Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

[AlbqOwl]

I confess I grump a bit when I receive a "Happy Holidays" card. When Target and Wal-Mart dropped "Christmas" from their promotional materials last year, I'll admit feeling insulted. For me, the season is Christmas and "Merry Christmas" is the way it should be, and, being one not too gung go on PC stuff, I stubbornly use that phrase in my greetings this time of year. And that beautiful old creche on the courthouse lawn is just fine.

At the same time, if I know my neighbor or friend or associate is Jewish, I wish him/her Happy Hannukah or whatever. I try not to be a total jerk.

So how is it for you? Big deal? Of no import? Should Christmas be politically correct? Or should Christians be accommodated in a season founded on a figure that they worship?

And while you are pondering that: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!

 

[rivrrat]

Merry Solstice; Happy Yule :mrgreen: (the true foundation of the season... not some dude named 'christ')

Oh, nice little tidbit on the subject from a blogger.

More petulant whining from the religiously correct

Isn't "holiday" etymologically derived from "holy day"? Why is that not good enough for these freaks? Don't they ever get tired of pretending to be victims?

Well, probably not, being that Christianity was only an apocalyptic doomsday cult to begin with, eagerly anticipating the end of the world, which they expected to see. They've never seemed to be able to adjust their self-image to the fact that they're not the scrappy little underdog anymore, fighting for the truth against a corrupt establishment - they are that establishment. Sort of like if a group of anarchists somehow got voted into office - how could they govern when all they ever wanted to do was destroy?

But hey, I'll gladly say "Merry Christmas" to anyone whose faith is so fragile that they need to hear it validated by strangers and casual acquaintances, as long as they're receptive to hearing about how much of their precious religion was invented by (and subsequently stolen from) other people.

And if you're really feeling festive, let's have a honest discussion about how unlikely it is that your God-man even existed.

Or you could just shut up and be glad anyone even wants to bother wishing you well in any form.

 

[WI Crippler]

Either or. I'm not offended by either greeting.

 

[ARealConservative]

I will never ever be offended by good intentions.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

yeah, hell if I care.

Back before O'Reilly declared a War on Christmas, Happy Holidays used to refer to New Years and Christmas as well a host of other hoildays that come during (gasp) The Holiday Season.

a tale full of sound and fury and all that

 

[rhinefire]

"Cash or Charge?" gets my vote.

 

[Gibberish]

I use Happy Solstice but mostly because it catches people off guard and initiates a theological discussion.

I use the terms depending on my environment though. If I am around people I most likely wont see until January I use Happy Holiday's. If I am around people who I know are some form of Christian I will use Merry Christmas. If I am with people I know are not Christian I will use Happy Holidays or more usually 'Have a good Holiday'.

 

[americanwoman]

I say whatever I feel like saying. It's not important to me.

 

[Thorgasm]

I confess I grump a bit when I receive a "Happy Holidays" card. When Target and Wal-Mart dropped "Christmas" from their promotional materials last year, I'll admit feeling insulted. For me, the season is Christmas and "Merry Christmas" is the way it should be, and, being one not too gung go on PC stuff, I stubbornly use that phrase in my greetings this time of year. And that beautiful old creche on the courthouse lawn is just fine.

Why do you grump? How is x-mas excluded from Happy Holidays? It's not. I think you are longing for preferential treatment that you are accustomed to.

At the same time, if I know my neighbor or friend or associate is Jewish, I wish him/her Happy Hannukah or whatever. I try not to be a total jerk.

How much of a jerk do you try to be?:rofl

Seriously though, Happy Holidays suffices for everyone. You don't need to be creed specific.

So how is it for you? Big deal? Of no import? Should Christmas be politically correct? Or should Christians be accommodated in a season founded on a figure that they worship?

It's no big deal. How is inclusion being politically correct?

And while you are pondering that: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!

And a Happy Festivus to you too!!!:2wave:

 

[dragonslayer]

I want to wish all of you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
May you have Happy Holidays and a fun time with your family and friends.

 

[AlbqOwl]

I want to wish all of you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
May you have Happy Holidays and a fun time with your family and friends.

Thank you Dragonslayer, that pretty much says it all.

 

[Thales]

I tend not to wish anyone anything at all unless I know them well, in which case I will probably know vaguely what their religious affiliation is. Whenever someone wishes me something, I usually return in kind without being horribly offended.

