Every year I am bound to wish someone a Merry Christmas and receive a chilly glare in return. The kind of glare that comes from a place of deep judgment and snickering disdain.
While I’ve been known to make cutting comments to evoke just such a response for my own amusement — as my wife would certainly attest — that’s never been the goal of my annual December greeting.
I love Christmas. I love the lights and the wreaths and the carols and the classic movies. I love Hallmark specials, gift shopping and great crowds packed into malls. Most of all, I love Christmas traditions.
To me, Merry Christmas is a shorthand for something more than generalized wishes; it’s all the best things about my favorite time of year wrapped into a two-phrase.
