I think there is a very good chance that I may be an ill-mannered
Neanderthal. I say that as a person who was born before ‘political
correctness’ came into vogue…and refuses to bend to this tyrannical trend.
While joining the throng trying to exit a store this week an
elderly woman held the door for me as I followed her. I stepped up my pace so she wouldn’t have to
just stand there and, as I cleared the door, I said, “Thank you and Merry
Christmas to you.” With no facial
expression whatsoever she looked at me and said, “We don’t celebrate Christmas.”
That stopped me in my tracks; as we hesitated for a moment
in front of the store I said to her, “My wish to you came from a happy
heart. You do not have to observe
Christmas to receive my well wishes for a joyous season, no matter what you do
or do not celebrate.”
The woman was as short and grey as her hair-do. She chewed the inside of her cheek, looked up
at the overcast sky, then at me, and finally said, “Okay, I get that.”
As she stomped away I questioned my response and wondered
from whence it had come. Eventually I
realized that Christmas combines all my happy childhood memories, the love for
my family and just a general gratitude about being alive. If it is rude to share that with a complete
stranger I make no apologies.
And so, if you should encounter someone who seems to be
offended by your well wishes, so be it. Frankly I
will accept all the happy feelings you might be able to spare. In today’s world we all need all the help we
can get.
Merry Christmas
Life is Good
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