Christmas Rant

I had one of those shouting at the TV “Oh for fucks sake” moments earlier today.

I was watching ESPN for the highlights show of the last few premiership games and during the ads some be-suited presenter herbert came on talking about the year’s sporting highlights for him, and then at the end he said “We all wish you a happy holidays”

Arrrrggghhhh what sort of politically incorrect fawning gobshittyness is that.

Happy Holidays????

Its Christmas, it is the world recognised date of December 25^th.

It doesn’t matter if you are some foaming at the mouth, brain dead, jihad warrior, strapping on your bomb vest, or a swami guru shaman type in some remote Himalayan cave, or any other follower of the large and exceedingly odd collection of superstitions masquerading as the “one truth” around the world.

It doesn’t even matter if you are one of the fence sitting agnostics or a vocal and unapologetic atheist (that’s me, that is) it is still “Christmas.”

 

What numbskull came up with the theory that anyone in their right mind could possibly be upset or offended by hearing the words Happy Christmas.

It doesn’t clash with any other dates, even the historical ones that long preceded the time that Christianity was invented and foisted on people as the the new god on the block. (ie Saturnalia, Natalis Invicti. The Feast of Juul, (where the yule log comes from)  Polo Voladore,, Gody ) 

I am not offended when the Muslims on board wish me good grace when they are having their end of Ramadan feast (Eid-ul-Fitr,) as they end their month long diet that allah insisted they went on, or when the Hindus pass on good will for Diwali, or when the Jedis remind us “the force” is with us. ( I may question their beliefs and perhaps sanity but I am not offended)

They dont say “Happy Holidays”, they just say the name of whatever festival time it happens to be.

It is an expression of good will to others.

Simple.

As Christmas is now the only one that falls on 25^th December the correct saying is Happy or Merry Christmas and it doesn’t matter a toss if you are a christian or not. Nor should it.

Happy Holidays!!!! Beauuuurrrrrrggghhhh It is sounds like some ghastly vacuous americanistaion and is a ludicrous thing to say.

I posted a message extending good will to all people who use the Total France forum and was reminded that for some it is one of the busiest times of the year, what with having to cook a monster dinner and looking after relatives descending from here there and everywhere as well as making sure that everything runs smoothly and there is hot water & clean towels and the dog gets a walk a nd that the fox doesn't get the chickens.

To those people it is anything but a frigging holiday and sometimes far from happy.

The hand wringers and the more pious of christian types often try to impose their own interpretation of the “meaning” and “symbolism” of christmas waffling on about this fantasy la la land we are all supposed to inherit (or end up in once we are dead) and how we should be, at this time, thinking of those less fortunate than ourselves.

Oh really!, I tend to  do that all year round as matter of fact, and I don’t need some fake dated festival to tell me when to care. or for whom.

If you were to take  random sample of people on the street in the UK and ask “What does christmas mean to you personally?” I am sure that it would be a tiny minority that mentioned anything to do with christianity.

Lets face it such is the power of marketing that the Coca Cola logo is now the colour of christmas.

With so many people divorced from the religious principal of the festival why would someone seek to use the glib phrase Happy Holiday on a public broadcast site. It is a piss awful situation that arises out of a committee mentality and has the odious yet disgustingly bland stench of compromise for compromises sake about it.  

It is the same as broadcasting on Thursday the 12^th that tomorrow will be known as “Saturday the 14^th eve” just in case some friggatriskaidekaphobics (fear of Friday 13^th) get abit upset of offended.

I dislike the phrase Happy Holidays almost as much as I dislike the phase “That’s political correctness gone mad that is” but this really is a case of political correctness gone mad, this is.

If someone like me is comfortable with saying happy christmas and I make absolutely no bones about the fact that I don’t believe in god (or gods) and by extension I most certainly don’t believe that jesus was the son of god (that doesn’t exist) or any of the nativity nonsense and associated claptrap that goes with it, then if I can manage to identify a festival by its proper name so can broadcasters.

I am fully aware that some people believe in the various gods that have been made up by man over the years in order to offer some convenient explanation to the inexplicable or give those people who need it a sense of meaning. Those people will probably have faith strong enough and skin thick enough to put up with anything I can say to the contrary, and although I think they should do something more worthwhile with their time other than worshiping, or begging from, an imaginary being, I defend their right to call christmas "chirstmas" and for everyone else, christian or not, to be able to accept the phrase "Happy christmas" it for what it is.

It is a simple message of good will and good intent from the giver to the receiver.

I heard somewhere that the acceptance of a gift honours the giver, which I thought sounded fair enough, and if that gift is good wishes then I see no harm in calling it by its proper name.
   

Happy Christmas to you all, whatever it means to you and however you spend your time during it.

Love and Peace

Bentley