“Happy Holidays”
It’s the first day of winter which is also known as Winter Solstice or Yule. The history and meaning behind the term itself is long so I’ll just get to the main point of this blog.
On the day of the Winter Solstice our daytime is the shortest and nighttime the longest. It is part of the cycle of the year. When we arrive to the opposite side of this cycle, the Summer Solstice, our days then become shorter, hence approaching the colder and darker Fall months.
Most importantly, around this time of year, there are many faiths celebrating something. We, as human beings coming from all over the world, have Spiritual beliefs that help guide us through this crazy and chaotic life here on Earth. What one person believes may not be the same for the next person, so we have to find a balance and a way to all get along and respect each others faiths.
I was brought up Catholic with a bit of Lutheran, both of which are under the Christian umbrella, so I was raised to celebrate Christmas. But, that’s my family and that’s when I was younger. There are other families who don’t celebrate Christmas because that’s not what they were brought up with.
That’s where “Happy Holidays” comes into play. As I mentioned above, I was raised as a Christian, but, for the past 25 years I’ve been following and celebrating the cycles of the year and Yule is what I also celebrate, Christmas is with my family.
When someone wishes you “Happy Holidays” please don’t be offended. They are saying that, not because they are anti-Christian, but because there are so many different faiths that they don’t want to offend you by saying Merry Christmas if you are someone who celebrates Hanukkah or Yule or Kwanzaa or any other faith that does not celebrate Christmas. I personally celebrate Yule but when I know someone’s faith, I will gladly give them the appropriate blessing and if I don’t know what they celebrate then I will generalize it with “Happy Holidays.”
So if someone wishes you “Happy Holidays” take that as a positive sign that they are wishing you the best during this time of year!
Thank you and Happy Holidays to all !
Melissa D.
