You Don’t Say
Today is Halloween, folks. You know what that means: It’ll soon be time to pull out those holiday story clichés, dust them off and — you know — regift them.
Lucky for us, master copy desk chief John McIntyre of the Baltimore Sun has compiled a list of annual “holiday cautions,” because — as he says: “Chestnuts roasting by an open fire are fine, but they should be kept out of copy and headlines.”
Examples:
“’Tis the season”: Not in copy, not in headlines, not at all. Never, never, never, never, never. You cannot make this fresh. Do not attempt it.
“Yes, Virginia” allusions: No.
“Grinch steals”: When someone vandalizes holiday decorations, steals a child’s toys from under the tree, or otherwise dampens holiday cheer, this construction may be almost irresistible. Resist it.
Along with the fun Scrooge-like snark are some things that most of us, sure enough, might not know…
If you must mention Kriss Kringle, remember the double s.
And…
Hanukkah is a holiday more like Independence Day than Christmas, and it is only the coincidence of the calendar dates in a gentile culture that has caused the holiday to mimic Christian and secular elements. The holidays are coincidental; they are not twins.
Comments