First, I want to start by asking a question that I have asked myself several times this past week, and I'm sure you have asked yourself as well: why are the Starbucks cups a thing? I'm not questioning why they exist. I'm questioning why they have been all over our news feeds and news stations.
It blows my mind that people have been criticizing Starbucks – a nondenominational, for-profit coffee chain – for leaving out the snowmen and reindeer on their holiday season cups this year. Instead, Starbucks has gone for a minimalist look, with its green logo on top of a solid red background. As people have pointed out in response, the design is still Christmas-related because of the colors. As soon as November hits and the red and green decorations come out, we all know what they represent, and it's not exactly Hanukkah. So, really, these cups are a non-issue, and we have so many better things to be concerned about.
But somehow, every year, the term “war on Christmas” never fails to breach our news during the holiday season. The talk of this war began in the early 2000s when conservative commentators such as Bill O'Reilly began criticizing advertisers, retailers, organizations, and the government for avoiding the use of the religious aspects of Christmas and, in some cases, using the word “holiday” instead of “Christmas.” For example, just a few years ago, Lincoln Chafee – then governor of Rhode Island, now ex-presidential candidate – decided that the state would have a “Holiday Tree” instead of a “Christmas Tree.” This, he said, was in honor of keeping the church and state separate. People were outraged. Conservatives blamed him for being too politically correct. Keep in mind that nothing about the tree was changed, except for the name.
Nevertheless, conservatives and conservative Christians blame political correctness whenever a retailer advertises a “Holiday Sale.” Conservative organizations have even called for boycotts of certain retailers because of their supposed part in the war on Christmas. Now, here's the thing: it is possible to make a good argument for the commercialization of Christmas in the Western World. If there would be any kind of attack on Christmas, that would be it. But the way that Fox News and Bill O'Reilly talk about the “war on Christmas” does not stir up any kind of conversation about the commercialization of the holiday; instead, it just riles up their viewers and makes them angry at what they see as a violation of their religious freedom. All of the talk about Holiday Trees and Holiday Sales makes it seem as if Christmas is being erased out of our lives, one Starbucks cup at a time. I'm here to tell you, my friends, that it isn't.
Those who celebrate Christmas can still celebrate Christmas. My family and I celebrate Christmas every year. We always put up a Christmas tree. We sometimes listen to Christmas music while we decorate it. We open Christmas presents on Christmas Day, which we all have off from work and school. Then, we have Christmas dinner with our friends and family. If we want, we can watch one of the many Christmas movies that are on TV. No one is stopping us from doing any of that – not the government and certainly not any retailer or coffee chain. At the same time, no one is stopping other families from celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or nothing at all. That's the cool thing about religious freedom in the United States: the government does not have the power to tell us what we can or cannot celebrate.
So when a sales associate says “Happy Holidays!” to you, after she has completed your transaction and you are on your way out of the store, don't get mad at her. Don't scoff and tell her to “just say 'Merry Christmas.'” Instead, respond to her with “Happy Holidays to you too,” “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Hanukkah,” “Joyous Kwanzaa,” or, at the very least, “Thank you.” She likely chose to say that because she doesn't know you or what you celebrate. She's not worried about being politically correct. She's only being polite.
