Hey, everybody!
Today is the lucky thirteenth day of “The Pop Culture Addict’s Advent Calendar”, and
for today’s entry, it’s time for another diary entry. I have decided to try and make all of these
entries holiday themed to keep with the tradition.
That being said, I want you to know that this
particular entry is going to be one that could potentially ignite a firestorm
of debate. I am very aware of the risks
in making my feelings known, but you know what?
I have a thick skin developed by years of having to overcome physical
and emotional obstacles throughout my life.
I think I can handle it.
Okay, let’s not waste time here. Let’s get on with it.
December 13, 2012
Well, diary, another holiday season is in our
midst, and I am happy to report that this guy has his whole list crossed off
this year. Bought all the gifts, mailed
out all the cards, and I am sailing down easy street this year. I am actually in awe over how prepared I was
this year. But I stress time and time
again, when you work a job in the field known as customer service at a retail
outlet, you learn pretty quickly not to procrastinate. This is coming from a reformed December 24th
shopper, by the way.
You know, one thing that I always loved about
the Christmases of the past are just how much happier and joyful everybody
was. I still remember walking down the
downtown streets, all decked out in tinsel, wreaths, and bright, sparkling
lights that seemed to shimmer like stars in the sky on a crisp December night. Everyone was walking down the street, happily
giving other people their best wishes, whether it was a Merry Christmas, a
Joyous Kwanzaa, a Happy Hanukkah, or the more generic Happy Holidays. It didn’t matter to me what people were
saying to me, as long as they were kind and genuine about it (as I believe most
of them were), I didn’t care what kind of a greeting I got. I acknowledged every single one of them,
because I was always taught that you should be kind and polite to people who do
take the time to give you a nice greeting.
Unfortunately, the concept of doing unto others
as you would have them do unto you has been lost on some people, and depending
on the greeting that you give them, you might end up getting a reaction that
can range from indifference to just plain hostility!
And that’s not cool with me.
Just to state for the record (and just so I can
get it out there for everyone to read), I am one of the hundreds of millions of
people in the world who celebrate Christmas.
It was the holiday that I and most of my peers celebrated. It was the only holiday that we ever really
knew. We were all raised with both the
religious and non-religious teachings of the holiday. We spent a lot of time learning about Mary,
Joseph, and Baby Jesus as much as we did learning about Santa Claus and his
eight reindeer that pulled the sleigh all around the world to deliver presents.
But it wasn’t until I was older until I started
learning about the other holidays in December that other faiths and religions
celebrated around the same time as Christmas.
I learned about Hanukkah when I was around nine years old. In fact, I believe that a children’s show on
TVOntario was my first experience with learning about Hanukkah. For the life of me, I can’t remember what the
show was called, but we saw the lighting of the menorah, and we learned about
the various foods that were associated with the holiday, and we also learned
that it lasted eight days, in which each child would get one present on each of
the eight days. I must admit that as a
nine-year-old child, I liked that part the best!
Kwanzaa is another holiday that a lot of people
celebrate, and I was kind of surprised to learn that its origin is actually
quite recent. Apparently, the first
Kwanzaa observance was held in 1966, after a man by the name of Maulana Karenga
founded it as the first specifically African-American holiday. The reason for the creation of the holiday
was to give African-Americans a way to celebrate a holiday that celebrates
their rich history and culture. Kwanzaa
is a week-long celebration that usually takes place between December 26 and
January 1, which culminates with a feast and gift-giving. There are seven core principles that are
involved with Kwanzaa, and these seven core principles are unity,
self-determination, purpose, faith, creativity, cooperative economics, and
collective work and responsibility.
So, you know, when you look at it, there really
isn’t a whole lot of difference in the way we celebrate Christmas from the way
that the Jewish community celebrates Hanukkah, or the African-American population
celebrates Kwanzaa. In all honesty, I
have to say that both Hanukkah and Kwanzaa sound like a lot of fun. I have always said that I would like to be a
fly on the wall and sit in on at least one of these celebrations. I’ve always been a big fan of how cultures
around the world celebrate holidays, and I think that it would be a fantastic
experience to be a part of a Hanukkah celebration or to see a Kwanzaa gathering
in full swing. I think it would be a fun
experience.
So, that being said, if someone were to wish me
a Happy Hanukkah, I wouldn’t mind in the slightest. I’d probably even wish them one right back,
because I appreciate the fact that they thought of me enough to wish me the
very best for the holiday season, even if I don’t partake in the same holiday
traditions that they do. I think it’s
nice.
