Getting a haircut in a little, local Palm Springs barbershop, I found myself running into the whole Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays argument.

One of the barbers wished a departing customer, “Happy Holidays.” This caused his next customer to launch into a long lecture on the problem with saying Happy Holidays and how it should always be Merry Christmas. This guy was so passionate about the subject he went on for 20 minutes plus.

The barber cutting his hair just quietly listened, somehow resisting the temptation to clip the self-appointed Merry Christmas’ policeman’s ear.

No one loves a good controversy more than me. I’m all for exposing fakeness (see the Michelle Wie hype machine). I usually enjoy Bill O’Reilly’s pointed opinions, even if I don’t always agree with them. (Anyone who can rile up George Clooney and mock Sean Penn so effectively has something going for him).

But I must admit I couldn’t really get into this whole war on Christmas furor. It didn’t peak my interest either way.

Then, I listened to someone tell his barber how he should talk to people. A company order that you cannot say Merry Christmas is wrong. But so is dictating that you need to say it. This guy works at a little barbershop. He should be able to address his customers any way he wishes, without a lecture from some deluded guy who thinks he’s fighting for Christmas.

On my way out of the shop, I made sure to turn to the Merry Christmas Orderer and deliver a smiley “Happy Holidays.” The glare back was almost as rewarding as the Wie Warriors’ increasingly desperate no-win defenses.

What does this all have to do with golf? If more people played it, they’d have less time to obsess over dumb things. And more time to worry about the truly important stuff.

You know, like hybrid woods.

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