When I was growing up we said Merry Christmas without ever wondering if we were politically correct. We also listened to Bing Crosby croon the lyrics to Happy Holidays without ever wondering if he was staging some war on Christmas. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays – it really didn’t matter. What mattered most was the heart behind the greeting, not the words one used to convey it.   

These days it seems like a great deal of Americans wake up each morning asking, “Who’s going to offend me today?” Tell me, when did we become so prone to offense? When did we start running around desperately looking for some new way to get our feelings hurt?  

Over the past few years as I’ve listen to politicians, preachers and talk show hosts continue this debate on seasonal semantics I’ve found myself wondering what season will be next on the You Hurt My Feelings agenda. Will we have to start weighing our words when we wish someone a Happy New Year? Need I remind you that January 1 does not mark the new year for everybody? The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, typically takes place in September and the 2020 Chinese New Year begins on January 25. So if I greet a Chinese Jew on January 1 will he or she be offended if I say Happy New Year? I hope not.

And what about Ground Hog Day? Will animal rights activists take offense at our popularized inordinate captivity of this innocent rodent? Will those with heightened religious sensitivities view the “ground hog shadow test” as a form of pagan clairvoyance, an activity strictly forbidden in The Scriptures? Yes, given our propensity for semantic offense, I predict Ground Hog Day will be the next holiday that stirs up national controversy. 

Don’t get me wrong. I’ll be the first to admit that language matters and the last to intentionally offend. Having lived through a time of racial injustice, I understand the importance of racially sensitive terms. And as I’ve watched women struggle to secure their equality I’ve applauded all efforts to use gender-inclusive words, but let me ask you; must every greeting be up for debate?

Perhaps we’d argue less about language if we spent more time getting to know each other. When relationships run deep, people are less likely to take offense, even when our words are ill-chosen. When people know our heart they’re usually quick to overlook our words.

So may you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday, and may your New Year be prosperous – whenever it begins. May the ground hog be revered or even liberated on his special day, whether or not he sees his shadow; and may you finally understand that the warmest greeting of all is not the one that comes with the right words. It’s the greeting that comes from the right heart.