Yep, I said Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays… although I do wish those for you as well. When I was a kid, we wished people Merry Christmas because we genuinely wished them good tidings, and Christmas was what we did. The Jewish kids would generally reply “Thank you, and Happy Hanukkah”. Now and then, someone would say “Thanks, but I don’t do Christmas”. Note that they still said “Thanks”. We would then say “well then, have a great holiday season!”.

Christmas is a time when we should be a little better person than we are the rest of the year. We should think of others, and not assume that everyone is out to hurt or offend us. In the Civil War, and other wars, opposing pickets and sentries would pool their meager supplies and celebrate Christmas together, while a temporary cease-fire was in effect.

My wish is that we all remember those sentries. During Christmas, let’s all try to remember that most people do usually mean well, and give them credit for it. Let’s not react first in anger to perceived slights and insults. The truth is, most of the time, we just didn’t try hard enough to understand an opposing viewpoint.

Merry Christmas

Steve