By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com
Of all the phony, ridiculous and bogus campaign pledges that Donald J. Trump made on his way to the White House, the one that sticks in my craw is his promise to restore the greeting “Merry Christmas” to our vernacular.
You recall that, right? Donald Trump fomented the phony conservative mantra that liberals/progressives were in cahoots with non-Christians to declare war on Christmas. He castigated business owners for requiring their employees to wish their customers a “happy holiday” after taking their money. I believe he actually promised to “make them” order their employees to offer Christmas greetings.
Stupid, yes? Yes! It is!
OK, so now Trump is about to leave office. We have to endure one more Christmas season with The Donald in the White House. Then it will be Joe and Jill Biden taking up residence in our house. They will populate the place with their children and grandchildren, along with a couple of rescue pooches and a cat.
And they will bring plenty of Christmas cheer with them.
What I do not expect President Biden to do will be to make a phony declaration of war against those who have sought a more expansive view of the holiday season than just what Christians around the world celebrate.
I want to make a quick point of personal privilege.
I celebrate Christmas with all its trappings. I celebrate its secular meaning as well as its spiritual significance. I grew up in the Orthodox Church and became a Presbyterian when I got married nearly 50 years ago. However, all that said, I never, ever have taken offense to someone wishing me a “happy holiday.” Indeed, I long have understood that the individual extending that greeting likely doesn’t know a thing about me or my background; he or she doesn’t know if I am a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Buddhist or a Wiccan.
So, when I hear politicians throw out the kind of political bull crap that Donald Trump did four years ago while he campaigned for president, I take it all for what it’s worth.
Which is … not a damn thing!