Merry Christmas?

This will be my second Christmas in Bermuda and the one thing I’ve noticed is the decidedly un-PC holiday greetings flying around the island. This, I should point out, is a good thing. Go shopping in Hamilton, heck, go shopping anywhere in Bermuda and test it out for yourself. Nine times out of ten you’ll be met with a festive “Merry Christmas” rather than the oh-so-politically-correct “Happy Holidays” now so prevalent throughout corporate and commercial culture in the United States. Which begs the question: Why do Americans deprive themselves of the Christmas spirit? The easy answer is the foundation on which the country was built—that it’s not a Christian nation, but a nation made up of many religions. This, I should point out, is also a good thing. But if my Jewish friends said “Happy Hanukkah” to me in early December, I’d reply with a polite “shalom” and be on my merry way. I wouldn’t be offended. Point is, I actually like people sharing their respective beliefs with me, even if they’re in casual conversation. Here in Bermuda churches of all faiths cover the landscape—Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist, you name it. There’s an often-repeated (but not quite confirmed) fact that Bermuda has more churches per square mile than anywhere else in the world. The island is very much a Christian nation, so why not say Merry Christmas when shopping in town? For someone who enjoys the holiday season as much as I do, it’s actually refreshing that December not be veiled in PC rhetoric. So to all of you reading out there, wherever you are and whatever you may be celebrating the season, a hearty Merry Christmas to you. And yes, that indeed is me and Santa clutching our scooter helmets. Only in Bermuda, folks.