Let's Put Kwan back in Kwanzaa

Man, these days, they won't let you say Merry Kwanzaa any more.  People want you to say Happy Holidays, like there is some other holiday going on besides Kwanzaa. They think it's offensive to people who don't celebrate Kwanzaa to speak about the day or to have a Kwanzaa tree or anything.  But that isn't right, dammit!  This is about KWAN after all, and his birthday! Let's put Kwan back in Kwanzaa!

Yes, I know that Kwanzaa isn't a holiday where people celebrate the birth of someone named Kwan. I'm not trying to be culturally insensitive here. What I am saying is that someone posting on Facebook that we should put Kwan back into Kwanzaa is just as annoying as all the "let's stop saying Happy Holidays and say Merry Christmas put the Christ back into Christmas!!!" mehmeh that's going on.

I know I've ranted about this before, but I think it deserves a second dose. First of all, "happy holidays" is a catch all phrase that covers everything happening basically from Halloween on to New Year's Day. This is, truly, the holiday season.  This includes Thanksgiving, Vet's Day, the new and weird holiday of Black Friday, as well as all the religious things going on.

Now, many Christians are complaining that their rights are being violated because people say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."  However, even if we leave out all the other religions' holidays during this time, Christians (of various sects) still have many holidays going on.

Just a quick jaunt over to Wikipedia will show you the following:

All Saints Day: 1 November (in Western Christian churches)
Advent: four weeks prior to Christmas.
Saint Nicholas' Day: 6 December
Christmas Eve: 24 December
Christmas: 25 December
12 Days of Christmas: 25 December through 6 January
Saint Stephen's Day: 26 December
Saint John the Evangelist's Day: 27 December
Holy Innocents' Day: 28 December
Saint Sylvester's Day: 31 December
Watch Night: 31 December
Feast of the Circumcision: 1 January
Feast of Fools: 1 January
Saint Basil's Day: 1 January (Christian Orthodox) In Greece, traditionally he is the Father Christmas figure.
Twelfth Night: Epiphany Eve: 5 January
Epiphany: 6 January: the arrival of the Three Magi.
Armenian Apostolic Christmas: 6 January
Eastern Orthodox Christmas: according to the Julian Calendar, 7 January

As you can see, there are many holidays happening during this time. And while I could stand there for 15 minutes and wish you "Happy Advent" oh, and "Happy Night Watch," it is honestly just easier if I wish you a "Happy Holidays." If you look close, you'll notice that "holiday" is "holy day" kind of mushed up together. Holiday is not an offensive word at all. It actually acknowledges the gravity of the situation.

So, will I wish you Merry Christmas? Yes, I will. Because I do, sincerely hope you have Merry Christmas. But I will be wishing you this ON Christmas or a couple of days before, because that is when Christmas is happening.  On any other day during this season, I am going to wish you Happy Holidays. Not because I'm being offensive to you, but because it's just illogical for me to do otherwise.

Have a great season!