Why I Believe In Merry Christmas (Despite loving Hanukkah)

I HATE the term “happy holidays.” I HATE it. No, I’m not some overly-obsessed Christian and I do LOVE Hanukkah. I truly believe in tolerance and I believe the lack of it brings horrific outcomes.
Isn’t it funny how nobody says “happy holidays” during the rest of the year?

We call every other holiday by its name. Why not Christmas? Some atheists have a problem with the Christian aspect of Christmas because of Christianity’s lack of “tolerance,” but why do those exact same people get mad at “Merry Christmas” and demand the manger scene in front of a church be taken down? Isn’t that intolerant? Just because I don’t celebrate Hanukkah, doesn’t mean I’m going to be outraged when I see a menorah or dreidel. Just because I don’t believe in the necessity of baptism, doesn’t mean I’m going to start a protest about it.

Despite the big hype every “happy holidays” person makes, Hanukkah isn’t even an important holiday in Judaism! Hanukkah is probably the least-important holiday in Judaism, even though it’s the most well-known. So, why does every “tolerant” non-Jew make a HUGE deal about it? I’ll tell you why. They simply don’t want to say “Merry Christmas.” Fortunately for them, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are near Christmas. Also, isn’t it weird how the exact same people who push Santa say “happy holidays” to be tolerant, even though Santa is clearly Christmas-related?
At the same time, I don’t think Christians should be obnoxious about it, and they too should be respectful.

True tolerance

One of my family’s favorite Christmas songs is “Christmas with a Capital C” by Go Fish. It is just so true.

Jewish actor and lawyer Ben Stein says it best, from a Jewish perspective:

“I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees… I don’t feel threatened.. I don’t feel discriminated against.. That’s what they are, Christmas trees. It doesn’t bother me a bit when people say, ‘Merry Christmas’ to me. I don’t think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn’t bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crèche, it’s just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don’t like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don’t think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.”

Now that’s tolerance.
 
Anyways, to my lovely readers,
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

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Samantha is an entrepreneur and a former homeschool student from Indiana, USA. When not blogging, Samantha can be found reading about WWII, trying to speak Hebrew, and wasting time on Pinterest. Her work can be found on Free Homeschool Deals, Unigo, True Aim Education, Encouraging Moms at Home, and more.

3 COMMENTS

  1. It isn’t even important in Judaism? Wow, there is a lot of emotion in place of fact here. And you just lost a follower. I would rather see a ‘christian’ who is in complete ignorance than someone riding the fence all ‘lukewarm’, because Yah does NOT have tolerance for what you have posted here. Where is your Scriptural proof about what you ‘think’ Yah approves of or tolerates? You are doing those who follow you a grave disservice for teaching that Yah tolerates what He clearly says in His Word is an abomination!

    • I never stated God approved of tolerance. In fact, the post wasn’t even about God, it was about my opinion on “happy holidays.” I said *I* I believe in it, these are MY opinions, not God’s. Hanukkah isn’t even mentioned in the Jewish Bible (TaNaKh). In Judaism, the most important holidays are the biblical ones Yom Kippur, Passover, etc.

  2. While I agree that Hanukkah is one of the “least important” holidays in Judaism, I think you’re missing the point why some people (Jews in particular), may prefer Happy Holidays over Merry Christmas. Now, of course I cannot speak for all Jews, but for me personally, when you insist on saying Merry Christmas instead of HH, you are simply refusing to even acknowledge that other holidays and religions exist or matter. You are also assuming that I am Catholic, which of course again, has the same connotation. Maybe that’s a lot to take out of 2 small, simple words, but that’s how they make me feel. I having nothing against Christmas, and if I know you are Catholic, I am glad to wish you a Merry Christmas, heck I’ll even celebrate with you, but to be so bold as to exclude the idea that other religions exist and matter, is, in my mind, both intolerant and inconsiderate.

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