“I don’t care! I say, Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas!” - Donald Duck
Not sure if anyone will see this or not, but here goes…December is here again, and for my first rant I’ve decided to tackle Koodo Mobile’s (Canadian cell phone company, for anyone outside of the Great White North) current commercial, in which their diminutive Luchador mascot refers to Christmas trees as “Holiday trees”. As I watched said ad for the first time, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and let out an exasperated sigh at that politically-correct euphemism, especially since it was uttered by a stereotypical cartoon Mexican.
Why has it gotten to the point in our society where mentioning “Christmas” by name is just as bad as saying “Lord Voldemort” in a Harry Potter movie? I can totally understand wishing strangers on the street and in the malls a “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” due to the wonderful diversity of cultures and faiths in our society. Likewise, I can accept workplaces throwing “Holiday parties” or “Festive parties” in place of Christmas parties for the exact same reason. But stripping the word “Christmas” from something as 100%-Christmas-related as freaking CHRISTMAS trees?! What’s next?!?
I suppose we’ll soon decorate our houses with “Holiday lights” before driving to the mall to complete our “Holiday shopping”. Then when we’ve returned home, we’ll switch on the radio and listen to some “Holiday music” while preparing to mail “Holiday cards” to our friends and relatives. In the evenings leading up to “Holiday”, our kids will crowd in front of the TV to watch “A Charlie Brown Holiday” (minus Linus’ pivotal speech to the rest of the Peanuts gang) and “How the Grinch Stole the Holidays”, then on “Holiday Eve” we’ll gather our families around a cozy fireplace to read Charles Dickens’ classic novel “A Holiday Carol”. In the morning, we’ll all sit by the “Holiday tree” and open our “Holiday presents” before driving to the grandparents’ to enjoy a nice “Holiday dinner” (you get the point).
Rest assured that aside from today’s post, this won’t be a religious-themed blog (I simply rant about whatever’s currently grating on my nerves), but in my opinion, removing the word “Christmas” from all things that ARE specifically Christmas-related is going too far. Since Hanukkah falls around the same time, does that mean menorahs and dreidels will soon be renamed “Holiday candles” and “Holiday tops”, respectively? Saint Valentine and Saint Patrick are both religious figures, so the holidays named in their honour MUST be politically-corrected to “Love Day”, and “Green Beer Day”, respectively. Likewise, the “Spring Rabbit” will soon be delivering “Spring eggs” to all the delighted kiddies on “Spring Day”. While we’re at it, don’t forget to invite all your pals over for a BBQ on “Fireworks Day”, buy your kids’ back-to-school supplies before “Work Day”, prepare the turkey feast on “Dinner Day”, and carve your pumpkins on “Costume Day”. See the absurdity behind holiday euphemisms?!?
In closing, why does Christmas seem to be the ONLY holiday that can’t be referred to by its own name? It’s already overtly-secularized and highly-commercialized to the point that Charles M. Schulz needed to remind society what Christmas was REALLY about back in the mid-‘60s (which took A LOT of balls on his part, and will likely NEVER happen again on network TV). What’s the point in celebrating it at all if it needs to be severely diluted and entirely drained of its meaning to enjoy?
It’s a Christmas tree. Period.
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