Wish Me Whatever You Want This Month & Any Month

When I was growing up in the 1970s (no jokes about being an old fart please) I don’t remember people getting upset about whether you said Merry Christmas, or you didn’t. I was vaguely aware there was another holiday in December called Hanukkah also known as The Festival of Lights and is celebrated by those of the Jewish faith. I went to a Catholic elementary school and the Jewish families at the school openly shared their joy about the holiday and would bring in Dreidels for us to spin. We also talked about #Christmas and shared many of these traditions with them. I was wished Happy #Hanukkah and I wished them Merry Christmas. Some of you may be reeling at that statement, but it wasn’t about the words being said, it was about the intent behind the words and that intent was simply, “I hope your life is filled with happiness and blessings, that I want good things for you and your family.” And…because we were kids there was also the hope you get whatever gifts you asked for, we were just kids, no judgement. 😊

As I grew up and went off to college the world around me opened up as I learned about other holidays like Kwanzaa which originated in the United States and honors African heritage, culture and traditions. The words Happy #Kwanzaa were spoken alongside Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah and get this, no one was offended. Because it wasn’t about the words, it was about the intent behind the words. It was about wishing those around you the best, about sending family and friends positive thoughts, it was about hoping that mankind could be better and not focusing on our differences. I miss those times.

Today things have changed. People post memes about putting the Christ back in Christmas (honestly, I wasn’t aware He’d ever been removed, He’s still present in our house) and people stating not to wish them Happy Holidays, that it must be Merry Christmas or else! It appears that people have stopped focusing on the intent behind the words and have chosen to focus on the words themselves. Ok, think about this. What if when someone wishes you Happy Holidays they are simply trying to respect whatever holiday you may be celebrating, not trying to remove or belittle your belief system? We live in a global society and since we do we should recognize that December is a special month for many people. Take a look at all the holidays celebrated this month:

• Saint Nicholas Day (Christian)

• Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexican)

• St. Lucia Day (Swedish)

• Hanukkah (Jewish)

• Christmas Day (Christian)

• Three Kings Day/Epiphany (Christian)

• Boxing Day (Australian, Canadian, English, Irish)

• Kwanzaa (African American)

• Omisoka (Japanese)

• Yule (Pagan)

• Saturnalia (Pagan)

December is a very busy month in regard to holidays everywhere around the world. And maybe, just maybe when a person wishes you Happy Holidays they are simply extending their heartfelt wishes for happiness to you and your families and not condemning your faith. I tend to look for the positive in a situation and in people. With that said, if you’d like to wish me Happy Boxing Day, I’m ok with that. If you invite me to a Kwanzaa celebration, I’m ok with that. Why? Because the more we open ourselves to those around us and truly understand and respect them, we quickly find out all the things that we have in common, the things that make us all human.