"Happy Holidays"

What is the proper way to recognize the holidays with someone you don't know? For example, when you pay in a store I think they should say "Happy Holidays" and not "Merry Christmas." Maybe I am Jewish? Maybe I am Jehovah's Witness (even they have to celebrate the new year)? Maybe I don't celebrate Christmas!? However, people in SacTown still insist on saying "Merry Christmas" and sending "Christmas" cards. Wake up people! NOT everybody in Sacramento goes to church and celebrates Christmas just like you do. To some people it's just another day... but with a lot of stores closed and no mail service! You go to LA, NYC, etc... and people say "Happy Holidays" because they don't know if you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah or none of the above! I don't like to be overly politically correct but I am a fan of the Happy Holidays greeting or even Happy New Year as everybody celebrates that I think.

Furthermore, did you know that not everybody in the world has a Christmas tree? Some have no tree, bush or any other symbol for that matter. The item above is a class Hanukkah bush. In fact, one of the best I have ever seen. It could also be an eco-friendly thing from the Pacific Northwest, but I think it's a Hanukkah bush! SacTown kids, did you know that Santa Claus does not go to every house? His friend Harry Hanukkah goes to some. We will get into details about Harry next holiday season.

Yes, my kids celebrate Christmas, leave milk and cookies for Santa, open gifts, etc... but they also light the menorah (and open more gifts). By the way, the kids LOVED the menorah this year. Each night when I got home they were ready to light that baby. It was good for them on a couple levels, they got to play with fire and they got a gift! The very first night of Hanukkah, as I said the prayer, my little dude was trying to say it along with me. He was a word behind, throughout the blessing, but how nice to have him participating.

SacTown wants to be a cosmopolitan big city and has gotten tons of nice restaurants, clubs, hotels and stores in the last few years which have greatly improved the city... but we need to remember that not everybody celebrates Christmas. Some people go out to the movies and eat Chinese food on the 25th! With that, I conclude and say HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL (even my Jehovah's Witness friends).

peace out