Merry Christmas Not Happy Holidays - written by Alfred (a short story for kids)

Once upon a time in a place called America, there lived a little girl named Martha. She walked happily back home with her Mum. They were just returning from the home of a friend of her Mum they had gone to visit.   

As they got close to their home they saw a familiar store owner on their street taking down a sign. He was taking down the “Merry Christmas” sign.   

Martha’s Mum asked him why, and he said that he was replacing it with a “Happy Holidays” sign.

Martha’s Mum asked an even louder, “WHY???”   

From the tone of her voice it was obvious she didn’t like the idea at all. She told him that it’s Christmas not just any holiday. He has to put up a Christmas sign.   

The man put up the “Happy Holidays” sign, came down the ladder, said “Sorry” and walked back into the store.   

Martha’s Mum almost growled. She stomped her foot and then she took Martha’s hand and kept on walking home.   

Martha asked her Mum why she is so angry about it.   

Martha’s Mum explains to Martha that she wanted him to put up the “Merry Christmas” sign and not the “Happy Holidays” sign because we are celebrating “Christmas” and not “Holidays.” 

Nobody wakes up in December to celebrate the gift of having Holidays. Every holiday must have a reason why it’s a holiday. There must be something we are commemorating: Something that means something to a group of people before it can be called a holiday. A holiday cannot be a holiday just for being a holiday, it can only be a holiday if there is something behind it that people are celebrating. The Independence Day holiday has the celebration of the nation’s independence behind it. 

Memorial Day holiday has the commemoration of those who lost their lives fighting for their country behind it. Even Labour Day holiday CELEBRATES the achievement of workers and the labour movement. Why does Christmas Day have to be any different? Why must they remove Christ from Christmas.   

First they removed Christ from Christmas holiday and made it X-Mas holiday. Then they said, you know what let’s throw away the X-Mas and just call it holiday. What are they planning to do next?   Martha’s Mum told Martha that even though Christmas day isn’t technically Jesus’ birthday, it is the day that we have set aside to celebrate Jesus’ birthday and it has been that way for years even in the year that America was founded. But of recent some certain groups of people are using the so – called ideology of the separation of church and state to totally annihilate Christianity. 

They are stealing away the people’s rights from practicing Christianity. They are gradually decreasing the number of places where Christianity can be practiced. 

They are stealing the rights of the people of America to practice their beliefs. They’ve banned Christianity from schools, banned Christianity from public places, they’ve even gone as far as stealing a Christian holiday. They have stolen Christmas. Those groups that have this strong influence over the American Government and Media are the Grinch that stole Christmas.   

When Martha and her Mum got home, Martha ponders about everything her Mum had said as she lay on her bed. She stares at a wall poster of Martin Luther King Junior in her room and an idea hits her. She takes permission to go outside from and her Mum and her Mum tells her that she can go. She taught that Martha was only going out to play.   

Martha tells all the kids in the neighborhood about the Grinch that’s trying to steal Christmas and convinces them to join her to protest. They make signs on little cardboard papers and marched in a circle in front of the man’s store chanting, “Merry Christmas Not Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas Not Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas Not Happy Holidays, …” over and over again.   

The kids told anyone who wanted to walk into the store that they shouldn’t shop there.   

The number of kids soon increased and the kids all told the owner of the store that they would not allow their parents shop there until he takes down the “Happy Holidays” sign and replaces it with “Merry Christmas.”   

The owner of the store figured at this point that he had better do what the kids say if he wants to stay in business. He took down the “Happy Holidays” sign and put up a “Merry Christmas” sign.   

When all the other stores in the district heard what happened. They too took down their “Happy Holidays” signs and put up “Merry Christmas” signs.   

Later that day, when Martha returned home her Mum asked her, “Did you have fun today honey?”   

Martha smiled and said, “I sure did Mummy.”

THE END.