You know how there's an unspoken rule that all the adults pretend there's a Santa Claus and an Easter Bunny to kids, and no one lets the cat out of the bag out of respect for the beliefs of the kids, and the magic it has for them?

If you do not believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, or that Jesus was the Son of God, etc...or in the Miracle of Lights that Hannukah celebrates, or that eating a cheese burger is morally wrong, etc...

Would it kill you to just play along like you do for the kids?



Its a basic courtesy, don't rain on their parade...its their parade.



If someone tells me to have a nice Shabey Yaldah (sic), even though I'm not Iranaian, I don't feel a need to tell them that I have somehow rejected their greeting, I CAN have a nice Shabey Yaldah, even if I have no idea what it means...a day's a day, call it what you will.

If I say have a merry X-mas...even if you are Muslim, it should be the same...we call the day X-mas...have a merry one...if you have a problem being merry, that's a separate issue, perhaps more serious.



Muslims greet me with Salaam Alekiem (sic), I might reply with Alekiem Salaam...its just being polite.

If I later find that Salaam Alekeim means "I have the bombs", and Alekeim Salaam means "And I the fuses...", so be it....

...I don't have to have the fuses, and the Muslims don't have to believe that Jesus was more than a prophet...its just a salutation, and a wish for a nice day.



S0 just agree to have a happy hannukah, a merry x-mas, a roudy ramadon, a not so shabby yaldah, or whatever....and do not be an asshat and rain on the parades.