Merry Christmas! There. I said it. Now, before any touchy-feely, overly sensitive people tell me how politically incorrect I am, give me a chance to explain.
I am not a mind reader and I don’t have a crystal ball. So, unless you have whatever you celebrate tattooed on your forehead, I really can’t tell whether it’s OK or not to wish you a Merry Christmas. Is it really that upsetting to you if I do? What about the rest of the year?
Here’s how part of my year goes:
Total strangers have no problem wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day. Well, guess what? Due to some health reasons, I was never able to give birth. This doesn’t mean I was never pregnant. It means I couldn’t carry a child full term and lost them. Does it bother me when someone innocently wishes me a Happy Mother’s Day? Sure it does. Am I alone? Of course not. There are many women who were unable to join the ranks of motherhood. Should we all band together and start a movement to abolish wishing someone a Happy Mother’s Day? Should we march and protest? Should we make t-shirts and bumper stickers with our demands on them?
So what do I do about it? I’ll tell ya what I do about it. When someone wishes me Happy Mother’s Day, I graciously smile and say, “Thank you.” I take their wishes, the way they were intended, and without skipping a beat, I go about my day.
I seriously doubt any well-wishers singled me out and meant anything malicious. More likely, they were honestly hoping I’d have a better day. There’s something wrong with that?
What about Valentine’s Day? I wasn’t always married to the greatest guy on Earth. I’ve been alone on Valentine’s Day before. I know what it’s like to sit around by myself, in my granny underwear and fuzzy slippers, and watch no end of “buy her a diamond to show her how much you love her” commercials. Was I insulted? Heck no!
To this day (to his great delight), I won’t accept presents from my husband when the calendar says he should buy me something. Somehow, a calendar dictating when he should buy me a gift doesn’t seem sincere to me. I always tell him to buy me something because it’s Monday. Or better yet – just tell me where I can buy the chocolates. You can keep the heart-shaped box.
And what about St. Patrick’s Day? My name is Su Delisi. Does that sound Irish to you? Who cares! Wish me a Happy St. Patty’s Day, and let’s go drink some green beer together!
So, if you’ll take it in the spirit in which it is intended…Merry Christmas!
