Selling Xmas

It's that magical time of the year. Since Thanksgiving, advertisements trying to bolster our consumerism have taken over the three-minute breaks in my favorite TV shows. It's a predictable nuisance, but this year I saw something a little bit different -- the politically correct "Happy Holidays" is apparently not PC enough. I've noticed an increasing reference to the "holiday season" in lieu of actually wishing viewers "happy holidays."\nThis change may seem subtle to some, but not to me. It's ridiculous to use these generic terms in cases that are so obviously talking about a specific holiday: Christmas. It's all about Christmas. Can we just admit it already?\nI'm not really a fan of the politically correct philosophy to begin with. I tend to favor honesty, and to me this whole eradication of the word "Christmas" is just ludicrous. I mean, when every commercial features Santa Claus, Christmas trees or other iconic Christmas symbols, do advertisers really think the ad becomes objective when they tack on some PC message after beating viewers over the head with images of Christmas? It seems hypocritical to me. \nIf advertisers really want to make other religions feel accepted, shouldn't they make some commercials that actually reflect those religions instead of portraying only one viewpoint and then attempting to include everyone with some over-arching, non-specific slogan?\nThe switch to the term "holiday season" is even more inclusive. It was a necessary change: I can definitely see how "happy holidays" could be offensive. Wishing someone "happy holidays" assumes that the person is actually celebrating a holiday. What if I don't celebrate Kwanzaa, Christmas or Hanukkah? For Pastafarians or atheists, there may not be a holiday to celebrate in December. Instead, advertisers wisely decided to switch to the "holiday season."\nOthers might be celebrating holidays, but you might not necessarily celebrate these holidays. However, they can't let you forget that in the spirit of the "holiday season," you shouldn't hesitate to capitalize on So and So Jewelers' lowest prices of the year, even if your religion doesn't have a celebration right now. Don't miss out on our Winter Event! You can't let all the Christians take advantage of our great prices while you sit at home not spending! Isn't the collective spirit of all those Christmas shoppers infectious? Doesn't snow and cold weather inspire you to shop till you drop?\nChristmas is only in December because it made converting a bunch of heathens to Christianity a lot easier. To me, it seems like we've reverted to the pagan celebrations that Christmas replaced. It's not about Christianity any more. It's all about consumption. This is what Christmas has become.\nWhy can't we say "Christmas" in the ads? It doesn't stand for a religious celebration any more. With all of the commercials stealing its images and cheapening its meaning, Christmas is nothing more than the holiday season. So advertisers should just be accurate and call the season of spending what it really is: Christmas.