On the way home from work, I passed a Holiday Inn. On its message board was the line, “There is always room at our Inn.”
Alert! Alert! Somebody notify the PC police, because I THINK that note invokes the Christmas story, and everybody KNOWS that we can’t mention the story behind the holiday that over 95% of Americans celebrate! It’ll make the other people feeeeeeel bad. Never mind the huge menorah I’ve passed on the side of Route 70 for the last 3 weeks, lit every night with power most probably paid for by the township. Would I ever see a Nativity scene lit along Rt 70? I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Listen, I grew up here in Cherry Hill, which has a large Jewish population.
I’m totally cool with Hanukkah. The lore behind Hanukkah is beautiful and hope-inspiring. Kwanzaa? It’s not a holiday, but a cultural festival, nestled coincidentally between Christmas and New Years. Go ahead, celebrate your culture. Teach us about it. I’d love to learn more! But don’t get pissy at me on Columbus Day, ok?
Hanukkah ended on the 15th. Kwanzaa begins on the 26th. Christmas in the on-deck circle. Yet, corporate America and the media are still saying, “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” Christmas is maligned as being too commerical. Stores make millions on the sale of Christmas gifts and trimmings, yet most refuse to even mention the word on their sites:
Target: “Holiday Blast”
Macys: “Giving a Last Minute Miracle”
JCPenney: No mention of Christmas. But Penneys sucks anyway.
Kohls: Not nary a leaf of holly on their page.
Strawbridges: Finally! A mention of getting a gift by Christmas. The other sites don’t say that … they mention getting the gift to you by 12/25.
Walmart: Holiday
KMart: Holiday
I’m not a right wing nut job. I’m tolerant. I’m just tired.
(Thor’s parents arrive tomorrow. I have four rooms to clean tonight. Eeep!)
