Here in New York City in late December, the air is filled with people wishing one another “Happy Holidays!” In the cultural melting pot of NYC, this seems so very politically correct. The generic “Happy Holidays!” serves Christmas, or Hanukkah or the Winter Solstice, or even New Year’s Eve. What can be a better effort at cultural sensitivity than this?

I have also noticed that there appears to be a direct connection between people wishing one another “Happy Holidays!” and the proximity to Christmas. I wonder if this connection is accidental, or a postmodern way of dealing with the holiday season by trying to be inclusive of such differences? Is wishing “Happy Holidays” an innocent-sounding code for wishing “Merry Christmas?”

Perhaps “Happy Holidays” means “Merry Christmas?”