Our society has established a universal rule where we must be careful of what we say to prevent offending anyone despite our “good” intentions. We must consider the feelings and thoughts of others before expressing ourselves. One good example of this is the debate of holidays vs holy days. Holidays are a respectful tribute to various religions or to acknowledge the significance of leaders. It has become a popular trend where people would express a phrase relating to the holiday without knowing the meaning of it and how others react to it. On the other hand, some people would argue that holy days are for specific religious ideas and practices such as Kwanzaa, Christmas, and Hanukkah. Because of the ideological differences of holidays and holy days, it is important to acknowledge that not everyone takes a holiday or holy day phrase lightly. The importance of both holidays and holy days is to become more open minded about what people believe, what they say and how they say it. Certain national holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, create a situation in which certain phrases acknowledge the holiday. People become influenced by a Christmas feeling such as giving gifts, becoming more helpful and keeping a more positive attitude towards others. Businesses and companies use these popular trends to continue to influence people in a Christmas spirit to buy their product for a loved one. Some people are not entirely influenced by the positive vibe and deny the invitation of the Christmas spirit. When we think more deeply about this “holiday”, is it really Christmas or Christ-Mas? Christmas is an exciting holiday that falls on December 25th and is a day of giving. However, some people view Christmas as a “holy day”. Holy day means that religious practices and beliefs are now to be noted. Christians view Christmas as the holy day that marks the birth of their savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, who is also believed to be the son of God. Some Christians celebrate this day by attending church and having a gathering with friends and family. The significance of this is that rather than following the popular trend of giving, some religious groups do not follow these trends despite their popularity. There are some holidays I believe people should celebrate such as Veterans Day because it is honoring and paying a tribute to a population of servicemen and women. This day is to acknowledge the men and women who have made significant sacrifices to serve their country. Some people celebrate this holiday by having barbecues and gathering with their loved ones. Others take advantage of the sales that go on in stores. Businesses would offer special deals for consumers and extra deals for veterans, but overall helps their business rather than the individual. To make people more aware of these holidays, some businesses would have American flags throughout their stores. From a religious aspect, religious people pray for the men and women who are servicing the country and continue to ask for their protection and guidance wherever they go. What is interesting is that religious people continue to pray for these Veterans after their holiday has passed. Holidays like this should not have any disadvantages or debates of it being a “holiday” or “holy day”. Despite the significant meanings of holidays, it leads people to contradict their true ideas. For example, Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a unique holiday where people come together to share a meal with a variety of different food choices. The popular trend of Thanksgiving is to have a cooked Turkey at the dinner table. One should appreciate the meal they have every day because there are some people who do not get to eat as often as they should. In addition, the history of Thanksgiving is opposed to its current meaning. The history of it is of the Native Americans helping the pilgrims during a cold winter, yet were killed for their land. One controversial issue with the debate of holidays and holy days is a phrase associated with the day. For example, some public schools in New York have emphasized not to say, “Merry Christmas” but instead say “Happy Holidays” due to religious reasons. Some people do not believe in Christmas or celebrate it the way society has thought it to be, with a focus on presents, family, and Christmas songs. The other benefit of saying “Happy Holidays” is putting two holidays such as Christmas and the New Year together. However, how far are people willing to go to replace a holiday phrase with a more general one? It is important to take into consideration that saying “Merry Christmas”, “Happy St. Patrick’s Day”, “Happy Hanukkah”or “Happy Kwanzaa” is an invitation into a culture. I believe that before expressing a holiday or holy day related phrase or denying one, we should first know the true meaning of it. Invitation to a culture is a peaceful gesture that should be welcomed whenever the opportunity arises. If it seems like the culture is imposing itself on those who don’t celebrate a specific day, then the best way to manage through this situation is to allow the individual self-expression. This is what makes them happy and the best way we can deal with this is to let them enjoy their day without any disrespect. This is what makes diversity so rich and unique because of people embracing different cultures, other than their own.
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