To start off with, I am not a Muslim, but if somebody sends me an “Eid al Fitr” card, I will accept it gratefully and in the spirit in which it was given. I will not be offended and quite frankly, I will be pleased that somebody thought to wish me a happy anything, even if they think their God is on the same existential level as Mr. Bubble. Were I to be offended, that would say much more about me, then it would about their religious faith. With that said, poker is a very social game, especially live poker. Now that we are into the Christmas season, this brings up the whole “Merry Christmas” vs. “Happy Holidays” question.
During this Christmas season, many of us will get together in homes and casinos for holdem, stud, draw or to play Omaha poker. When leaving the table you may want to give a holiday greeting, and while the majority of poker players will reflexively start to go with “Merry Christmas”, due to the politically correct wet blankets out there, they might self edit and mumble “Happy Holidays” instead. Regardless of what the BBC, MSNBC, ACLU or the Huffington Post has to say on the issue, it is okay to wish a table of poker players Merry Christmas.
This is less of an issue in online poker then it is in live poker. A lot of people who play Omaha poker or holdem in cyberspace don’t bother with chit chat; they simply log out of the room and go about their business. If they do say anything, it is to an anonymous room full of avatars, so who cares about political correctness? This is a little different when you play poker games in a live setting.
Poll after poll on this issue has supported the fact that most people prefer “Merry Christmas” to “Happy Holidays”. Remember, diversity is about accepting each other, not stifling somebody else’s beliefs in favor of your own. The sort of person whose religious and political applecart can be upset by the words “Merry Christmas” has much deeper problems than your holiday greeting; problems that may require professional help. So when you play poker games with friends and strangers this holiday season, if you want to say “Merry Christmas” do so. If “Happy Holidays” is more your cup of tea, go for it! If you want to wish the gathering a belated “Happy Diwali”, more power to you. Don’t let somebody else’s misplaced political correctness spoil your good time or centuries of tradition.
