THE SEASON WITH A REASON

THE SEASON WITH A REASON – BY Owen Fish

It is that time of year again: “The Holidays”. That in itself is usually enough to make me cringe. No, not that it’s that time of year again, but that the politically-correct brigade have forced us to accept “The Holidays” as a non-religious, non-offensive, vanilla and beige celebration of over-indulgence and excess.

Let’s break it down to its roots. The last weeks of the year (at least in the Western calendar) are home to Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Why is it offensive to any one group of people if adherents of a religion or tradition celebrate in their own way? Do Jewish communities become irate at the first sign of Santa? Do most Christians turn red at the sight of a dreidel? Generally speaking, of course they don’t. Grouping December into a homogenous “celebrationfest” and labeling it “The Holidays” was not done en-masse by an affronted public, no, it was done by marketers and salespeople who realized that they could sell products to the whole market if advertising and merchandising was done in a flat, broad, uncontroversial manner. The fear of alienation and rejection by their advertisers has become so big (in America) that radio stations and TV networks jumped onto the bandwagon and recently even large corporations have banned their employees from displaying decorations or tokens of their preferred holiday on account of their policies of “anti-discrimination”.

There is so much overlap in traditions this time of year it is hard to see how or why anyone could be offended. For example: if you are putting up a Christmas tree this year, or rolling out a Yule Log, fruitcake, holly, ivy, mistletoe or any of a dozen other typically seasonal traditions, you may think the message is purely Christian but in fact you are borrowing from a huge inventory of pagan symbology first wielded by the Germanic and Celtic populations of Europe. If you are lighting candles or putting white lights on your fireplace, then you are likely borrowing from Jewish Hanukkah traditions. Those who celebrate Kwanzaa have roots going far back to West Africa but also traditions that borrow heavily from the Jewish and Christian beliefs.

So celebrate whatever you like, just celebrate it for what it is! Wish someone a Happy Christmas and if they’re Jewish, accept their “Happy Hanukkah!” with respect and dignity. It should be we the people who are offended by “Happy Holidays”, as we are suckered and brainwashed into another month of mindless advertising and corporations looking to spare red-faces. If your beliefs are not to God, then celebrate your family and friends and the world about you. Pin your celebrations on something worth celebrating at least. The word “Holiday” itself comes from “Holy Day” so if it’s not attached to something specific, why bother to have it?

Owen Fish is a personal friend of Musing Mainiac. Originally from “Across The Pond”, Owen now resides in Maine with his family. Owen can be found on Twitter and  http://www.owenfish.com/