This is a re-post of an article I wrote a couple of years ago…

What attitude do you think would be demonstrated at a New Age-liberal, all-natural-cotton-pants-wearing organic food store toward Christmas? Uh, just what you’d expect…
Kerry wore his Whole Foods name badge proudly; perhaps that is why he had a picture of a lion on it. As he scanned my order I pointed to his badge and asked a friendly question, “Is that Aslan?”

“No,” he said too firmly. “It’s a lion.”

“Do you know who Aslan is?”

“From the Narnia movie?”

“Yes,” I said. There was a pause as Kerry scanned another item. I then asked very graciously, “Are you allowed to wish people a Merry Christmas?”

“You mean isolate out a particular religious group?”

“Y-yes,” I stammered.

“I don’t know.”

“There’s no official policy against it?”

“Not that I know of. I’d have to ask management…”

Oh to hear those lovely words reminding me of my Savior’s birth: “Merry Christmas.” A gentle joyous whisper, reflections of the nativity and the babe in the manger, all conjured by a simple seasonal saying. O Holy Night. I could even hear the faint drumbeat of long ago…Pa-rum-pum-pum-pum.

“Can you wish me a Merry Christmas, then?” I inquired hopefully.

“No!” he stated flatly, as if I had just asked him to eat a piece of meat, or a cookie with gluten. He picked up a store phone and called someone. “Can you get Joshua to help me?” I chuckled to myself about this irony.

My order was finished and I handed him some cash. “Merry Christmas!” I said with a smile.

Looking me straight in the eye he returned my friendly goodbye with a sarcastic glare, “Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa!” Kerry turned away to ring up the next customer’s goat milk and tofu.

Bah Humbug!