Paulo Jordao Photography - BLOG

 I was raised Catholic, and even if I don’t practice my religion as much as I should, I still like Christmas Time.

For me, the best thing about Christmas is that most of people enjoy more their friends and family this time of the year and that for few weeks, during the month of December, people come at you with open hearts smiling and wishing you Merry Christmas.

But this was before I came to America.

This December, I celebrate exactly 10 years since I first came to Florida - USA.

I was lucky enough to watch at first sight the beauty of Las Olas Boulevard Christmas Lights and the beautiful people walking at the streets.

After that I noticed that people would approach me wishing me Happy Holidays and not Merry Christmas. It took a long time to understand why people were doing that - in my mind, a holiday without a name does not have a meaning.

On 4^th of July, you say “Happy 4^th of July” - On Thanksgiving, you say “Happy Thanksgiving” - so… Why that on Christmas, people were wishing me Happy Holidays and not Merry Christmas?

I understand that you might not share the same religion or believes, but when you wish me Happy Holidays, I certainly don’t feel as special as when you wish me Merry Christmas (for me Happy Holidays mean “Happy Commercial Shopping Time”) .

And if you are Jewish, I would prefer you wishing me Happy Hanukkah, because Hanukkah means something important to you as much as Christmas is to me.

So for this Christmas I will wish you MERRY CHRISTMAS and I will be ok if you turn back to me and wish me HAPPY HANUKKAH.

Merry Christmas to All!

Paulo