Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

[Moonitic]

Say whatever you want, just don't try to tell other people that they can't express THEIR holiday's wishes (this goes out to all the schools & businesses who threaten punishment to their employees for uttering the dreaded "Merry Christmas," but want all the benefits that the holiday includes...like days off & extra income. You can't have it both ways).

Merry Christmas & Happy whatever-you-celebrate. Regardless of your choice, stay safe & be blessed.

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by SouthPaw

I don't get offended when people say Happy Hannukah or Kwanzaa or anything to me, it's just cultural/religious differences. If a Jewish person said Happy Hannukah to you, you would be like "that's fine, he's Jewish, it makes sense because that's what he celebrates," but if a Christian says Merry Christmas to a Jewish person, it's insulting because the Jewish guy is the minority? Doesn't make much sense to me.

Yes, but I can imagine a Jew getting tired of it by the 300th time someone says "Merry Christmas" to him. Seriously, what if, EVERYWHERE you went, you saw signs that said "Happy Hannuka", for two months, every year of your life? I know that I'd eventually start to think, "you know what? I'm glad that you're the majority, but I'm really not going to have a Merry Christmas. I'm just going to sit at home because the stores aren't open, and there's nothing on TV. And I have to work on all my religion's holidays."
As I said, forced equality can be, and oftentimes is, taken too far. But I can see why some people do get offended by well-meaning people simply wishing them a "Merry Christmas".

[Victor]

I would appreciate any store that directed its clerks to welcome customers with, "Buy your Christmas gifts here! Buy lots of presents from us!" ... At least it's honest commercialism.

[Hamley]

Just keep it simple....to like "happy christmashunnukakwanza"

[Moonitic]

Originally Posted by mrbiggs

Yes, but I can imagine a Jew getting tired of it by the 300th time someone says "Merry Christmas" to him. Seriously, what if, EVERYWHERE you went, you saw signs that said "Happy Hannuka", for two months, every year of your life? I know that I'd eventually start to think, "you know what? I'm glad that you're the majority, but I'm really not going to have a Merry Christmas. I'm just going to sit at home because the stores aren't open, and there's nothing on TV. And I have to work on all my religion's holidays."
As I said, forced equality can be, and oftentimes is, taken too far. But I can see why some people do get offended by well-meaning people simply wishing them a "Merry Christmas".

I have Jewish friends. When someone says "Merry Christmas" to them, they respond kindly by saying, "I'm Jewish, but thank you." The key here is what you said...WELL MEANING people are wishing them happiness. No one should have to be afraid of punishment simply because they offered a greeting of their faith to someone else.

On another note, I'm very angry that the holiday season started the day after Halloween this year. Retailers, I almost expect (unfortunately) but radio stations? Come on!

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by Moonitic

I have Jewish friends. When someone says "Merry Christmas" to them, they respond kindly by saying, "I'm Jewish, but thank you." The key here is what you said...WELL MEANING people are wishing them happiness. No one should have to be afraid of punishment simply because they offered a greeting of their faith to someone else.

I also have Jewish friends. I don't think that most people are offended by an innocent, well-meaning holiday greeting, but I can understand how one might be.

[KShan5[PrFC]]

Originally Posted by mrbiggs

I can understand when someone who is really into another religion starts to become annoyed by constant wishes of a "Merry Christmas" they don't celebrate.

But on the other hand, you are not ALLOWED to put the word "Christmas" up on a poster in my school. Like, for example, if you're trying to do some Christmas-related fundraiser or charity, it becomes a....Holiday-related fundraiser or charity. Which is going a little far, I think. Being inoffensive is one thing, erasing all forms of culture and religion from all public places is another.

Didn't the White House's "hristmas Tree"suddenly become the "Holiday Tree" last year? It's obviously a Christmas Tree people...why do we have to call it a "Holiday Tree"?? Oh that's right, the PC left is at it again...damn Democrats.

[oiuyt]

Just pulled up US census figures (inspired by some statisitcs just cited by Ted Koppel on whatever TV show my mom is watching in the next room (Nightline?) that I missed regarding what percentage of Americans are Christian).

Survey figures are from 2001 via a phone survey taken in the lower 48 states. Respondents were given an open-ended question and asked to describe themselves in terms of religion. No suggested list of possible responses was offered by the questioners.

76.7% identified themselves as some flavor of christian
24.5% identified themselves as Catholic
16.3% Baptist
7.8% Protestant (no denomination specified)
7.8% Methodist/Wesleyan
13.2% identified themselves as having no religion
5.4% refused to answer the question
3.7% identified themselves as having a non-Christian religion

For the purposes of the survey, atheist, agnostic, secular, and humanist were all considered subcategories of the no religion category (although all were very small minorities (less than 0.5% of the total)).

Judaism (1.4%) was the only non-Christian religion to receive at least 1% of the responses. Muslim/Islamic (0.5%) and Buddhist (0.5%) were the next two. There were more Jehovah's Witnesses (0.7%) than either of those two religions.

I grew up in a community with a significant Jewish population and went to school at a college with a significant Jewish population, so numbers as extreme as what the census reports always come as a bit of a surprise to me. The VAST majority of this country considers itself to be Christian. Everything else comes in WAY behind.

Does that mean that individuals in those minorities should be made to feel unwelcome? No, of course not. Always interesting to be reminded exactly how small those minorities really are when looking at the country as a whole, however.

