Why I Believe In Merry Christmas (Despite loving Hanukkah)

I HATE the term "happy holidays." I HATE it. No, I'm not some overly-obsessed Christian and I do LOVE Hanukkah. I truly believe in tolerance and I believe the lack of it brings horrific outcomes.

Isn't it funny how nobody says "happy holidays" during the rest of the year?

We call every other holiday by its name. Why not Christmas? Some atheists have a problem with the Christian aspect of Christmas because of Christianity's lack of "tolerance," but why do those exact same people get mad at "Merry Christmas" and demand the manger scene in front of a church be taken down? Isn't that intolerant? Just because I don't celebrate Hanukkah, doesn't mean I'm going to be outraged when I see a menorah or dreidel. Just because I don't believe in the necessity of baptism, doesn't mean I'm going to start a protest about it.

Despite the big hype every "happy holidays" person makes, Hanukkah isn't even an important holiday in Judaism! Hanukkah is probably the least-important holiday in Judaism, even though it's the most well-known. So, why does every "tolerant" non-Jew make a HUGE deal about it? I'll tell you why. They simply don't want to say "Merry Christmas." Fortunately for them, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are near Christmas. Also, isn't it weird how the exact same people who push Santa say "happy holidays" to be tolerant, even though Santa is clearly Christmas-related?

At the same time, I don't think Christians should be obnoxious about it, and they too should be respectful.

True tolerance

One of my family's favorite Christmas songs is "Christmas with a Capital C" by Go Fish. It is just so true.

Jewish actor and lawyer Ben Stein says it best, from a Jewish perspective: 

"I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees... I don't feel threatened.. I don't feel discriminated against.. That's what they are, Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period."

Now that's tolerance.

Anyways, to my lovely readers,

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!