This is Supposed to be the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

With the holidays approaching, I think it's time to step back, take a deep breath, and be kind to one another. That includes being kind to those who choose to celebrate Christmas their own way.

Recently I have been seeing a lot of posts on Facebook about how people who make Christmas about gifts and family rather than about Jesus are somehow destroying the holiday. I can honestly see where they are coming from. Having been raised as a Polish Roman Catholic, my family was always big on the sobriety of the holiday (at least until the dinner was over). When you see happy Santa elves dancing across your television screen coaxing you into spending money every second of the day, it can be infuriating. It's basically a mockery of what Christmas is traditionally about.

However, those are no grounds to spew hate on a holiday built around love and family. On posts about the controversy of "Christmas" versus "X-mas," I have seen too many hateful comments, usually along the lines of "People who say x-mas should burn in hell" and "Christmas is for true Christians. People who celebrate under false pretenses need to die/burn/stop etc."

Yikes! That is a bit extreme. Especially considering Christmas is not a hateful holiday. (Or it shouldn't be, at least.)

To many people, Christmas is about being with loved ones and taking time to bring happiness to those they are close to. If that isn't how you choose to celebrate, fine. How your neighbor chooses to spend their holiday is no business of yours.

Additionally, to those up in arms about being wished a "Merry Christmas": Why take offence? Unless they mean it spitefully (which I am sure is rare), they are probably just trying to offer your happiness in the best way they know how in this season. The same goes for other holidays.

And some people argue that Christmas has been warped. That today, it is nothing more than a gift exchange. That may be true of some people, but that does not mean they are less of a person than you. Gifts are about thought and consideration. They are meant to make others happy. What about that is negative? Strip away the relentless consumerism, and the holiday remains pure at heart.

Just because someone chooses not to go to midnight mass, they are not worse than you. They are merely choosing to celebrate differently. This holiday is based off the Solstice Yule celebration, older than Jesus, in fact. If you can't embrace the diversity in the world, well...just try to let others be instead of trying to make them feel like shit on a holiday about love and all that lovely stuff.

Regardless, I wish you a happy Christmas, happy holidays, and the most wonderful new year. There's a lot to look forward to. If this post somehow offended you, I offer you this chance to move on and be at peace with the world. Focus on what you want your holiday to be rather than fretting over the customs of friends and strangers.