During December’s Christmas, Hanukkah and “New Year” celebrations, it is customary to exchange gifts, send good wishes, visit with family and friends and in the business world host an annual dinner for employees and associates. It is not surprising that over the years, Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations have been transformed into secular holidays centered on consumerism. What is surprising to me is diluting the core message of Christmas and Hanukkah to end-up losing the fundamental reason for the celebration!
We observe Remembrance day (lest we forget) to remember and honor those who served and sacrificed in Canada’s military. We celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada and the US, to give thanks and express gratitude for the blessings of a bounty harvest. People get together to celebrate the Birthday of a friend, and not birthdays in general. The Eid-al-Fitr is multi-day celebration for breaking the fast of Ramadan and so on. Taking away the reason of the celebration washes away the fundamental motive behind any celebration. A true celebration must be real, genuine, and sincere.
Diluting the core reason to be politically correct or to conform to new trends like inclusivity and/or be culturally sensitive are actually illogic. No one has a right to not be offended but we all have the right to offend others. That's what freedom of speech is all about. We are limited to not slander or insult, but there is no freedom not to be offended because offense is subjective. Besides, why would anybody be offended when people celebrate a happy event in their life?
Christmas celebrate the birth of Jesus. Hanukkah is the “festival of Lights” commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Gifts are typically exchanged on Christmas Eve, focusing on expressing love, appreciation, and sharing, mirroring the selfless giving from the Nativity story.
Sending a Christmas and Happy New Year card with good wishes by mail to family members, friends and business associates means so much more than a template email sent by a computer to a list of emails. A hand written card takes time to write and allow personalisation with a genuine wish or prayer to the receiver. It also has an extra cost. It is a personal message that helps build and strengthen the relationship whether personal, professional, or business.
No doubt, that today’s digital world is great for connecting people efficiently and effectively but connectivity is not relationship. Celebrating without a real and sincere engagement is a waste of time and energy. Having an employee Christmas dinner without a Christmas celebration seems odd to me. It is like singing happy birthday to a friend but not saying his or her name or lighting candles on a “NO NAME” birthday cake.
Celebrating an important event or occasion by engaging in enjoyable, social activity and partying is a builder of relationships and friendships. The key is to be real, genuine, and sincere.
W 480