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So, today is the third day of Hanukkah (an eight day festival), the Jewish festival celebrating the (thanks to The New Statesman God Blog for reminding me of that and that Maccabees is not just a book dropped from the protestant version of the bible, nor just a pop group).

The New Statesman piece points to the building up of Hanukkah in America, perhaps primarily because of its proximity to Christmas, but it is entirely up to a faiths followers to decide the relative importance of that faith’s different festivals to them: as a child Christmas meant a lot more to me than Easter but as an adult Easter Sunday is the more important of the Christian festivals (although I guess if I was of another denomination I might prize Good Friday more?)

The reference in the New Statesman piece to Winterval was amusing – Birmingham City Council coined the word in 1997 to encompass a long period of celebration of different celebrations from Hallowe’en to New Year’s Eve including festivals for different faiths and secular traditions too.  
But the term is used nowadays to describe enforced institutional secularisation – particularly the attempts by over-politically correct organisations to avoid any possible offence being caused to non-Christians. 
The funny thing is, and perhaps I hang out with the more liberal end of the churchgoing Christian spectrum but I’m not sure that I do, I’m not sure I know any of my Christian friends who would not want to see Eid or Diwalhi celebrated or ban yule logs or firstfooting.  That said, we tend to be the sort of people who are saddened by the likes of Dan Brown proclaiming that the Da Vinci Code is grounded in fact but regarded its publication as a useful chance to discuss our faith with others in a context that they rather than we brought up.
And I don’t know anyone that practises another faith who doesn’t try to spend Christmas together with their family and open presents (although I admit I don’t currently know and Jehovah’s witnesses). 
I’ll freely admit to not having read it but I gather that the humanists have got a guide out at the moment with tips for enjoying a God-free Christmas, but using the term Christmas in the title…
So who, exactly, is offended by the term Christmas?

But I digress.

I wish everyone that wishes to be wished it a Happy Hanukkah and I’ll take an early chance to wish you, dear reader, a Merry Christmas.

Image from http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/icons/data/Sign.gif

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