I hate to be the Scrooge here and ruin our recent spate of festive, optimistic thinking, but you know me –- not a week goes by without me feeling peeved about something!
My annual winter holiday peeve is as follows: why do people assume everyone celebrates Christmas? It is true that many people, even if not necessarily religiously Christian, do buy Christmas trees and exchange presents and cards and so on, but not everyone does. I am not quite crabby enough to not appreciate the thought when others wish me a merry Christmas, although I would rather people use a generic “Happy New Year” or “Enjoy the winter break” or even “Season’s Greetings” if they don’t know for sure that someone is Christian. However, what is especially annoying is when people know me and therefore know without a doubt that I am not Christian and that I don’t celebrate the Christmas holiday but they nevertheless send me an explicitly Christian card or tell me to have a happy Christmas. It is one thing to not be sure of someone’s religion and to err on the side of the majority, but it is quite another to know and still get it wrong.
So I’m sorry to be a curmudgeon during this holiday season, but I do wish we would all be a little more aware and respectful of others’ beliefs. Sure, send a card to those who don’t celebrate Christmas, but don’t send one decorated with a baby Jesus or with a fancily trimmed Christmas tree; and, of course, wish even non-Christians a relaxing day off or a healthy and successful 2008. But try not to offend people by making assumptions or by blatantly disregarding their religious beliefs (or lack thereof).
--Curly
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2 comments:
I KNOW what you mean I though i celbrate xmas. i do it in a no reliogous way. i usally do not wish anyone a meryy chrsitmas unless they say it to me first.
Thanks for your comment! Do you ever feel annoyed that people just assume you celebrate Christmas, though? I mean, my feeling is that you never know who celebrates and who doesn't, so you shouldn't assume. On the other hand, I know that most people do celebrate, so maybe this is my perpetual-minority-outsider attitude.
--Curly
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