By Eric Stringfellow
the daily cardinal
The other day, I saw some of my fellow residents decorating our residence hall for the holidays. While they spread their holiday cheer with Christmas carols and a merry attitude, I couldn't help but wonder what they were spray painting on the huge panel of glass that forms the side of the building. The window read, ""Happy Holidays,"" with Christmas trees and snowflakes speckled in the background.
This short, convenient phrase did not spread Christmas spirit. Instead, I was left with the aching sadness that politics of our hyper-partisan climate have finally seeped into something so pure and special. Today, we have to wish people a Merry Christmas, but we are not allowed to use the word ""Christmas"" in our wish. Sounds pretty silly, doesn't it?
Is it only a matter of time before Christmas carols are banned in schools? Unfortunately, this has already happened. The Glendale-River Hills School District in our own Glendale, Wis., has banned the singing of Christmas carols entirely.
But is anyone really offended when someone says, ""Merry Christmas?"" It is ridiculous to compare someone saying ""Merry Christmas"" to what we hear in movies, Michael Richard tirades and even late-night conversation here in Madison simply because ""Merry Christmas"" is a phrase intended to arouse Christmas spirit. Considering some of the offensive and raunchy things coming out of peoples' mouths these days, it is hard to see how this phrase could be offensive at all.
Is it really offensive to display Christmas trees or Santa Clauses in public places? To some people, it is. This past week at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a rabbi threatened to sue the airport because of the lack of a menorah in the holiday decorations, which included 14 plastic Christmas trees. As a result of the threat of a lawsuit, airport officials took down the Christmas trees altogether. Recently, the rabbi removed the lawsuit and the Christmas trees went back up.
Now, the rabbi might have felt excluded by the lack of Hanukkah decorations, but are we ever going to achieve a totally equal representation of all religions and cultures during the holidays? Is it even possible? Since the United States' population, according to an article in Harper's Magazine, is 85 percent Christian—which is more than the percentage of Hindus in India and Jews in Israel—it is inevitable there are going to be a lot of Christmas decorations.
Having a large public Christmas display at a school or an airport might be viewed as segregating Christians from everyone else, but take a look at other events we celebrate as Americans: Independence Day, Veterans Day and Valentine's Day. People celebrate these events, but are they not ""excluding"" non-Americans, non-veterans or non-couples, just as Christmas ""excludes"" non-Christians?
We are not fighting to remove Independence Day, Veterans Day and Valentine's Day because they are not supposed to be offensive, just like Christmas. Independence Day celebrates the birth of our nation, just as Christmas celebrates Christianity.
There is no need to be politically correct when there is nothing politically incorrect about the holiday. Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa all represent the beliefs and pride of a large group of people who are proud to celebrate them, as they should.
So this holiday season, embrace the special time to unwind from the stress of school. Invite that person sitting alone at breakfast, lunch or dinner to sit with you and have a real conversation with them. Give thanks to the brave men and women serving our country overseas and abroad who sacrifice their holiday with family and friends so you can enjoy the holiday with yours.
Be nostalgic, and be ready for the future, but live this holiday season to the fullest.
