11.22.2007
Seasons beatings, America!
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Around this time of year, people are supposed to make merry, right?
Sit on Santa’s lap, light the menorah, create handmade gifts for Kwanzaa — harmless family fun, right?
Drop coins in the Salvation Army bucket, buy a present for an impoverished child, donate a few hours to the soup kitchen — think about others, right?
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
People have taken this time of year, wrapped it in animosity and drop-kicked it into a snow drift.
Here in Statesville and apparently across the nation, Christmas tree fanatics are decking their halls with boughs of insults, not holly, because Lowe’s Home Improvement apparently “made a mistake” in calling the firs “family trees.”
There are people who spent hours with their faces as red as holiday poinsettias due to the alleged misnomer, claiming the “reason for the season” was gone.
You just know the folks at Lowe’s fielded hundreds of phone calls and e-mails, got so annoyed and some executive eventually said to some disgruntled customer, “I’ll tell you what you can do with your ‘family tree’ ... ”
Not to throw stones, but is the “spirit of Christmas” really supposed to be fighting over a holiday symbol that actually started as a pagan tradition?
Here’s a tip: Instead of wasting your time complaining about something so trivial (and not to mention inaccurate), spend that time doing something to better the world, not adding more anger to it.
It might sound very hippie-heal-the-world, but if this is the one time of year when people should be greeting each other with smiles, why are they turning their tree-toppers into Chinese throwing stars?
Speaking of greetings, every year someone is up in arms because they were told “Happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.”
Every year, we read a letter to the editor or hear someone complaining in a grocery store because the greeting was broad and not specific to their beliefs.
Are you kidding?
It’s not every day complete strangers say to you, “Hey, I want to make a point to tell you that I hope you are having a great season.” Generally when someone wishes someone else well, you’d expect a smile.
But it’s not a smile. It’s frowns so deep they reach the floor. It’s eyes shooting daggers. It’s someone spouting back something very un-holiday-like.
It’s understandable that with so many Americans celebrating the Christian holiday, naturally “Merry Christmas” seems to cover a lot of bases.
But how are people so self-centered as to think Christmas is the only holiday at this time of year?
There’s Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, etc., not to mention the wonderful winter solstice.
If someone wishes you a “Happy Hanukkah” on your way out from getting the decorations for your Festivus pole, why not just grin and say, “Thanks, you too”?
Do you think eventually well-wishers at stores will skip the formalities and just flip customers the bird?
If people keep getting so pissed off, December in this country is going to suck.
So for the sake of everyone who likes to shop, decorate and basically be happy at this time of year, please stop creating vendettas against every tradition you don’t celebrate or aren’t educated about.
You’re not only making us miserable, you’re making us make fun of you.