RE: This Q&A: What do I tell my wife, her sister, and their church who insist that Christ did not have a Mass and wished me a "Happy Christ's Birth" last "Christmas"? I can get really upset when pastors, supposedly people in authority or teachers, talk so much about things they know nothing about!

J.F.--

First you should decide whether this is something you really wish to argue about with your wife and her sister. I don't doubt that the refusal to call Christmas by its proper name can be annoying, but it may not be worth feuding over with your wife and her sister. If you decide it is worth making your position known, you might say as calmly as possible, "The holiday I celebrate is called 'Christmas' and I would appreciate it if you would give me the courtesy of calling it by that name when wishing me a happy holiday. If you like, I am more than happy to use the greeting you prefer when extending holiday greetings to you." Nonetheless, if your wife and her sister refuse to do so, I can only recommend saying something like, "All right. Call the holiday by the name that you prefer. I'll do the same by continuing to call it 'Christmas.'"

Michelle Arnold
Catholic Answers

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