It’s December, which means there are a ton of holidays creeping up, from Hanukkah and Yule, to Christmas and Kwanzaa.  It also means that everyone is going to start spreading a little bit of holiday cheer, or at least, it used to.  Somewhere along the way we were taught that it’s no longer ok to say “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Hanukkah,” or any other holiday greeting.  It’s not politically correct, you may offend someone.  When did a kind gesture become offensive?

What’s In A Name?

While I understand that religious ties to holidays like Christmas or Hanukkah, wishing someone a merry Christmas or happy Hanukkah, regardless of your creed, is nothing more than a friendly gesture.  Hell, Christmas is barely a religious holiday anymore thanks to Santa Claus and commercialism.  I bet just as many people celebrate “Christmas” for these reasons than for the religious reasons.  That said, is it so rude that someone cared enough to offer you a warm holiday greeting, regardless of whether or not you celebrate their holiday or subscribe to their creed?

The Common Good

Regardless of what holiday you celebrate, if at all, the spirit of the season revolves around peace, love, celebration and the coming together of family and friends.  Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Blessed Yule, Happy Kwanzaa, or any other holiday greeting are simply a means of spreading some good will towards man and holiday cheer.  It’s no different than a person saying hello in another language.

If someone were to approach you tomorrow. smile and say Hola, Konnichiwa, or Bonjour would you be offended because it wasn’t in English?  Probably not.  So why do we treat a similar friendly gesture with such disdain?  It’s not as though people are telling you that your God sucks, or your beliefs are a joke.

Seasons Greetings

Holiday greetings are just that, a greeting.  They’re no different than hello, good morning, or the like.  They are simply a kind gesture.  Sure, some may mention or be tied to religious holidays, but does that really matter?  If it does, you better throw a fit the next time someone says “Bless you” when you sneeze.  After all, they may not be asking the same God to bless you.

So the next time someone wishes you a holiday specific greeting, smile, thank them, and return the gesture.  Spreading a little holiday joy will go a lot further and make you feel a lot better than getting offended and freaking out.

If you are someone who is offended by holiday specific greetings I’d LOVE to know your reasoning in the comments below.

The family and I went to see Wreck It Ralph tonight and I must say as a video game lover and a Disney lover this was a match made in heaven.  But at the movies end (SPOILER ALERT) when the identity of Vanellope is revealed, I couldn’t help but think about the fact that she is technically the latest Disney princess.  And of course with that came a slew of other thoughts, so I put those thoughts to Photoshop and here’s what I came up with.

It’s no secret that for most of my life I have been a die hard Halloween enthusiast, and a couple years ago I wrote about the death of trick or treating, but this year I have to say I felt it more than ever. My kids missed Halloween last year because they were sick, and with turning five this year it was the first year for them to get excited about our family’s favorite holiday, but alas this year’s trick or treat was more a trick than a treat.

Lights Out

When I was growing up, this neighborhood was filled with trick or treaters and people handing out candy. Tonight we spanned half a housing track and for every street we hit only two to three houses actually had their lights on.  And as it was, for every few houses with lights on at least one of them still wasn’t giving out candy (even if the house was decorated).

Cruising

Another ugly trend I discovered was that people now drive house to house instead of actually walking the neighborhood.  This isn’t people busing their kids in like they used to do when I was growing up, this is literally people driving house to house and then jumping out to run up to someone’s door.  What fun is that?

Costumes Optional

Another trend, which wasn’t as prominent in our neighborhood, but I heard some complaints elsewhere was the complete lack of costume while trick or treating.  I understand that these are tough economic times, but even my Pinterest board costume that I made for work today only cost about 99 cents in poster board and about an hour or so of my time.  With kids just looking for handouts, its no wonder Halloween is dead and neighborhoods aren’t participating.

America is Afraid

Halloween has always stirred up fear, but sometime after 9/11 I noticed that Halloween seemed to take a sudden dip in participation.  Once we felt vulnerable as a nation it seems as though we all became afraid of our neighbors, our neighborhoods and even the towns we call home.   A friend of mine summed it up on Facebook tonight when she said, “too many people have fear instilled in them…its a sad thing people don’t feel safe in their own neighborhoods.”  But what are we afraid of?  And if we’re so afraid to participate in this holiday, then where are we spending the reported $8 billion on Halloween?  What was the tipping point?

Is it the hype from the news outlets about all the urban myths about razor blades in your candy and the creepers out to harm our kids? Or is it the churches and schools replacing traditional trick or treating with “trunk or treat” (You know…the one where they teach kids its ok to get candy from a stranger’s trunk.)  Or has the economic downturn just made it too hard for people to hand out candy the way they did in my youth?

Halloween is clearly still a huge part of our society, but participation is changing drastically.  Has Halloween dwindled to nothing more than parties and haunted houses?  Will the trick or treating tradition that was such a huge part of my youth become obsolete?  It feels as though the desire to trick or treat is still there (the crowds were out), but participation from neighborhoods passing out candy is near non-existent.

What are your thoughts? How was Halloween in your neighborhood this year? Did your neighborhood participate or were houses passing out candy few and far between?