When I'm addressing a group of people, I'm in the Happy Holidays camp. I don't like making anyone feel like a minority. But more than that, it's not only about how I make them feel. It's also about how they will think about me. Being accurate for, let's say, 80 percent of a room, an email, a letter, an advertisement, a Tweet, or a Facebook update means you're wrong for 20 percent. Wrong. Alienating. Irritating. Selfish. Uncaring. Insensitive. Lazy.
I wouldn't want anyone thinking that about me.
When I'm addressing a person and I don't know what religion they practice, I'm in the Happy Holidays camp. I don't try to guess whether it is more appropriate to say Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, or Merry Christmas. Why guess? What would I base the guess on? The way they look? Where they're from? No. Religion is not the same as race or nationality. It's a belief, a faith, a philosophy.
My holiday cards (when I send them) ask for peace and love. I just figure everyone wants peace and love. I do. When I'm talking to someone who I know is Jewish, I'll wish them a Happy Hanukkah with joy in my heart. When I'm talking to a group of friends who met each other at a Christian church, I may end the conversation by wishing them a Merry Christmas. Otherwise, I pretty much respect everyone's choice of religion by saying Happy Holidays.
Sometimes being "politically correct" is just a nice thing to do.
For me, it's the right thing. Imagine....