 

[dragonslayer]

I confess I grump a bit when I receive a "Happy Holidays" card. When Target and Wal-Mart dropped "Christmas" from their promotional materials last year, I'll admit feeling insulted. For me, the season is Christmas and "Merry Christmas" is the way it should be, and, being one not too gung go on PC stuff, I stubbornly use that phrase in my greetings this time of year. And that beautiful old creche on the courthouse lawn is just fine.

At the same time, if I know my neighbor or friend or associate is Jewish, I wish him/her Happy Hannukah or whatever. I try not to be a total jerk.

So how is it for you? Big deal? Of no import? Should Christmas be politically correct? Or should Christians be accommodated in a season founded on a figure that they worship?

And while you are pondering that: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!

If yu feel offended, that don't go the store that offended you.

 

[Intransigent Atheist]

I have family and friends who use Merry Christmas and I use it with them. Co-workers and others I meet may use Happy Holidays, and that is fine too. It's all good!

 

[Mach]

I think people who declare "Merry Christmas", are not being politically incorrect, they are just to me, appearing ignorant. But really no different than if someone said they were "religious", so don't read much into that.

It's like telling people "praise Jesus!". It's wierd, religous propoganda, unfortunately. I use to not think this way.

Yes, many in the U.S. grow up with fond memories of Christmas, Christmas specials, and all that jazz, and no doubt they are good memories, but we have Christians to blame for "Christianizing" the traditional winter solstice festivals, probably not related to gods and goddesses to begin with. It use to belong to everyone, of every relgion. Now it's got a big christian stamp on it, and it really should (and probably will) change.

Not to mention, our culture is made up of many religions. Most of the people I work with are not Christian, it would be really silly to declare "Merry Birth Of Christ!!"

So, it's not really our fault, but once we learn the reality, we should of course drop our religious mumbo jumbo, and adopt the view that we are excited about the end of the year, the time of year, etc., and exclaim that with Happy Holidays! or something that conveys exactly what we mean, rather than "Merry Christian Stuff that they stole from pagan festivals".

Ultimately this is about a 2 on a scale of 1-10 in priorities, so do I "really" care. Not so much..but it is annoying.

Christmas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pre-Christian origins
Main article: List of winter festivals
A winter festival was traditionally the most popular festival of the year in many cultures. Reasons included less agricultural work needing to be done during the winter, as well as people expecting longer days and shorter nights after the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.[4] In part, the Christmas celebration was created by the early Church in order to entice pagan Romans to convert to Christianity without losing their own winter celebrations.[5][4] Certain prominent gods and goddesses of other religions in the region had their birthdays celebrated on December 25, including Ishtar, Sol Invictus and Mithras . Various traditions are considered to have been syncretised from winter festivals including the following:

-Mach

 

[MarcusMagnus]

Whether you like it or not, this is a Christian nation.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

[CaptainCourtesy]

Whether you like it or not, this is a Christian nation.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

No it's not.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!

 

[CaptainCourtesy]

A little more debate oriented. We had a thread like this last year. I will say what I said then. I always say happy holidays, unless I know the person well and am aware of their religious beliefs. Though I'd like others to show me the same courtesy (I love that word), especially since I am not Christian, if someone doesn't, however their intentions are totally kind and meant in a well meaning way, I receive these wishes in the way they were intended, and do not grumble in the least.

 

[AlbqOwl]

A little more debate oriented. We had a thread like this last year. I will say what I said then. I always say happy holidays, unless I know the person well and am aware of their religious beliefs. Though I'd like others to show me the same courtesy (I love that word), especially since I am not Christian, if someone doesn't, however their intentions are totally kind and meant in a well meaning way, I receive these wishes in the way they were intended, and do not grumble in the least.

And if I knew you preferred Happy Holidays, that's the way I would greet you out of courtesy and sensitivity to your feelings. If I didn't know, as Christmas is the name of the celebration/season, I would Merry Christmas you.

It seems as absurd to me that we shouldn't "Merry Christmas" people on Christmas as it would be to not "Happy St. Patrick's Day" on St. Patrick's Day or Happy Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving or Happy Easter on Easter or Happy Hannukah at Hannukah.

 

[rivrrat]

And if I knew you preferred Happy Holidays, that's the way I would greet you out of courtesy and sensitivity to your feelings. If I didn't know, as Christmas is the name of the celebration/season, I would Merry Christmas you.

It seems as absurd to me that we shouldn't "Merry Christmas" people on Christmas as it would be to not "Happy St. Patrick's Day" on St. Patrick's Day or Happy Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving or Happy Easter on Easter or Happy Hannukah at Hannukah.

