Christmas – Small Business Odyssey

It’s so easy in the rush and bustle of present buying and preparation of Christmas lunch or dinner, to forget the meaning of Christmas.

For Christians, it is the day Christ was born – the day a new awarensss dawned about what it means to be human.

It’s the day that reminds us about our connectiveness and engenders an appreciation of others. It opens up our hearts to give and receive love – Christmas carols express this so emotively.

Christmas is the day we spend with our families and focus on them – something that is so hard to do in our busy lives.

My wish for you is that the Spirit of Christmas pervades your life and sustains the joy that is so often experienced at this time.

For those of you who do not celebrate Christmas, my thoughts are with you – at a time when you can feel excluded and misunderstood. It is the diversity of beliefs and faiths and persepctives that enriches our humanity. If Christmas teaches nothing else, it should serve to build tolerance and respect and valuing differences.

Christmas is a very special time of the year for many people worldwide but do you know how many of your customers do not celebrate this festive season?

There was an article in ‘The Australian‘ newspaper recently that highlighted the fact that our old assumptions about demographics could be very wrong in relation to the religion of our customers. The newspaper reported that parents at one Montessori School in an inner suburb of Sydney were ‘up in arms’ over the lyrics used in Christmas songs at the school. Apparently, the words, ‘We wish you a happy holiday’ were substituted for ”We wish you a Merry Christmas’.

Some parents were really upset that all reference to Christmas, Santa and the birth of Christ were omitted from the lyrics, despite the children singing five songs.

The Montessori school’s response reiterated the ‘inclusive, co-educational, non-denominational’ nature of the school which includes educating children in multi-cultural awareness.

The Principal explained the shool’s policy in these terms:

Out policy is that we give children keys to the world and we show them many celebrations including Christmas. We look at cultures and the particular ways that people celebrate such as Easter, Christmas and Chanukah.

Apparently, the teacher involved was trying to accommodate the fact that there were Hindus and Jewish children in their classroom.

But it does raise the issue about what assumptions you have about the religious make-up of your customer base. Do you assume that everyone is Christian? Have you accommodated other religions in your marketing?

A Happy Christmas to those who celebrate this Festive Season

A Happy and a Safe Holiday to Everyone

Image Credit: paparutzi

Tag: Christmas

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