We don't wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a Happy Holidays!

[Glenn]

I don't know if it's me, but I'm getting pretty sick of people getting so technical about their messages during the holiday season.

I was content with hearing Merry Christmas (being Jewish) since I celebrate it anyways. Even if I didn't celebrate it, I'd get the message that people were wishing me a happy season.

I didn't mind stores changing their message to Happy Holidays. That way, if anybody did get offended, this would make sure that it wouldn't happen.

The two things at which I'm pissed:
1. People getting caught up over stores saying Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays
2. Christians who are getting caught up over the fact that stores are saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. Other religions exist you know. Get fucking over it.

[Todd]

I prefer Happy Holidays. Deep down inside, it pisses me off when someone says Merry Christmas. I don't ever say anything, but it pisses me off how people just assume that because they're Christain, everyone else is (I'm Atheist from a Jewish family).

[Friskey™]

Happy Non-Demoniational Winter Season works fine by me. So does Happy Festivius :lol:

All jokes aside, I so agree with Glenn.

[Luke]

Merry Christmas everyone! :P

Just joking :) To be honest I do agree that people shouldn't say Merry Christmas to everyone because they might not celebrate Christmas, however having said that, many people from different religions say Merry Christmas around me including Muslim people and Jewish people so I don't think it matters too much.

@Todd: The 'Sex: Yes Please' thing is hilarious :lol:

[F-ck Casey]

Happy Jesusmas is my saying.

[User Name]

Other religions exist you know.

Thanks Captain Obvious. Are there any other insights that you would like to provide the forums with?

What I don't understand about the whole thing is why people are singling out a religion and not others. I haven't seen the Islamic practice of Ramadan be changed. Yom Kippur? Chanukah? Lughnasadh? Ascension of the Baha'u'llah? They should change those. "It might offend people".

[Luke]

Thanks Captain Obvious. Are there any other insights that you would like to provide the forums with?

What I don't understand about the whole thing is why people are singling out a religion and not others. I haven't seen the Islamic practice of Ramadan be changed. Yom Kippur? Chanukah? Lughnasadh? Ascension of the Baha'u'llah? They should change those. "It might offend people".
I've gotta admit, that's a good and valid point.

[Intergalactic Christ]

I've gotta admit, that's a good and valid point.

Me too.

We're bending over backwards to accomodate (right word?) these people, but if we kicked up a stink about, say, something in the torah or qu'ran, we'd be labelled all sorts of nasty things.

Also, I will say Merry Christmas to people if I want to. All I want to do is share some christmas magic with people, they should be happy that we want to include non-christians/people of other religions and we aren't blocking them out, but nothing is ever good enough anymore, eh?

[Glenn]

Thanks Captain Obvious. Are there any other insights that you would like to provide the forums with?

What I don't understand about the whole thing is why people are singling out a religion and not others. I haven't seen the Islamic practice of Ramadan be changed. Yom Kippur? Chanukah? Lughnasadh? Ascension of the Baha'u'llah? They should change those. "It might offend people".

1. I was speaking to the specific ignorant Christians (not saying that all Christians are ignorant)...not to members of this board.

2. I was singling out the fact that people were starting to single out these holidays. That is exactly what made me sick. The fact that people get offended and try to change things for their own good. Just leave things the way they are...

[Holiday]

I like saying happy winter solstice.....I know, I'm weird, but it is actually a real thing to celebrate and people have been celebrating winter solstice for thousands of years longer than these other holidays.

[Dr. Octogonapus]

I love how this country is so hell-bent on being politically correct about EVERYTHING these days, that people will get into arguments over the phrase "Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays." These phrases are said as a friendly comment, with good intentions. It amazes me that people these days will take good-natured phrases offensively.

Merry Christmas everybody!

[Anya]

I'm Jewish, but my Mom's Christian and my Dad's Jewish so we celebrate both Christmas and Hannukah. I don't really mind the whole 'Merry Christmas' thing then but I guess I can't really say much, because it can still be offending towards some other people of course. I did see this huge lit up sign yesterday in front of a trailor park saying "Happy Birthday Jesus Christ!" which I did find stupid, because it seemed like they were just yelling out that that's the only holiday there is. I don't see enough "Happy Hannukah!" or anything with Kwanzaa really.

I don't think I really mind saying "Happy Holiday's" then but I don't see why we really have to if we just say all the Holidays instead by saying Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy Kwanzaa. It's not so hard to say.

[User Name]

Funny thing is about the whole "Happy Birthday Jesus" thing is that Jesus wasn't born anywhere near when we celebrate Christmas. His birth has been narrowed down to somewhere about 5 or 4 BC, possibly in the spring.

[Whimsicality]

I honestly cannot believe that this is even an issue. I do not give a fuck weather or not people say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." I do not understand why anyone else gives a fuck. The fact that this is a big issue seems to demostrate how pathetic the media can be--hello, isn't there something better to get worried about?

If you want to say "Happy Holidays" then by all means say it. Ditto for "Merry Christmas." Does it really matter which one other people choose?

Oh, and IMO, Christmas belongs to the toy companies a whole lot more then it belongs to the Christians.

It's also kind of funny that Christmas is such an issue when so few people care about "Happy Halloween" or whatever.

[Link04]

I honestly cannot believe that this is even an issue. I do not give a fuck weather or not people say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." I do not understand why anyone else gives a fuck. The fact that this is a big issue seems to demostrate how pathetic the media can be--hello, isn't there something better to get worried about?

If you want to say "Happy Holidays" then by all means say it. Ditto for "Merry Christmas." Does it really matter which one other people choose?

