Were Governor Rounds and Senator Thune politically correct?

Gordon Garnos

AT ISSUE: It seems more expressions of “Happy Holidays” have been heard lately than ever before. But is “Happy Holidays” actually politically correct? There are those who say it is. At the same time, there is a lot of argument about that. The first part of December we saw and heard, “Happy Hanukkah,” several times a day on television, but not once did I hear a tv person say, “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.” So who is wrong?

IN BOLD LETTERS, the Christmas cards from both Governor Mike Rounds and Senator John Thune said, “Merry Christmas.” They did not take Christ out of Christmas. Were they being politically incorrect? I don’t know what Senator Tim Johnson and Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin had on their Christmas cards as I didn’t get a card from either of them. I didn’t get a card from President and Mrs. Barack Obama, either. But newspapers across the country ran stories that his cards were, “Happy Holidays,” or “Happy Holiday Season,” or something like that, but no mention of why we are observing the birth of the Christ Child. So, here in South Dakota, who were politically correct and who were politically incorrect?

According to Google, both expressions are correct, but to my way of thinking, if we are observing the anniversary of the birth of the Christ Child, the traditional “Merry Christmas,” or the older expression of “Happy Christmas” should do it for most of us. Today’s column is about both political correctness and change. The only time I liked change was when I was a baby.

Is grouping the holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year into “Happy Holidays” a little lazy? If you believe in the expression of “Happy Thanksgiving,” just say it. Don’t take the easy way of putting all the holidays into one basket. Some say such a thought is a little too tight lipped. People such as I, or is it me, should relax a little more. But isn’t that one of the problems in our nation today? We’re too relaxed. “To hell with tradition,” and, consequently our nation has got itself into the mess it is in today.

IN A RECENT column by Miss Manners, a store clerk asked if it was wrong to say ‘Happy Holidays” as some customers got very upset when the expression was used. Miss Manners wrote, “‘Happy Holidays’ is the general greeting because, as you know, not all of your customers are Christian…”

Of course, it is a Christian observance as Hanukkah is to the Jewish people, Ramadan is to the Muslims and Kwanzaa is to the African-Americans.

A little explanation here: Hanukkah is the eight-day Jewish festival observed in December commemorating the rededication of the holy temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean revolt of the second century B.C. Ramadan is the most important Islamic month. In 2009 it began about Aug. 22 and concluded around Sept. 20, which is in the ninth month of the Muslin calendar. It is a period of fasting and spiritual reflection. Kwanzaa is probably the least known about as a holiday. Actually, it is an African-American cultural holiday. It is celebrated between Dec. 26 and Jan.

1. It has nothing to do with the birth of the Christ Child, but designed to strengthen the African-American  culture. It was started during the race riots and the civil rights movement in the 1960s. The holiday actually started in 1966.

To those using “Happy Holidays,” respond with “Merry Christmas.” See if you get a response from that. You might be surprised what you hear from them. Some claim to be offended when you say “Merry Christmas.” So, what are we left with? As one newspaper letter writer responded, “…a nameless holiday in which we celebrate capitalism, greed and conspicuous consumption.”

If there are those who are offended at “Merry Christmas,” they should get over it.

Don’t get me wrong. There is definitely a place for Santa Claus and gift giving during the Christmas season. However, the meaning of giving gifts somehow has been lost through time. A Sunday school teacher a long time ago explained it to me this way: Giving a gift is symbolic of the gift that God gave to the world, the birth of the Christ Child. To that, what can we say, but “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” to our readers….

Gordon Garnos was long-time editor of the Watertown Public Opinion, retiring after 39 years with that newspaper. Garnos, a lifelong resident of South Dakota except for his military service in the U.S. Air Force, was born and raised in Presho.

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