Vivienne R. Finch – 12/18/05

This page was last updated on December 18, 2005.

Saying ‘Happy Holidays’ is OK; Vivienne R. Finch; Beaver County Times; December 18, 2005.

It’s clear Ms. Finch either doesn’t understand the issue or is intentionally twisting it.

I don’t believe anyone has an issue with hearing Happy Holidays. Personally, I use both greetings. The source of annoyance is that some organizations – both private and public – have told their employees specifically not to say Merry Christmas. It’s actually a little broader. To be politically correct, a number of organizations even officially refer to their Christmas trees as “holiday” trees. When was the last time you heard of Hanukkah, New Year’s Day, and Thanksgiving trees? Have you ever heard anyone refer to a “holiday” menorah? As I wrote above, Ms. Finch doesn’t get it.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“I didn’t feel a need to consult a dictionary to clarify the phrase ‘Happy Holidays,’ but I did it anyway because that’s what I learned early in life to do when I don’t understand the meaning or pronunciation of a word.

“- Happy: showing, or causing great pleasure or joy.

“- Holidays: 1) a religious festival; holy day: 2) a day of freedom from labor, often one set aside by law to celebrate some event: 3) a vacation.

“It is plural. This means ‘more than one’. Nowhere in my dictionary does it say ‘Christmas’ under holiday.

“If you think ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy Holidays’ have the same meaning, I’m sorry, you’re just stupid. I start wishing people ‘Happy Holidays’ before Thanksgiving. In my world, this includes Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.”

[RWC] Wow, it took Ms. Finch five paragraphs to get into name-calling. In two of her previous three letters, Ms. Finch led off with name-calling.

I didn’t know Ms. Finch’s birthday and Christmas Eve were holidays. I wonder why Hanukkah isn’t in her “world.”

“On Christmas Day, I wish people a ‘Merry Christmas.’

“Calling oneself a Christian and then being a closed-minded, name-calling jerk and war-monger makes no sense to me.”

[RWC] Given that she already got into name-calling above, “Calling oneself a Christian and then being a closed-minded, name-calling jerk” apparently makes sense to Ms. Finch. If you recall, Ms. Finch wrote in her last letter that she considers herself to be a Christian.

You’ll see below why Ms. Finch worked in the “war-monger” [sic] comment.

“But we are all human, and we all do it. It seems the trickle down effect of this from the White House has been great. It’s good to laugh.”

[RWC] Leave it to someone like Ms. Finch to find some connection between the “Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays” dustup and President Bush. I believe it’s fair to say Ms. Finch has a one-track mind. I wonder if Ms. Finch hates only President Bush, or if it’s anyone with whom she disagrees.