Erin Goes Blagh

Merry Christmas Vs. Happy Holidays: Mom Talk

Does wishing people a happy holiday really water down the meaning of Christmas?

Happy holidays. Did that offend you? How about if I wished you a merry Christmas instead? There seems to be a growing number of people who get ticked off if they hear the wrong greeting. A friend once told me a story about how he, his wife and two daughters were filling up at a gas station. A woman across the pump wished him a merry Christmas. He smiled and replied the same. Then, she got a little smug and asked, "That's OK for me to say, isn't it, 'merry Christmas?'" My friend laughed as he told me the story. "Probably the only four Jews in the entire town happened to be in my vehicle at that moment," he said. He wasn't offended that a Christian woman wished a Jewish man a merry Christmas. Another example, my girlfriend declined coming to…

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Retail Therapy In Your Own Backyard

Start the holiday season by shopping locally in the Channahon, Minooka and Shorewood areas.

The air is crisp, the wheel of the year is turning, and old man winter is right around the corner. With the cold weather comes the hustle and bustle of the impending winter holidays and of course, all the shopping that goes with it.     It is with thoughts like these that I encourage everyone to buy local in the coming months. Why buy local? Locally owned and operated establishments in your community provide goods and services with everything from soup to nuts. Buying local is good for the environment because it saves energy by using less packaging and less transportation. Buying local preserves the individuality of your community; those cute mom and pop diners and quaint little boutiques are what make your community interesting. Keeping …

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