What isn’t nice is seeing people freak out and
get mad because someone dared wish them a Merry Christmas, and them having a
fit because they don’t celebrate Christmas.
Nor is it nice to wish someone a Happy Holiday, and have them jump all
over someone because they celebrate CHRISTMAS, and they want everyone else to
know that they celebrate CHRISTMAS, and if they don’t celebrate CHRISTMAS, then
they should just keep quiet.
I mean, looking back at that last paragraph, it
sounds absolutely silly, right?
Oh, and there’s this lovely image that I see
floating around social media sites...shall we have a look at it?
Yeah, that’s really heartwarming and thoughtful
for the holiday season, isn’t it? Makes
my heart swell with the same warmth as a glass of expired eggnog.
Seriously, who the heck is anyone to tell anyone
else what kind of a holiday greeting they should use? I’ll tell you what that is...it’s not exactly
respectful.
If somebody wants to wish me a Merry Christmas,
I say thank you and wish them one back!
If someone wants to wish me a happy holiday, then I say thank you, and
wish them one back! And if someone were
to wish me Season’s Greetings...well, I may look at them a bit funny because
Season’s Greetings always seemed a bit awkward to use for a holiday
greeting...but I’d still thank them and wish them one right back! It’s called being polite, being respectful,
and being absolutely in the spirit of trying to make other people smile.
The above picture that I showed earlier to me reeks of arrogance, as far as I am concerned.
And, last time I checked, arrogance does not make a very merry Christmas
OR a happy holiday.
At the same time, I also think that it works
both ways. I don’t think that people who
don’t celebrate Christmas should really want to take the holiday celebrations
away from people who do celebrate Christmas either. But to be fair, I haven’t actually met
anybody who is offended that they were wished a Merry Christmas when they don’t
actually celebrate Christmas. That's not to say that this doesn't happen, just that I haven't encountered it. In fact, I remember
wishing someone a Merry Christmas once, and they politely smiled and said that
they actually celebrated Hanukkah, but they were very polite about it and
brushed it off. We even got into a
little bit of a friendly discussion about each of our holiday traditions. It was a very nice moment that I have always
treasured because we took the time to listen to each other.
THE WAY THAT PEOPLE CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS
SHOULD BE!!!
I guess what I am trying to say is this...be
respectful to each other, regardless of what holiday we celebrate. No holiday is more important than
another...and that's something that I think a few people have forgotten. As I said before, when you
really sit down and look at how Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are
celebrated, they’re all celebrated in a similar fashion. In the end, the traditions may be different,
but one thing remains the same...spending time with your loved ones and
enjoying each other’s company. That’s
what the holidays are about...not launching a campaign to solicit support for
which holiday should dominate the month of December. As far as I’m concerned, every holiday is
special, and should be treated with the same amount of respect. I think that it's great to be proud of the holiday that you know best, and I think it is wonderful for people to share that spirit with everybody...but I don't believe that people should feel that their holiday is superior to anyone else's. They all have their place in the world, and I think people who celebrate Hanukkah should have the same respect that people who celebrate Christmas get, and vice versa. And if anyone wishes you a Happy Holiday, acknowledge it, and wish them well. To me, that really showcases the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa spirit more than anything else you could do!
I realize that this blog entry won’t change some
people’s minds, and I don’t expect it to.
I’m just making my own thoughts known.
If some disagree with me, that’s cool.
I won’t hate you or plot your demise.
I’ll just nod my head, agree to disagree, and move on. All I’m saying is that it’s okay to wish
people whatever you want to wish them.
There’s really no point in getting offended about it.
And, just think of how much happier your
holidays would be if you went around with a positive disposition instead of
finding an excuse to badger or belittle anybody else in order to prove a point!
So, I guess to end this diary entry off, I just
have this to say.
It’s okay to say Merry Christmas, so Merry
Christmas, everyone!
It’s okay to say Happy Holidays, so Happy
Holidays, everyone!
It’s okay to say Happy Hanukkah, so Happy
Hanukkah, everyone!
It’s okay to say Happy Kwanzaa, so Happy Kwanzaa, everyone!
And, you know what, even though I find the
greeting to be a bit awkward to say, Season’s Greetings to all!
And that wraps up day #13.
Coming up tomorrow on Day #14...we’re actually
going to do an episode spotlight on a popular television show. It’s very rare that I do an episode
spotlight, but I think that the one that I’ve chosen will definitely put you in
the holiday spirit, and will make you realize that as long as you’re with the
people you love, anyplace can be considered home for the holidays.
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