I've learned about Hanukka or Kwanzaa was on an episode of Blue's Clues I was watching with my daughter about this time last year. Bout all it touched on was the kind of decorations used for those 2, and a verra simple explanation about those holidays. It did the exact same for Christmas. Was it offensive? Nope, I thought it was pretty neat, especially the way the characters in the show were all respectful of each other's beliefs.
But now you've got the Hanukkah and Kwanzaa people being offended by Christmas, and we can't even say the name of our biggest holiday on the radio if we want to be politically correct. THAT is offensive. Let a man say he's offended by Martin Luthor King day, then watch how fast he's labeled a racist. JJ himself may even come out and lead the crusade to smear that man for expressing his God given and Constitutionally protected right to say what he thinks.
Now these joker's are starting on Christmas, probably because it dinnae fit with thier beliefs. Well guess what. Hanukkah and Kwanzaa dinnae fit with my beliefs, but you dinnae see my trying to have thier names left out of conversation. Those people can go right ahead and celebrate thier respective holidays and it won't bother me one bit. I'll even go to thier parties if invited, after asking a few questions so I know what's appropiate and what's not for thier holiday celebrations. But what I won't do is tell'em to go get stuffed because thier holiday is offensive. If I'm not interested I'll politely decline and let them go off on thier own course to do thier thing.
For as far back as I can remember, which is about 24-25years, it's always been Christmas. For my kids it'll always be Christmas, and they'll most likely reawaken that old Christmas spirit of mine and help to finally bury the ghosts of Christmas' past for me.
Maybe it's the commercialization of the "silly season" that's offending these people. But will trying to have the name of Christmas changed to "the holidays" stop that? NO! It'll just irritate the devil out of people. If that's what has these people offended they should be raging against the machine, in this case the retail corporations looking for more almight dollars, not raging against the holiday.
It's f**kin Christmas ya love muffin
