Home  ›  Culture  ›  Merry Christmas and the Season For Political Correctness!

Merry Christmas and the Season For Political Correctness!

‘Tis the season to be politically correct in our holiday greetings and thus, not very spontaneous or joyful. Bah humbug to that!

I wish all my family, friends, colleagues, clients, neighbors, and fellow citizens a very Merry Christmas! It makes me happy to wish you the joys, blessings, love, and celebration of the season in the way I learned to express it growing up.

I have friends of many backgrounds, nationalities, religious beliefs—and non-beliefs—and I love it when they extend the greetings they know. What a rich tapestry of joy we weave together! What a wonderful opportunity we find to learn from one another and expand our knowledge and appreciation of other human beings and their cultures.

This is what the season calls forth. Peace on Earth! Goodwill toward Men! (A universal sentiment which includes us, ladies. Let’s not get a nose out of joint about that, too.)

Think about what happens when the political correctness cops come out. If we heed them, we hesitate. We wonder if our words are going to be misconstrued. We worry about who might be offended. When we stop to wonder if someone is going to be offended, we hesitate to share happiness and goodwill. What a shame! How stilted we become, and how resentful. That’s a betrayal of the season!

Here’s some advice. Be your joyful self this holiday season and be genuine in your expression. If someone gets bent out of shape because they don’t like your greeting, invite them to share theirs. If they cannot or will not, ignore them and move on. They are never going to be your friend. More important, they are never going to do the work of expanding their own understanding to embrace joyful difference.

The people who want you to put a generic label on your greeting are trying to force their way of thinking upon you. What’s okay about that?

Merry Christmas, my friends! May the season bring you great joy in life’s simple pleasures, and may you be blessed by the true gift of sharing.

About Susan Marshall

Susan A. Marshall is author, speaker and founder, whose mission is to create a stronger, more confident future, one person or team at a time.  Through personal experience and hands-on work with executives from diverse industries at all levels, Susan has had the privilege of helping thousands of people do the difficult and exhilarating work of growth.

View all posts by Susan Marshall →