adventures in disaster

Happy holidays

Working in a hospital creates some interesting moments. It's Christmas time for me right now but for a lot of the people I work with it's just another week. Over Christmas we close beds and shut down the operating room. We limit everything to emergency only.
I wonder ..Is that really fair?
Some of our doctors aren't Christians or even worse don't celebrate Christmas and yes, I can feel their frustration with this interference in their income. You don't make any money not operating.
We don't close the OR down this long for any other holiday in the year. Passover gets one day.
I love Christmas and I am very glad to get the break but I do wonder how much longer we can demand it.
The resentment rises every year.
I think it's only a matter of time before religious holidays are no longer included in our vacation package.
It's also weird when inevitably you say "have a merry Christmas" to one of your non Christian/non Christmas co-workers. I never know what to do because I have already said it at the very same moment I remember they don't celebrate the same holidays I do. I always feel like an ass, an insensitive ass.
Why ? I guess it's that politically correct straight jacket we all got fitted for in the nineties.
What is wrong with someone who doesn't do the Jesus thing enjoying Christmas too? Nothing wrong with wishing them a happy day right?

I wish we could just blurt out have a merry Christmas and have no one take offense or demand we take those awful fake Christmas trees out of the lobby.

So, I mumble something lame about have a good vacation or ineptly repeat "oh, sorry , Happy New year then" and slink off.
I am left with happy holidays, that painful walmart greeting that means nothing except "look at me not offending your religious affiliation".
The truly weird thing about Christmas is people who like me who have no religious sentiment at all but celebrate anyway.
I ignore or try to anyway the fake birthday aspect because we all know Jesus wasn't born on Christmas day, the church co-opted a pagan winter solstice celebration for their own purposes.
I celebrate it for the idea that for one day a year a lot of people are thinking the very same thing. Let's have some peace, let's be nice to each other and let's eat some good food.
So, to hell with it..Merry Christmas to every one....

posted by adventures in disaster @ 10:09 PM