"'Tis the Season" (Yes, 'tis still!)

I’ve recently decided that this is one of my favorite holiday phrases: it provides the cliché ambiguity I need to communicate a variety of ideas and that same ambiguity allows the recipients of the phrase to interpret my ideas however they see fit.

After someone (No names, please!) has eaten too many pieces of mint fudge, “’tis the season” acknowledges the humor of gorging ourselves on holiday treats. After an act of kindness to a hurting stranger, “’tis the season” serves as a word of encouragement.

But I often find myself trapped behind my favorite holiday phrase: in my attempt to be politically correct, I allow people to interpret “’tis the season” as they wish, not as I fully intend. I wish I could emphasize to everyone that “the season” is really THE season. I wish I could use it to declare the Love of the CHRISTmas season!

Sure, the winter holidays each have their advantages (Thanksgiving turkey and potatoes, Christmas fudge and Rudolph, New Year’s resolutions made to be broken), but that’s not all this season means to me. I also want to respect the other religious beliefs, and even the humor about Chrismahanukwanzakah, but I’m saddened by the social-political pressure to hide my holiday beliefs so as not to offend others. I want to honor their beliefs, and I hope they can honor mine.  Plus, Christmas is not meant to offend people: it’s about love and acceptance! To me, the “season” is Christmas: the remembrance of the physical manifestation of God’s Love for us. It is the season when everyone should remember-- or learn-- that as humans, we all need the forgiveness and Love only offered by God and his Son.  

I don’t want my phrase to imply “I’ll have another piece of fudge if you will” or “I’m happy to help with your holiday needs.” All I want to say is “This is the season that makes the other seasons worth living. This is the season when Christ changed history by changing the future of mankind. This is the Christmas season and it is THE season.”