Not a day goes by in my home state of Texas that someone does not wish me a good day. "Have a good day," or "Have a great rest of your day!" These folks want me to have a day free of problems and stress. And many of them I do not know. My usual response, I am told, is appropriate. 'Thank you and the same to you!" Wishing folks a good day along with the appropriate response is not just the practice of good manners. It is being down right neighborly. But it is THAT time of year when some folks get their panties in a bunch if they feel someone has violated their 'feelings' by saying the wrong holiday greeting.
Does it matter, in any real sense, if someone says to you, "Merry Yule, God Jul, Merry Christmas, Blessed Solstice, or even Happy Kwanzaa (okay, I admit the last one is a stretch)? To a mature person it will not. Just like the person wishing you a good day, the person wishing you a Merry Christmas or God Jul is wishing that you have a happy, joy filled holiday. That's it. The correct response should be, "Thank you and the same to you!"
Heathen Brethren, the Christian that offers you a Merry Christmas probably has no idea you are Asatru/Heathen/Pagan. Here, Heathen soul is the comfort: this battle is over. The irrefutable truth, the facts, give us victory. But the dust has yet to settle, giving way to confusion. Trying to convince a stalwart Christian about "his" Christmas is tough; you would have a better chance convincing Neil deGrasse Tyson that the world is flat. So revel in the truth. And let them celebrate Christmas in their way. With all the Pagan/Heathen get up and go of Yule. Just like us. That should put a smile on your face as you carve up the Yule Ham.
Copyright @2016 Terry Unger