But xmas isn't the only celebration/season. There's the solstice, there's hannukah, there's kwanza, there's hindu traditions, there's New Years. Happy Holidays covers it all. It's been used for decades to "cover it all", especially xmas and new years. It's only recently that people have gotten all uppity about it just because their faith isn't singled out.

 

[AlbqOwl]

But xmas isn't the only celebration/season. There's the solstice, there's hannukah, there's kwanza, there's hindu traditions, there's New Years. Happy Holidays covers it all. It's been used for decades to "cover it all", especially xmas and new years. It's only recently that people have gotten all uppity about it just because their faith isn't singled out.

I enjoy participating in ALL those other celebrations and would of course extend the appropriate greeting when doing so.

I however, celebrate CHRISTMAS at Christmas, and the appropriate greeting, for me, is Merry Christmas. And I enjoy the participation of everybody in that happy celebration whether or not they accept the figure upon whom it is based. I don't see anybody getting 'uppity' re those who prefer other greetings in place of Merry Christmas. I see people objecting to those who seem to think Merry Christmas isn't an appropriate greeting.

 

[rivrrat]

I enjoy participating in ALL those other celebrations and would of course extend the appropriate greeting when doing so.

I however, celebrate CHRISTMAS at Christmas, and the appropriate greeting, for me, is Merry Christmas. And I enjoy the participation of everybody in that happy celebration whether or not they accept the figure upon whom it is based. I don't see anybody getting 'uppity' re those who prefer other greetings in place of Merry Christmas. I see people objecting to those who seem to think Merry Christmas isn't an appropriate greeting.

It's not an appropriate greeting for everyone.

Regardless, people should be "thankful" that someone wishes them well no matter how they do it.

Personally, I have no problem with someone wishing me "Merry Xmas". Their good tidings don't upset me even if I don't like xmas much. When my Indian friends wish me Happy Diwali, it didn't upset me either... even though I didn't celebrate it. (though we should... it was a fantastic celebration. Kind of like a mix of our xmas and Independence Day) They're wishing me well, why in the WORLD would I get bothered by the terms they use?

However, what upsets me is people who insist on being "wished" something specific. I don't *have* to wish anyone a bloody thing. The fact that I'm wishing someone well and they're taking issue with the words I use is insulting to me. I take the initiative and time and effort to convey good tidings and they have the nerve get pissy because I said "holiday" instead of xmas? Screw them, and screw wishing them well then. I'll save my good tidings for someone who actually deserves it and doesn't get all pissy over how I word my well wishes.

But, that's just me. :2razz:

 

[niftydrifty]

I confess I grump a bit when I receive a "Happy Holidays" card. When Target and Wal-Mart dropped "Christmas" from their promotional materials last year, I'll admit feeling insulted. For me, the season is Christmas and "Merry Christmas" is the way it should be, and, being one not too gung go on PC stuff, I stubbornly use that phrase in my greetings this time of year. And that beautiful old creche on the courthouse lawn is just fine.

At the same time, if I know my neighbor or friend or associate is Jewish, I wish him/her Happy Hannukah or whatever. I try not to be a total jerk.

So how is it for you? Big deal? Of no import? Should Christmas be politically correct? Or should Christians be accommodated in a season founded on a figure that they worship?

And while you are pondering that: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!

not everyone is a Christian. not everyone knows you are a Christian. what is making you feel grumpy is your assumption that everyone ought to be a Christian, or your assumption that everyone knows what religion everyone else is (or isn't). these are radical assumptions.

happy holidays, grumpy, from one Christian to another. there's more than one holiday going on at this time of year.

 

[jallman]

Whatever comes out of my mouth at the time is what I say. I am never going to tread on egg shells when offering a pleasant greeting. If someone gets offended because I said Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas, then they can get bent because its not that often I am actively trying to be nice and they have now insulted my good intentions.

Some people are just too pretentious and contentious to please and I recognize this from the first day the Christmas decorations hit the stores.

 

[niftydrifty]

Whatever comes out of my mouth at the time is what I say. I am never going to tread on egg shells when offering a pleasant greeting. If someone gets offended because I said Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas, then they can get bent because its not that often I am actively trying to be nice and they have now insulted my good intentions.

Some people are just too pretentious and contentious to please and I recognize this from the first day the Christmas decorations hit the stores.

great post. pretention and contention are a part of it. imo, intolerance has a hand as well.