Small Things Count

We’re back to “Merry Christmas” vs “Happy Holidays.” Many Christians are enraged by “Happy Holidays.”  Apart from the fact that, to be reverent, we should take our greeting out of party mode (“merry”) and wish people a blessed Christmas, I invite everyone to consider this: There are at least a dozen religious holidays in December, not just Christmas. Three are purely Catholic (Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Feast of the Holy Family), others are for all Christians (St. Nicholas Day, Posadas Navidenas, Holy Innocents Day, and Christmas). Muslims celebrate Mawlid el-Nabi and Mawlid un-Nabi, Jews have Hanukkah, and Zoroastrians Zarathosht Diso and Yalda.  Right after New Year’s, when we all tell God that we will try to be better children for Him, comes the Buddhists’ Bodhi Day. Obviously, God in His infinite wisdom, not only made his children diverse but also nudges us toward Him in various ways. So, please don’t take offense if you hear me say “happy holidays.” If I don’t know if a person is Christian, I’ll respect God’s child and the way God is calling to him.