Trying to find joy
Posted by Cassandra | Filed under Uncategorized
The economy is bad, Parliament was suspended almost immediately after the latest federal election, and the conflict in Gaza is more divisive and destructive than ever. I thought those issues would surely dominate casual conversation over the holidays this year.
However, I was suprised to find that many people are still trying to decide if Christmas truly is merry for everyone while others argue that saying “Happy Holidays” is an attempt by non-Christians to destroy Christmas.
The latter argument is one that popped up repeatedly within my own family. Although my immediate family and I are not religious at all, one side of my family is Catholic. They actually attend church every Sunday, include priests in their circle of close friends and say grace before dinner. On Christmas Eve, they go to midnight mass (we leave). I’m sure some are back at church on Christmas Day as well (we hang out at home enjoying our gifts and the company of family). Some of my boyfriend’s family, while not Catholic, still consider themselves to be Christians.
Relatives from both of our families shocked me this year by speaking out against the secularization of Christmas.
Some said they were offended when cashiers wished them “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” at store check-outs. They said they feel it’s an attempt to take the Christianity out of Christmas and an example of how other cultures are trying to destroy “our” traditions.
Others expressed anger after seeing people who probably don’t celebrate Christmas (for example, a woman wearing a hijab or a man wearing a turban) among the crowds of shoppers taking advantage of sale prices at big box stores shortly before Christmas.
Another said she refused to buy anything from stores or restaurants on Christmas Day, such as Tim Horton’s or McDonald’s, because she thinks everything should remain closed to honour the holiday.
As I listened to these people boo-hoo, what I heard was, “How dare people from other cultures and religions live their lives and do their best to get by while we celebrate Christmas.”
There are other holidays that come up during the “Christmas season,” which now lasts from Halloween through the new year thanks to the commercialization of Christmas. Also, not everyone celebrates Christmas, but most people take part in some holiday celebration or another. “Happy Holidays” makes sense to me and has basically become synonymous with “Merry Christmas.”
However, many people say “Merry Christmas” anyway. One of my friends, who is Muslim, sent me a text message saying, “Merry Christmas!” on the day. It doesn’t offend her to say it and it warms my heart to know she was thinking of me. (But I need to start being a better friend by acknowledging the big holidays my friends of different backgrounds celebrate as well.)
I’m not even going to touch the one about non-celebrators further crowding stores because it’s too ridiculous.
As for certain businesses opening on Christmas Day, I say, Why not? More often than not, employees of these businesses work part-time hours and make minimum wage. Most would jump at the chance to earn a few extra dollars per hour. In urban centres especially, increasingly it is adult women with families who have recently immigrated to Canada working in these jobs traditionally relegated to teenagers.
I’m sure there are enough people out there who would love their double-double or Big Mac on Christmas Day whether they celebrate Christmas or not.
On the other extreme end of things are people like Penelope Trunk, who rants about Christmas annually on her blog. (See also 2007 and 2006.)
While I agree that it’s not a good idea to bring Christmas (or any other remotely religious part of life) into the office, it doesn’t make financial sense for most places of business to be open on Christmas Day.
If the company has them, it’s hypocritical to force employees to use their paid floating holidays for holidays they actually celebrate while everyone gets Christmas off. Sure. But, right now, I don’t think there’s a good or easy way to fix it.
If there is a diverse enough workforce, it could work, but there needs to be more diversity in more places. Outside of large cities and towns in North America, the population is predominantly either Christian or people with Christian ancestors. Unless there are enough people to cover the various holidays, floating holidays probably won’t work. Each company would have to assess its diversity and proceed accordingly.
But then Christians, like the ones in my family, will have something new to complain about.
For me, Christmas is about a lot of things, but religion least of all. Family, home cooked meals, baked goods, exchanging thoughtful (not necessarily extravagant) gifts, taking a break, finding some joy during the most unpleasant season of the year all come to mind.
I hope everyone, whether they celebrate the “holiday season” or not, can find some joy. The opportunities are all around us and we limit ourselves and each other by trading harsh words and prejudices.
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