Now that the holidays are behind us, I’ve been thinking about the use of “Merry Christmas” vs “happy holidays.” Wishing someone “Merry Christmas” has never been an issue for me, but then again “happy holidays” has never been an issue for me either. I never say “happy holidays” to be politically correct. I simply say it, because I mean it. Happy holidays is my go-to these days, since there’s more than one holiday to be happy about. Merry Christmas seems somewhat limiting to me. It really only accounts for one of the many wonderful days of the holiday season celebrations. Why not include them all by saying “happy holidays?”
The holiday season for my family starts in late November with Thanksgiving, and has traditionally gone through New Year’s Day. Now that my husband and I primarily live in Loreto Mexico, the holiday season extends to January 6th, which is Dia de los Reyes Magos. This day celebrates the arrival of the three wise men, or the three kings as they are often called. This holiday is known as King’s Day in the US, and is celebrated by Catholics and Lutherans. In New Orleans, King’s Day specifically celebrates the beginning of Marti Gras!
Mexico celebrates Dia de los Reyes Magos with a ring-shaped fruit cake called a Rosca de Reyes. These cakes are traditionally baked with a little plastic baby Jesus in them (not the safest thing to put into a cake). In Mexican tradition, if you do bite into the baby Jesus, you are the blessed one and are tasked with buying tamales for everyone on February 2nd. Thus the holidays continue. February 2nd is also a Christian holiday called Candlemas or Dia de la Candelaria, and is one of twelve annual feasts in Catholic tradition. Candlemas also marks the end Of Marti Gras.
“Happy holidays” in a way just works better. It’s a far-reaching and all-encompassing greeting. I actually prefer “happy holidays,” even though I don’t celebrate every holiday of the season. Nor do I care all that much about the history behind these holidays either. But one thing I absolutely love about holidays in Mexican culture is that there’s always time to celebrate. There’s time to celebrate all of the holidays, big or small. The culture is always giving reason for family and friends to gather and enjoy good times with one another. It’s a great reminder that your preference of “Merry Christmas” vs “happy holidays” really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that the holiday season is filled with reasons to celebrate, and to spend time with the ones you love!
