So what holidayare you celebrating?

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    Just when I thought I’ve seen everything in political correctness, a price tag on a display at a local supermarket was marked “Holiday Cactus $5.99” last week.
    I haven’t seen the flowering plant described as a holiday cactus in too many places, even in plant books. Technically, it’s called a schlumbergera, so you can see why it’s commonly referred to by its nickname: Christmas cactus.

    A few years ago I wrote a column in a now-defunct weekly newspaper on the trend to eliminate or substitute the word “Christmas” from our school and municipal celebrations, based on the fear that we might offend non-Christians.
    The piece drew the wrath of some liberal acquaintances, who said that I was just a typical Stone Age conservative who thinks that society has declared “war on Christmas.”
    They were wrong on both counts. I’m not a conservative and I don’t think anyone is declaring war on any celebration, much less Christmas.
    I just think the trend to substitute “holiday” for “Christmas” is silly and ignores two major historical facts:
    1. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.
    2. It has been a federal holiday since President U.S. Grant signed the bill in 1870.
    The idea that openly celebrating Christmas is offensive to non-Christians is absurd. I worked for a Jewish family in New York City for several years before I moved to Maine. They never substituted “holiday” for Hanukah, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur or Purim. They were also very generous with their Christmas, not “holiday,” bonuses.
    There are two major holidays on the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. One marks the end of the fasting period called Ramadan and the other observes the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God.
    Muslims take their religion very seriously, so I doubt that they’d be too thrilled about referring to their observances as just plain “holidays.”
    But today, we have more “holiday concerts” than Christmas concerts, even at some churches. I hope they’re still allowed to sing traditional carols like “O Holy Night” or “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” in their Sunday services. If I want to hear “Jingle Bell Rock” or “Walking in a Winter Wonderland,” I’ll turn on the radio.
    In any case, I hope you’ll enjoy the holiday of your choice later this month whether you’re Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Wiccan or atheist.
    For Seinfeld fans, have a happy Festivus which, I believe, is celebrated on Dec. 23.
    But if you’re going to celebrate Christmas, don’t be afraid to say it.
    And don’t over-water your holiday cactus.
    Mike Lange is a staff writer with the Piscataquis Observer. His opinions are his own and don’t necessarily reflect those of this newspaper.