For many people, this is a joyful and exciting time of year. These people look forward to the celebrations and inescapable festiveness of the season. The Christmas songs in the stores, the lights, the decorations, the trees, the currently seasonally appropriate snow – it’s a wonderful time for many. It’s important to remember that not everyone feels this way about the season, however. There are a multitude of reasons why this is; some people do not celebrate Christmas because they belong to a non-Christian religion or a background that isn’t culturally Christian. For others, the season has negative familial associations.
Sometimes people who are less than excited about Christmas are called “scrooges” or are told that there is something wrong with them for not enjoying “the most wonderful time of the year.” Whatever the reason, Christmas is not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea, and it’s important not to act like it should be. None of this means that people who do celebrate Christmas and are excited about it should not enjoy themselves, should not be wished a “Merry Christmas,” and should not wish the same to others who celebrate Christmas. There is no need to scrub Christmas free from, well, Christmas! There’s no need to refer to Christmas trees as “holiday trees,” or anything like that.
What I, and many others, ask is simply that people refrain from assuming that everyone feels the same way about Christmas (or should feel the same way about Christmas) as they do. It’s not about adhering to some arbitrary standard of “political correctness,” it’s just about being kind and respectful to others.
Here are some ways you can help everyone feel respected around this time of year:
If you’re speaking to someone and you don’t know what, if anything, they will be celebrating, try and choose more neutral language. For example, instead of asking the person if they are going home “for Christmas,” you could say, “are you going home for winter break?” If the person responds with something like “yeah, my family and I are getting together for Christmas,” then go ahead and wish them a merry one! Same goes for talking to people after the break in January. Rather than asking, “did you enjoy Christmas?” you can ask people how their break was, or if they did anything for the holidays.
Hopefully all you HCUBC cuties get some well-deserved rest after exams and enjoy the break!