Have a good day December 25…

Have a good day December 25…whatever that means to you. Ah, hell, Merry Christmas!
---

Winter has just come to pass and chill is in the air,
The sun is shining bright but the snow is without care;
Winds are gently blowing, whisp’ring crispy greetings
To all the people spending time with friends in random meetings.

Lo, behold! The winter is not alone with a frosty front
For in the land come murmurings of a childish stunt.
What it is and from whence it came, I must admit, has me perplexed;
What is known: it is not racial, not tied to either sex.

The Christian Right? The Liberal left? Maybe…the union bosses?
Illuminati? Freemasonry? Or the Klan with burning crosses?
Who started this and why is it all over in the news
When once of twice a year all the people fill the pews?

Unless you’re Ted Kaczynski, or a hermit in a cave,
Or if you’ve just arrived to the shores of the land of the brave,
You know, quite well, the situation which prompts these words,
(But if reporters call, from me it was not heard!)

Jesus is under attack! His birthday has been desecrated!
The Jews want their Channukah and Muslims their Eid-el-fetr!
The gall! The nerve! All these heathens want their faith…
Now hold that thought and stop, let’s take a collective breath.

Simply put it seems people are offended by a “Merry Christmas”,
Or at the least the news would sell it as a cultural offence;
Supposedly it’s rude, it’s crude, impolite to even think it,
Even using hidden code, one should never blink it.

Department stores and newspapers and even the Christian President
Have found it best to say “Holiday” and thus no one offend.
One could call it sensitive, and I don’t fully disagree,
But one has to wonder if it is or only more of our PC.

I’ve said it once, or twice, or maybe a thousand times,
I’ve said it to Jews and Muslims, to Christians and even mimes;
Said with a smile, and like St. Nick, with a twinkle in my eye,
To spread a bit of joy is the only thing I try.

Those who celebrate it returned it to me in its kind,
And those who don’t didn’t really seem to mind;
Usually a smile, followed by a brief explanation,
And we walked away wishing each other happy celebrations.

No one offended, no one distressed, nothing twisted out of place,
Just two people walking away with a smile on the face.
The question then is clear, is Christmas truly in contention?
Do people even realize our Christmas is a relatively modern times invention?

Raise your hand if you think the Puritans hung their stockings
Off of Plymouth Rock with an eggnog party already rocking;
Jump right up and clap your hands if with me you agree,
That both World Wars could have been avoided by a Christmas tree.

Let’s face it people, Christmas assumed the pagan Saturnalia,
The Teutons gave us the pine as seasonal paraphernalia.
Let’s not forget the marketers in these great States o’fifty
For convincing us it can’t be Christmas without a pile o’gifties.

I read the papers, I watch the news, even check the internet,
Did I miss a poll indicating non-Christian discontent?
And if I did, and there is angst that Christians are trying to convert,
Do people actually believe to the Crusades we will revert?

If you are reading this right now, Republican or Democrat,
I beg of you, you’re out of place to even think “Iraq”.
A war is awful, full of death, whether or not just,
And this simple talk of Christmas does NOT describe it thus.

I don’t know the answer, I can’t say that my opinion is right,
Simply because I believe Christmas to be a silent, holy night.
What’s (not) going on with Christmas in this wintry season
Serves as only stronger fuel behind original reasons.

Pagan or Jew, Muslim or Christian or even Zoroastrian,
Each person should feel joy in their own embraced religion;
When I greet you and you greet me with whatever chosen expression,
It should be safe to say there is no hint of repression.

I invite you to feel my joy, and you invite me to do the same,
It’s that simple, it’s that true, and yes, it is that plain;
Take the mental baggage and take the thoughtless toys,
Let’s focus instead on leaving a legacy of joy.

I wish you joy, I wish you peace, in hearth in heart in home,
I wish you never know the awful meaning of alone.
This simple phrase from me to you, whatever comes to pass,
Will always carry blessings for a truly Merry Christmas!