Merry Christmas To You

Every year I hear "Merry Christmas" less and less when I really want to hear it more and more.

By the time this week's paper comes out I will have aged another year, having joined the septuagenarian generation last year. For 60 or more of those years I have heard Merry Christmas said, with sincere gusto and true feeling for the season, a million times or more.

Merry Christmas never used to be a bad way to say hello or goodbye. When did it become socially incorrect to wish someone a hearty "Merry Christmas?"

Christmas is supposed to be the birthday of Jesus, but no one really knows for sure so someone picked an arbitrary day, supposedly when Jupiter stood predominantly in the Eastern sky. That time of year would have been on or about or close to December 25.

So December 25 it is.

I recently shopped in Havre. Of the four places where I spent my hard earned money, I heard "happy holidays" or my un-favorite, "have a nice holiday." At the last place I shopped, when I heard "happy holidays" I told the clerk, "I've changed my mind on these purchases unless I can hear a 'Merry Christmas' from you." The clerk told me their boss didn't want them to say Merry Christmas. Didn't want to offend anyone, you see. I hope I didn't offend the boss when I left without buying the several things I had in the cart.

I guess it's OK to offend Christians by not acknowledging the birth of Jesus, but it's not OK to mention Christmas to a Muslim for fear of being offensive.

Our country was founded on Christianity. Are we ashamed of that? Are we becoming so permissive and politically/socially correct that we can't express our wishes to others for a Merry Christmas?

Christian Americans are being forced to observe holy days from counties around the world without presuming to change their holiday greetings and traditions.

What gives them the right to immigrate to the United States, to reap our bounties, and at the same demand we change our traditions to suit them?

Can you tell? I'm steamed.

Did Irving Berlin pen "White Holiday?"

Did Elvis sing of having a "Blue Holiday?"

Did Jewish American composer Walter Kent write "I'll be Home for Holiday?" (Betcha didn't know that one did ya?)

No indeed. They all used the word Christmas in those songs – not holiday – unashamedly and with feeling. Not to mention, the use of the word Christmas greatly fattened their individual bank accounts.

On a similar note, did you ever hear someone say or sing "Merry X-mas." Did Burl Ives sing "Have a Holly-Jolly X-mas?" I'd like to see us to take the "X" out of Xmas.

But that's just me.

That's it for now, folks. Thanks for listening. And, uh, Merry Christmas.