It’s the Christmas Season!

This means we will have to put up with those endless arguments about why you shouldn’t say “Xmas”, and keeping Christ in Christmas, and how Jesus is the reason for the season.  How silly.  Everyone knows that Walmart is the reason for the season.

I’m on the Board of the local chapter of a business organization, and each year we have either a party or a luncheon in December, which the organization pays for.  (The rest of the year, members pay for their own lunches.)  This means that once again, I will try and fail to get them to call it a Holiday party/luncheon and it will be called a Christmas party/luncheon.  We’re a small group, but I’m almost certain that at least one member is Jewish. I feel fairly strongly about the issue.  My point is not anti-Christmas.  It’s that in a business organization, you never know what religious affiliation your members have (if any), and I just don’t think it’s appropriate.  So I just keep using the word “holiday” and my fellow Board members get the message–but they just ignore me.

This reminds me that I have an employee who is Muslim.  Jews at least have a holiday (Hanukkah) reasonably close in time to Christmas, but Muslims do not.  I suppose that eventually, one or the other of their two major holidays (Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha) will get there, because they’re on a lunar calendar.  But the closer it gets to Christmas, Raslan will start wishing all his customers Merry Christmas.  I once asked him why he did that.  He said, “Because I want everyone to be happy”.  Now there is an example of Christmas spirit.

Last week we put up our office Christmas tree.  I enjoy that.  Our tree has lights, a few traditional ornaments, and a star on top (lest we forget the Magi), but the majority of the ornaments are little Matchbox cars.  There are little classic car makes, fire trucks, dump trucks–all sorts of little vehicles.  I call it the parking tree, since I’m in the parking management biz.  It is so fun to see customers in the office puzzle over it, and then they get it and break into a smile.

I earlier (and unfairly) mentioned Walmart, because really, it’s all retailers.  The airwaves are packed with ads to the point where it’s almost a chore to watch TV.  But there are exceptions.  The Budweiser Clydesdales are featured in a new ad every year and I love them.  But the following ad, which is an old one, is one I look forward to every year.  I never tire of it.  So Happy Holidaymas, everyone!