Happy holidays! One of my favorite things that happens every year is the pointless argument surrounding that simple phrase. For some reason, people have decided “happy holidays” is a war on Christmas. It isn’t. 

I celebrate Christmas. I go to church. I am all for the Christ in Christmas, but I also don’t mind hearing or saying “happy holidays.” To me, this encompasses all holidays. Happy holidays includes Thanksgiving (depending on when you say it), Christmas and New Year’s Day. Instead of being this big, horrible, bad thing, it is actually more festive than a simple “Merry Christmas.”  

Another perk of using “happy holidays” is you never know who might not celebrate Christmas. Some people celebrate Hanukkah and saying “happy holidays” includes them too. I think some people just enjoy participating in fake outrage. 

You know, the same people who got upset when the green M&M (a fictional, talking M&M, mind you) stopped wearing heels? Some people were in a complete fit about this insignificant change. Does the green M&M’s decision to wear more comfortable shoes affect our lives? No. If it does, you might need to reassess your life choices. I’m sorry to be the one to break that to you. Some people just like to be mad. 

Another thing that sparked useless controversy was the Starbucks Christmas cup. One year, the company switched from the usual Christmas-themed cups to a plain red cup. People claimed this was a war on Christmas and threatened to boycott the billion-dollar company. I can assure you, Starbucks did not care and they still probably don’t. It is a cup. Get over it. 

I don’t understand the desire to walk around mad at everything all the time. I feel like that is such a miserable existence. If the most you have to be upset about is someone saying, “happy holidays” or the footwear of a fictional, talking M&M, you should consider yourself lucky. Some people have real problems.

This energy you are wasting can be directed elsewhere, like to something that matters. Maybe instead of getting mad at a cup, you could be upset at the thought of a homeless individual sleeping outside in the declining temperatures. Maybe this would lead you to donate your time to Homeless of McMinnville Effort (HOME) or donate supplies. Instead of being mad at someone telling someone else to have multiple, good holidays, you could be mad about the thought of some people spending their holidays alone and potentially look into doing an angel tree donation to NHC. 

At the end of the day, a phrase doesn’t matter. It’s only words. Choosing what to devote your time and energy to is what matters. We can walk through life mad at every little thing, or we can choose to focus our attention on important matters. One thing we can all agree we can be mad at, though, is the horrendous construction in front of the mall. I will fault no one for that. Happy holidays. 

Standard reporter Bethany Porter can be reached at (931) 473-2191.