My favorite description of Boston in the winter comes from a John Updike short story in which one of the characters, upon his return from work to his Beacon Hill home, is described as "bringing the cold in on his coat." When I was little and my parents were coming home from a Christmas party, it was that same cold that I felt as soon as I hugged them when they entered the house. It reminded me that I was inside and warm, protected from all the harsh elements outside.
In fact, entering my 21st Boston winter, I have no desire to ever leave here. Sure, it's cold, but not Margaret Thatcher's-bed cold. Before the sand trucks are out, it's also quite beautiful. Just look at Childe Hassam's painting of Boston Common in the winter if you ever need a pick-me-up sometime around February.
Winter at Tufts means footsteps crunching on frosty ground, bundling up inside inadequately heated off-campus houses, amazingly bright decorations in every neighborhood, lousy snow removal on the Memorial Steps, sledding down the President's Lawn, bell-ringers in Davis Square, and enough ice on the Tisch patio for Paul Wylie to complete a full triple axel. Something about the expectations for winter rituals always seems enjoyable to me, regardless of how cold it gets. All except for one ritual, which I hope I never see again.
It seems that every December, every conservative columnist and commentator in the country has to blather on about how Christmas has become commercialized, how the "true message" has been lost, or - and this is my favorite - how a secular "Happy Holiday" has replaced "Merry Christmas." Recently, a number of conservative Christian groups called for a boycott of Target stores because they claim Target does not wish customers a "Merry Christmas" and relies on what the Christian groups consider to be a secular greeting, "Happy Holidays."
Their excuse? America is a predominantly Christian nation. Going by the ridiculous "predominance" test would mean that employees of stores in predominantly Hispanic locales should only speak Spanish, and "predominantly vegetarian" parts of Cambridge should not allow meat sales. Even more ridiculous is when Christian conservatives try to appear ecumenical and say that America has been founded on "Judeo-Christian values." Apparently, there were some Greenbergs and Rothsteins sitting next to the Websters and Smiths on the Mayflower, and it's therefore OK to offend Muslims, Buddhists and atheists as long as there's a shiny menorah decoration in the window.
Perhaps most ridiculous is that Christian conservatives fail to realize that the greeting, "Happy Holidays" comes from "Happy Holy-days," which is possibly the most inherently religious greeting you can get aside from, "Repent, O Sinner! The Return of the Son of Man is Near!"
Simple manners have taught me not to assume anything about a person, especially when they are a stranger and you are trying to make them feel welcome. I've never taken a marketing class, but I also imagine that retailers would rather make all customers feel welcome with a generic greeting rather than give a religious declaration that may potentially offend a few people who were willing to shell out a couple of bucks for a new HDTV.
There are many December holidays. I imagine most of them were invented by northern Europeans who would have killed themselves had they had to survive an entire winter without one day on which they could celebrate, take a break from pillaging, and get drunk. In America, the holiday which predominated for many years was Christmas. Most Americans today, including my family, celebrate Christmas. This doesn't mean that I want everyone else to celebrate Christmas. I truly do want everyone to have a happy holiday, which for some may be religious and for others may be just a much needed rest and time with family. Drawing on the Christian tradition of peace at Christmas, I think it would be smart for Christian conservatives to put their prejudices and over the top evangelism aside, and be content that at this time of year all people of different faiths and traditions come together to celebrate, join with family and friends, have a little too much Sutter Home white zinfandel at office parties, and be at peace for at least a little while. That's not just a religious goal - that's a basic human desire. Especially the Sutter Home.
Happy Holidays, everyone. We can leave the cold outside, take off our coats, and come together in a holiday spirit of warmth. And can Facilities please spread some ice-melt on the Tisch patio? The last thing I want at this time of year is to worry about attracting Paul Wylie to campus.
Keith Barry is a senior majoring in community health and psychology. He can be reached via e-mail at keith.barry@tufts.edu.
