I've never understood why people make an issue of how holiday greetings are uttered. If a person says Blessed Solstice to me, and I don't celebrate Solstice, I simply take the greeting in the way it was intended. "Have a good holiday" If someone says Merry Christmas to you, and you don't celebrate Christmas, it should not be a big deal. Accept the good wishes and move on with your life.
It seems to me that we, as a country, are too easily offended. I mean, seriously, why get offended when a person wishes you well? It doesn't matter if you celebrate the same holiday, or no holiday at all. The intended message is "go forth and be happy." Every December, people argue over what the "appropriate holiday greeting" should be. The "politically correct" insist we should all say "Happy Holidays," while the Christians complain they are being discriminated against because people don't say "Merry Christmas," Jewish people feel uncomfortable wishing people a "Happy Hanukkah," and people who celebrate Solstice and Kwanzaa, and those who don't celebrate usually say nothing for fear of being ridiculed.
Why? The holiday you celebrate is between you, your family, and your God. It's nobody else's concern. Does that mean we should all use "Happy Holidays" to avoid offending anyone? Absolutely not. Each person is free to speak the holiday greeting of their choice to whomever they wish. It's the responsibility of the recipient of the greeting to have the maturity to accept with dignity, grace, and respect.
What does this have to do with Libertarianism? Some would say nothing. But, to me, our country's obsession over which holiday greeting is "correct" is part of what is wrong. People are too busy minding each other's business to properly take care of their own. If we all paid attention to our own lives, and strove to personally live up to our beliefs -whether those beliefs are religious or secular in nature, nobody would have the time to worry about things that don't concern them.
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