Saying ‘happy holidays’ isn’t a war on Christmas. It’s a way to respect our neighbors | Opinion

As the holidays approach, this is an annual reminder that there isn’t a “war on Christmas.”

Here’s a little piece of historical trivia to keep in mind this time of year:

The word holiday is a combination of the words holy and day. It comes to us from the Old English word “haligdæg,” which is defined as a consecrated day or religious anniversary. A holy day. This word became a common Christmastime greeting in America by the 1930s out of recognition of the many “holy days.”

This is important to remember when someone wishes us “happy holidays” this time of year instead of “merry Christmas.” Between Nov. 20 and Jan. 14, there are at least 14 different religious holidays celebrated within the United States. So, when someone wishes you “happy holidays,” they may just be wishing you a happy or holy season as a sign of respect for whatever you may be celebrating. It’s always wise not to assume that anyone would know what we personally believe or what we might be celebrating during this season or not.

So, saying “happy holidays” is actually really fitting and respectful. It should not be seen as a “war” or an attempt to take Jesus out of Christmas. In fact, Jesus is taken out of Christmas as soon as we who claim to follow Jesus respond in unholy and unloving ways to the season’s greetings of others, especially those whom we do not know. Moreover, Jesus is taken out of Christianity when we Christians are seen as caring more about what someone says than we are about loving them as our neighbor.

At the core of thinking there is a “war on Christmas” is the rather arrogant belief that everyone in America should be prioritizing us Christians and our holidays above all others. We share this country with a religiously diverse population.

It isn’t a war. We are just being asked to share this country with others.

May we Christians be known for taking up the responsibility of embodying Christ’s ethic of justice, peace, hope, love, and joy in our service to others, which is the true meaning of these seasons, rather than imposing the responsibility on our culture to say our preferred Christmas greetings.