On the one hand we have most Canadians identifying themselves as Christians. According to the last census it was 77%. Yet on the other hand, that means almost one quarter of Canadians do not identify as Christian. So do we say “Merry Christmas” and chance offending one in four Canadians? Or do we play the numbers game and go with the odds?

My advice is to stop “dumbing-down” on Christmas and start “smartening-up” on other celebrations.

I know people are concerned about offending others, but I’ve never heard of anyone being truly offended when you say Merry Christmas. If someone says they don’t celebrate Christmas, or I know they’re Jewish, for example, then I tailor my comments accordingly. Most Canadians, Christian or otherwise, are quite familiar with the importance of Christmas, and its message, to this country.

However, I think there’s the need for a trade-off. Canadians can’t ignore the fact that our demographics are changing. According to the same census data, the fastest growing religious groups in Canada are Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists

While the percentage growth between 1991 and 2001 is significant (Buddhists 183% increase; Hindus 189%; Sikhs 188% and Muslims 228%) the overall numbers are still quite small (Buddhists now make up only 1% of the population; Hindus 1%; Sikhs 94%; Muslims 1.96%).

When a few decades ago Canada stopped giving preferential treatment to people from countries where mostly White people live, our immigrants started reflecting the world that truly exists. Hence, more and more people will be coming to our country, and our workplaces, where they are not Christians. There is the whole legal side which employers need to consider, such as religious accommodations, however, I think there’s so much more we can do that doesn’t involve the law. Simple things.

If, for example, you are talking to someone on December 7th and you figure out there’s a chance you won’t see them before December 25th, what do most people say? Something like, “in case I don’t talk to you beforehand, have a Merry Christmas.” We go out of our way and because Christmas is so important to people (religious or family time) we just acknowledge that in a simple manner. It’s being considerate and that’s what we need to think about for those who have other celebrations in their lives.

If you ask people what is the holiest day of the year for Jewish people, you’ll get answers all over the map. Might be Passover, might be Hanukkah, might be another Jewish celebration people have heard of. Often people will guess that it’s Hanukkah because it comes around the same time as Christmas. In fact, the holiest day of the year is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement where Jews ask forgiveness and forgive others. If you weren’t brought up Jewish or knew Jewish people, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t know this.

Even though I was born and partly raised in Winnipeg, with a large Jewish population, most of my neighbours were not Jewish and I didn’t discover the importance until years later, when York University would close down for Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. When that happened every year, it stuck with me and I realized how important those days were.

When I think about the important days for other Canadians, those I had to learn from friends. While I got to know that Ramadan involved a month of fasting during the day for Muslims, I had no idea of the importance of Eid al-Fitr. Eid is the breaking of the fast and is marked by celebrations with family and friends.

If we consider a celebratory day that is new for Canada but deals with the people who were here before explorers or settlers, then we might want to look at celebrating or recognizing June 21st – National Aboriginal Day. This day was first suggested in 1982 by the organization which became the Assembly of First Nations and it is now given national recognition. Coming at the time of the summer solstice fits into the history of First Nations, Inuit and Metis people.

These are just a few examples where all Canadians can “smarten up” on celebrations that are just as important as Christmas is to Christians. And if people tell you they want to stick to the hard and fast rule of separation of church and state, tell them to consult Canada’s laws. That’s an American law. In Canada our laws are governed by religious accommodation. We’re getting better at it, but we’ve got a ways to go.

So when January comes around, take the time to mark on your calendars the days that are important to lots of Canadians. I’ll give you a hint – I buy the “Multifaith Calendar.” Google this to find the closest organization that sells it.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Wonderful Solstice and Happy New Year.

Stephen

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Stephen Hammond, B.A, LL.B, CSP, is a speaker, trainer and author working in the field of workplace human rights. Articles, tips and his books Managing Human Rights At Work: 101 Practical Tips to Prevent Human Rights Disasters and Steps in the Rights Direction: 365 human rights celebrations and tragedies that inspired Canada and the world are available on his website www.stephenhammond.ca. Contact Stephen at 866-685-8338 or stephen@stephenhammond.ca