Oh, and IMO, Christmas belongs to the toy companies a whole lot more then it belongs to the Christians.

It's also kind of funny that Christmas is such an issue when so few people care about "Happy Halloween" or whatever.
Agreed.

[Will]

Thanks Captain Obvious. Are there any other insights that you would like to provide the forums with?

What I don't understand about the whole thing is why people are singling out a religion and not others. I haven't seen the Islamic practice of Ramadan be changed. Yom Kippur? Chanukah? Lughnasadh? Ascension of the Baha'u'llah? They should change those. "It might offend people".
Here in the Western world those holidays aren't celebrated as prominently as Christmas is. Since Christianity is the dominant religion in most of Europe and North America, it's the one that's going to be singled out the most since it's the most prominent. I really don't think it has anything to do with religion directly.

But I was watching The O'Reilly Factor the other night with my Maddox bingo card and someone sent him a particularly funny e-mail:

"Hey, Bill. I bought a Holiday Tree today. The best part is that it looks just like a Christmas tree."

I found that funny. If you don't like hearing "Merry Christmas," ignore it. You know what you celebrate so deal with it. I'm one-hundred percent sure that if Kwanzaa was the dominant holiday in the Western world, hearing "Happy Kwanzaa" (or whatever it is that they say -- I'm not familiar with it) all the time would be annoying and it'd be singled out.

I enjoy Winter-een-mas and Christmahaunukwanzaakah myself.

[+ / –]

Funny thing is about the whole "Happy Birthday Jesus" thing is that Jesus wasn't born anywhere near when we celebrate Christmas. His birth has been narrowed down to somewhere about 5 or 4 BC, possibly in the spring.
And even then, it was changed to January 6th for a time, and after that, December 25th. It wasn't officially changed until some time later.

Does that mean we get presents in January AND in the spring? ^_^

[User Name]

Although that was be pretty sweet, it won't be happening. :lol:

[Dean]

I honestly cannot believe that this is even an issue. I do not give a fuck weather or not people say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." I do not understand why anyone else gives a fuck. The fact that this is a big issue seems to demostrate how pathetic the media can be--hello, isn't there something better to get worried about?

If you want to say "Happy Holidays" then by all means say it. Ditto for "Merry Christmas." Does it really matter which one other people choose?

Oh, and IMO, Christmas belongs to the toy companies a whole lot more then it belongs to the Christians.

It's also kind of funny that Christmas is such an issue when so few people care about "Happy Halloween" or whatever.
^

[rosanna]

my family celebrates christmas without any religious meaning whatsoever. my parents are lapsed catholic, my brothers and sister are agnostic, i guess, and i'm atheist. we say merry christmas. we aren't trying to be blatantly christian, and we don't go to church. it's just a holiday. just like halloween. are people going to get this pissed off when someone says happy halloween? hell no, but then again, it has nothing to do with religion (or at least not the way americans celebrate it). so once again, religion is to blame here. and it's pointless to argue about it because it is never going to change, and there is nothing you can do about it.

i am just saying that saying merry christmas does not imply that you are christian.

[The Doctor]

I personally think people are too damn uptight about everything. Who the hell cares what a person says, as long as it has the same good message behind it? You know what I say? Merry fucking Christmas, happy fucking New Year.

[Glenn]

Hah...I basically agree with everyone. Some funny expressions too :p

[Louis]

About Halloween, you shouldn't compare it. It's not a religious holiday anyway.

I don't say Happy Holidays. I actually find that to be stupid. I say Happy (insert holiday here) to the people who celebrate that holiday. If someone celebrates Christmas, I say Merry Christmas. Same with Jewish people, and so on.

The fuss about it is stupid. That's all I can say.

[Cale.]

http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/images/xm5.jpg

[rosanna]

that is why i compared halloween, cuz it isn;t a religious holiday. people can celebrate holidays and not be religious about it.

[Matt]

I don't really mind how most people are saying Happy Holidays (I'm Catholic), but it kind of annoys me how everything has to be politically correct.

[Caitlin]

Isn't "Holidays" derived from "Holy Days" ..? Which I guess would kinda defeat the purpose of being politically correct. Or something.

[Whimsicality]

Isn't "Holidays" derived from "Holy Days" ..? Which I guess would kinda defeat the purpose of being politically correct. Or something.

Haha!


Dictionary.com Says:

hol·i·day
n.
A day free from work that one may spend at leisure, especially a day on which custom or the law dictates a halting of general business activity to commemorate or celebrate a particular event.
A religious feast day; a holy day.
Chiefly British. A vacation. Often used in the phrase on holiday.

intr.v. Chiefly British holi·dayed, holi·day·ing, holi·days
To pass a holiday or vacation.

[Middle English holidai, holy day, from Old English hlig dæg : hlig, holy; see holy + dæg, day; see day.]

[Linja]

I don't actually mind what people say, be it Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas or Happy Hannukah. I don't know why this offends some people. I'm Muslim, but that doesn't mean I'm really religious and disregard all other holidays. I actually celebrate a lot of other vacations and holidays.

[mathew51b]

well, england is going through the whole, 'you cant call christmas lights christmas lights, they are winter lights'. but what i dont see is, that christmas and all things to do with it are to do with Christians, right, so let it be, and there only christmas lights if there up at christmas.

also, its the whole changing something to try not to offend people, not because it has offended people.

okie, off topic now, but i think that people should be able to say what they want, what they feel more appropiate to,

everything im sayind today seems to contradict it seld, oh well

[rosanna]

i don't know, i don't deal with religious fanatics on a regular basis so i don't have to listen to the bullshit about people being religiously correct and all that.