Happy Holidays?

Merry Christmas! No? Happy Hanukkah! Kwanza?…Happy Holidays! Year in and year out, wintertime sparks debate on political correctness in well-wishing during the holiday season as well as the shift from a religious to a commercial and secular cultural phenomenon. A spiritually sacred conception of the holiday season competes and shares space with narratives of the season as a capitalist shopping spree and as a secular or alternatively pan-religious cultural event.

Perhaps the most salient manifestation of political correctness for the holidays is how we greet one another and how businesses advertise and brand themselves in the winter. A vocal minority persists in asserting that religion should be kept within the community and not foisted on others. Whether this comes from a secular humanist or politically correct ideology, there is the question of whether it is appropriate to espouse your particular holiday celebration in public or stick to non-specific sayings. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, department stores and businesses pushed to secularize marketing in response to what they perceived as a preference for political correctness by consumers. In more recent years, however, Forbes magazine reports the pendulum swung in the other direction with consumer preferences revealed to be more in favor of phrases like “Merry Christmas” than phrases like “Happy Holidays.” We agree with the polled majority and believe that there is more significance to be found in the holidays. While we applaud the social conscientiousness and acceptance of cultural and religious diversity, political correctness often represses rather than fosters dialogue and engagement.

The capitalist commercialization and exciting “cultural phenomenon” view of the holiday season run the risk of eclipsing an important opportunity for people, religious or non-religious, to reflect on the importance of community, consider questions of religion and cosmological origins and minimally embrace the idea that something deeper drives the holiday sales and family gatherings. For those who are not particularly religious and those who are not religious at all, there is still great value in exploring the holiday season, materially in the sales and family gatherings but also intangibly in the prominence of religion and spirituality.

The positive externality that comes from the blissful commercialization and secular moral and religious good feelings of the season makes this time of year special. We can see these narratives are not mutually exclusive because we should enjoy holiday shopping and gift-giving and a broader societal spirit of generosity and kindness alongside religious ceremonies or stories to bring about the occasion. While the capitalist and cultural “holidays” tend to overshadow the underlying religious reasons for the season, we recommend everybody take time for reflection, religious or personal, because sometimes deeper meaning brings value just in the act of considering its foundational relation to the season.

Whether non-religious, practicing, or not practicing but associated with a religion, there is much to gain from reflection and conscientiousness of the religious and spiritual significance of the holidays. You can enjoy the holiday sales, rampant gift-giving and caroling and time with the family while also being sure to appreciate the deeper human spirit and spirituality we all share in the togetherness of the holidays.