Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Does it Matter?

m.newson6.com...

The above link is a news story about how Tulsa Oklahoma is having a Christmas parade AND a holiday parade so all the butthurt people can have their way.

Another battle over Christmas. We go thru this every year. Is anyone else sick of this crap? With all the bullsh** going on us silly Americans will bicker with one another about "Christmas" vs. "Holiday". I for one could care less. Call it Dingdong day for all I care. It doesn't matter. Let people call it what they want.

reply to post by catfishjoe


It is my understanding that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birthday. Then it turned into a celebration of self and anything other than Jesus. So happy holidays is for the later and Merry Christmas is for the former. That's my take on it.

Agreed. I have problems with Christianity, but I have no problem with someone coming up to me and saying Merry Christmas, or happy Holidays or whatever. Why would anyone care? If a Muslim came up to me and said Happy whatever the holiday was I wouldn't be offended. I don't think an Atheist should be offended if someone says Merry Christmas to them. I do think that if a court, a place of business, a school...a whatever wants to let workers decorate with Christmas...then they should also let whatever other holiday at that time of year decorate too. Generally this is just Christmas though. Put a cross next to a sign for Kwanza next to Hanukkah. If you let one group put of decorations then let the others as well. That's it. Period.

Christmas has become too materialistic. That's for sure.

I'm just going with Merry Wednesday this year.

-Peace-

Honestly I celebrate Christmas, but not for religious purposes. I celebrate for giving gifts and receiving gifts. I would do the same for Hanukkah as well but I don't really have the money to do that many days of gifts lol

reply to post by catfishjoe

Let people call it what they want.

Oh no... That's called "freedom of expression", and regardless of what the US Constitution says, that's not allowed in the United States anymore. What the Hell are you trying to do, start trouble?

See ya buddy,
Milt

The calendar says Christmas... It's Christmas. It's always been Christmas (for all of us living who celebrate the date) so if there is a parade that day IT IS A Christmas Parade.

IMO it does matter. Do I raise a fuss when someone wants to say Happy Holidays? No. Do I think stores should get the benefit of selling "Christmas" gifts then saying "Happy Holidays" to try and appease both sides? No I don't. Go for one or go for the other. If you are raking it in hand over fist for selling "all things Christmas" then you can say Merry Christmas. Doing one thing while saying another is a little much. The PC of it recently is a little much. NOBODY should be forced to say one or the other in the end. Bah-Humbug is what most would like to say.

The commercialization of it all is A LOT too much... regardless of what anyone calls it.

But it is Christmas. I have no doubt that in a few years the calendar will say Holiday Day and everyone can go crazy throwing out their santas and snowmen to buy the new "Holiday Representative" that will surely represent us all in one tidy figurine...

I don't care either way, but to me, Happy Holidays is generic to the entire tail end of the year while Merry Christmas is pretty to the point. In a pinch, since we do the fat round jolly guy Christmas, I'd rather hear Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays (i.e "Happy I Don't Know WTF You Celebrate So Here's a Generic Greeting")

Hearing Merry Christmas as an atheist does not make me butthurt. We do the non-religious Christmas, but it's still Christmas at the bones of it (charitable giving to strangers & thoughtful giving to friends & family) I'm not going to have a cow if a religious person tells me Merry Christmas. That said, I wouldn't have any problem with being told Happy Hanukkah or Happy Eid, either. If someone thinks enough of you to utter a holiday-specific greeting, even if it's not one you do, at least smile & say thanks, Gawd, it's not that hard.

I really wish everyone would grow the hell up and stop being such anal retentive nitpicky scrooges about everything. December is the time of the year when The Stupid is in full swing for the politically correct crowd. Happy Holidays if you aren't sure of what would appropriate to someone is fine, but as a general greeting rule? it's pretty asinine.

I am 55 and it was always "Merry Christmas" until some people decided it offended them so I'll still say Merry Christmas. If it were some foreign holiday of someone I knew, I would call it by its given name, not go off whining that it offends me and change things on them.

I noticed when it was supposed to be politically correct to say Happy Holidays, most people still said Merry Christmas, because that is exactly what it is...Christmas!

reply to post by catfishjoe


"Christmas" as we know it today was already a mixture of ancient persian, roman, germanic, celtic and slavic traditions and customs long before Christianity was even established in our occidental civilizations.

That's a historical fact... so the saying "Happy Holidays" is actually the most accurate.

I'm going for "Happy Winter Solstice"! Oh wait, that's actually the 21st. Ah well, close enough!

Agnostic, and either way doesn't bug me at all. Only thing that gets my goat is the extremes on both ends. Boycott for "Happy Holidays" for the Christians is silly. And "remove any mention of Christmas because it's offensive" just ticks me off from the atheists. Why can't everybody just shut up and do something nice for someone?

As it's a day / time worthy of note and symbolism to others, I appreciate that they would offer me a special greeting and wish me and mine well.

My opinion though is every day is worthy of note and greetings with well wishes should be given in kind.

No day should be particularly 'special' to anyone; every day should be 'special'.

If one believes in a "God" or any higher power, every day is a gift to be revered accordingly.

reply to post by abecedarian

No day should be particularly 'special' to anyone; every day should be 'special'.

Everyone is special too, not just on certain days. I muse when people who have nothing to say all year suddenly grin and wish happy happy to me. It seems programmed.

have a good yule

reply to post by rockoperawriter

rockoperawriter
have a good yule

And a good Julfest to you too!

I call it Christmas just to piss off the PC brigade, nowhere does it say in law that people have the right to not be offended so I will just keep at it until they get the picture.

Helig
I call it Christmas just to piss off the PC brigade, nowhere does it say in law that people have the right to not be offended so I will just keep at it until they get the picture.

Love it!!

reply to post by ColCurious


while experiencing very few jules(of energy tee hee)

Merry Xmas or Happy Holidays doesn't really matter once you realize that the one saying it to you doesn't really care if your days are happy or merry.