Nearly drove off the road the other day when I saw a Calgary transit bus heading toward me with "Merry Christmas" on it's mast. Merry Christmas at Christmas! My G-d, have people lost their minds? The greeting alternated with the route name and number, but it was there in living colour. I was so cheered.
What have Canadians come to? How have we let other cultures and religions erase Christmas? How have we let it morph into "Happy Holidays"? How has "Xmas" replaced "Christmas"? The "X" actually represents the deletion of Christ; never use it. It's unconscionable.
A spokesman for Calgary transit had to point out to an offended reporter (please) that it is actually Christmas, that December 25th is actually marked as such on the calendar. "It's up to the operator whether or not he or she wants the vehicle to say "Merry Christmas". Isn't that wonderful! But it just could not go unchallenged. No, of course it couldn't. People are complaining. How mean-spirited, how Scrooge-like, how lump-of-coal-ish, how bah-humbug of them. How nasty it all is.
I'm absolutely sick of being disenfranchised for celebrating Christmas and Chirst's birthday on Christmas. Try for a split second to imagine telling other religions their feasts and holidays offend us as Christians. Try telling a muslim he can't use the word "Eid" in his festivities; try telling a Jew he can't use the word "Hanukkah"; try banning the word "Ramadan" when it is celebrated. You can't even feature it in your wildest dreams!
A Jewish doctor who has been a close friend of ours for years always sends us a Christmas Card, wishing us Merry Christmas. He knows we are Catholic and he sends us the appropriate card. I'll bet he also sends all his Jewish friends Hanukkah cards, not Happy Holiday ones.
That's the kind of class and mutual respect we need to insist upon. Merry Christmas!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Heard privately from a reader about "Xmas" who stated that the "X" stands for "Christ".
ReplyDeleteGoogled this and was confused by about 25 other explanations for the "X" -- everything from 15th century monks trying to save printing costs to just another abbreviation like "Mr."
Anyone have any other explanations for "Xmas"? As a convert to Catholicism, I was taught as a child that "Xmas" was a no-no. Would love to hear other theories.
X could mean the KKK for God sakes!!!! Xmas
ReplyDeletewas started by American Jewish business men.
You are 100% correct - Christmas means the birth of Christ. Although that is not the date he was truly born. Of course you are aware of that I am sure. Non-the-less it has been Christmas for 1000 yrs. You'll notice the Americans always celebrate Thanksgiving more than any other holiday. Why, because it has NO
religion attached to it. Lets face it Nancy - in the World Christians are becoming a minority. My best friend (a priest) told me last night that there are NO new priests in his order. He said parents DO NOT ENCOURAGE
their sons ti enter the Priesthood like they did 60yrs ago. 75% of all Churches in Quebec are closed. There are more "Born-Again Christians" than Roman Catholics. QUEBEC!!!
Go figure. I don't have the answers.
But I sure wish I could do something to change it. Happy NEW YEAR TO YOU AND B.
The Jewish doctor I am talking about is dear, dear Dr. Harold "F" -- you know him well.
ReplyDeleteWhy do Christians have to discover each other in the underground? It's pathetic. As to "Xmas", try calling other religious feasts "Xmadan", or "Xukkah", or "Xeid". Just try it.