Every year between Halloween and Thanksgiving, we find ourselves scratching our heads, wondering where the previous calendar year has gone.
Eggnog arrives on shelves even before trick-or-treaters have a chance to finalize their costumes, and music declaring that we Deck the Halls is piped through department store speakers the same day as those 50% off Halloween candy sales.
It’s a fact of life, and with the current economic environment showing sluggish signs of improving, it’s no wonder that some retail chains are pushing shoppers to come through their doors literally within hours of inhaling that last piece of pumpkin pie.
Christmas is shoved in our faces earlier each year which delights the children and stresses out us adults.
And yes, I did write the word Christmas.
Every December there is an ongoing battle over the politically correct way to refer to the season spanning Thanksgiving and the first day of the new year. The generic Happy Holidays and Season’s Greetings covers everything from Christmas and New Year’s to Kwanzaa and Chanukah.
It’s been banged into our heads that it’s the right way to greet people throughout the month of December so much so that when we hear Christmas uttered, we’re taken aback.
I celebrate Christmas but I have a diverse pool of friends. Some celebrate Chanukah and a few enjoy Kwanzaa. On those appropriate days I will wish them a happy holiday, but I will also offer up a Merry Christmas.Why? Because it’s a holiday I’ve celebrated every year of my life. Whether a friend or acquaintance labels himself a Christian doesn’t matter. I sincerely do hope that on Dec. 25, people have an enjoyable day, whether they have a Christmas tree in their home or if they believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster is responsible for the world’s creation.
The LGBT community has always been at the forefront of acceptance. The diversity within our own community requires that gay men play nicely with our lesbian sisters and that the transgender and bisexual communities receive the support they need from the and within our alphabet soup.
But that doesn’t mean we can ignore our differences, whether it be our sexual orientation, gender identities or the holidays we elect to enjoy. Differences aren’t always a bad thing.
I love Christmas. I’ll start listening to the music that symbolizes the season around the first of December and I’ll decorate for the big day a week or so after. I put up a tree, have twinkle lights all over my front yard and display a few hand-crafted knick-knacks depicting winter landscapes or Christmas icons that were handed down to me from relatives over the year.
I even put a white Christmas tree in my front yard, not a holiday bush, which to me sounds more like a manscaping skill than a holiday symbol.
This is not to belittle the other holidays that come around this time of year. My Jewish friends know that I find their menorahs beautiful and that while I don’t fully understand Kwanzaa, I enjoy seeing my neighbors celebrate it each December. Those that don’t celebrate Christmas or any holiday for that matter certainly have every right to do so. But that doesn’t impact my enjoyment of the Christmas season.
Government buildings are always a point of contention among holiday revelers. The should-they-or-shouldn’t-they game surrounding the display of Christmas or Chanukah decorations makes a headline or two every single year. Should government buildings display decorations? Honestly, I don’t care if they do or not. The advances in technology make the need for trips to those establishments very rare anyway.
We must respect our differences but we tend to spend too much time focusing on them. This time of year is about celebration, family and friends. That should be our focus, not controversy surrounding our favorite holidays.
Thanksgiving is here and Christmas is fast approaching. I have a lot of Christmas shopping to do, Christmas decorating to complete and Christmas parties to attend.
And if I’m invited to a Chanukah celebration, well I may just attend that too.