-B :)

[KShan5[PrFC]]

I think we al agre that they shouldn't be made to feel unwelcome. But if they get offended over Merry Christmas? That is a different story. If someone is saying Merry Christmas to you, consider the sentiment behind it, not the fact that they didn't do a background check to find what religion you practiced.

[Repechage]

But if the sentiment behind "Merry Christmas" is simply "Happy Holidays," then why not just say "Happy Holidays" rather than cloaking it in the guise of a religious blessing? Not that Christmas is really a religious holiday any more than Halloween is really All Saints Eve, so it should be "Happy Holidays" anyway.

[Peach]

Originally Posted by oiuyt

The VAST majority of this country considers itself to be Christian. Everything else comes in WAY behind.

Does that mean that individuals in those minorities should be made to feel unwelcome? No, of course not. Always interesting to be reminded exactly how small those minorities really are when looking at the country as a whole, however.

-B

Yeah, but don't forget that "Christian" includes a number of sects and denominations holding beliefs far more divergent than some completely separate religions. Which was part of why the Founding Fathers insisted on separation of Church and State--in order to protect Christians against different flavors of Christians.

That's one of the things that makes me nervous about our current President--I'm a Christian, just not his flavor, and he and his supporters keep talking as if there's only one flavor.

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by Repechage

But if the sentiment behind "Merry Christmas" is simply "Happy Holidays," then why not just say "Happy Holidays" rather than cloaking it in the guise of a religious blessing? Not that Christmas is really a religious holiday any more than Halloween is really All Saints Eve, so it should be "Happy Holidays" anyway.

And indeed my seasonal greeting cards last year said "Happy Holidays". Of course this year's (which actually have yet to be mailed, oops) have "Merry Christmas" as part of the printed text. Then again that was due to the insanely cute picture of a puppy with a red cap on the front of the cards swaying me towards the pruchase despite my typical preference towards non-religious messages.

Meh, I figure people can deal. I expect the cards to be received with the intent of them in mind rather than as an exact expression of my sentiments. That is, of course, assuming that I actually get them into a mailbox so that they can BE received at some point. Of course the fact that I consider them more seasonal greeting cards than Christmas cards (message notwithstanding) makes a nice excuse for why they're going to be what most other people might consider late this year. :)

-B :)
(apologies to the vast majority of f.net'ers who will NOT be receiving a seasonal greeting card from me this year and have a chance to see the aforementioned insanely cute puppy.)

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by Peach

Yeah, but don't forget that "Christian" includes a number of sects and denominations holding beliefs far more divergent than some completely separate religions. Which was part of why the Founding Fathers insisted on separation of Church and State--in order to protect Christians against different flavors of Christians.

That's one of the things that makes me nervous about our current President--I'm a Christian, just not his flavor, and he and his supporters keep talking as if there's only one flavor. :)

Very true.

For reference, 9 flavors would come it ahead of Judaism (the four mentioned earlier, plus Lutheran, Presbyterian, Protestant - no denomination specified (I mis-typed/mis-read before, what I had formerly cited as this should have been "Christian - no denomination specified"), Pentecostal/Charismatic, and Episcopalian/Anglican). An additional 6 (Morman/LDS, Churches of Christ, Nondenominational, Congregational/United Church of Christ, Jehovah's Witness, Assembleis of God) rank between Judaism and Muslim/Islam, and "Evangelical" is the last remaining subcategory at or above the million-member (~0.5% of the total) threshold.

Note that all of the percentages in the survey are percentages of the adult US population (so are out of 207,980,000 US-adults).

Then again, note that all of the various flavors of Judaism are lumped into just the single category.

-B :)

[Capt. Slo-mo]

To all, a happy holiday season of your choice and a peaceful new year!
May your new year be bug free....

[Inquartata]

I wonder whether this great concern with not offending people of another religion is also felt in, say, Israel? Do Christian tourists ( or native Christians, for that matter ) grow incensed at the ubiquity of Jewish greetings aimed at them? Or is it a phenomenon limited to us overly sensitive Americans?

Maybe we should all just say "Happy Festivus"!

[Kismet]

I prefer Merry Christmas. I am not Christian, but I celebrate Christmas. Of course, I am fine with happy holidays, or Merry Yule, or Happy Hannukah, or anything else. It doesn't really matter to me.

I honestly think people need to suck it up though. The majority of people celebrate Christmas, at any rate. And it's a nice thing to say.

Lots of people wished me a Merry Christmas at work today, and they don't know what holiday I celebrate. So.

[dunastor]

I don't think Christmas has that big of a religious aura anymore. It's just a holiday at the end of december.
For some people there still is the whole "birthday of Jesus celebration"-thing, but I believe that to be a minority. To wish someone merry Christmas is to me somewhat the same as to wish someone a happy weekend. I don't have to wish every Jewish person happy sabbat every week do I?

[Repechage]

Originally Posted by Kismet

I honestly think people need to suck it up though. The majority of people celebrate Christmas, at any rate. And it's a nice thing to say.

Ah. So the sentiment underlying "Merry Christmas" would then be not "Have a good holiday," but "I'm saying something nice whether you like or or not, and it's popular, so suck it up"?

[Inquartata]

Who are you who are so wise in the ways of science?

[Rogue]

Originally Posted by Inquartata

Maybe we should all just say "Happy Festivus"!

My Festivus pole is is looking great this year.
"A Festivus for the rest of us!"