Merry Christmas; Happy Holidays; ... oh, whatever

[quaoar]

It's that time of year again when the forces of Satan wage war against Christmas. Yes, before you know it, Satan will have expunged Christ not just from the shelves at Wal-Mart, but from the entire season and America will be finished. If Wal-Mart is not safe for Republicans to shop, how far off can Armageddon be?

As a Christian -- who also heads a Christian non-profit agency -- I could care less how Wal-Mart greets its customers. It isn't an assault on Christianity. In fact, it is probably a gift to Christians everywhere.

Christmas long ago was completely taken over by commercial interests in this country. The religious message of the holiday is lost in the orgy of ads from retailers desperate to make their year-end earnings forecasts. Would it be so bad if retailers were to stop hijacking Mary, Joseph and Jesus and just stick to Santa and Rudolph?

Christmas is supposed to be about sharing with and caring for your fellow man. It is supposed to be a holiday of triumph -- the birth of a promised messiah -- not a time to bankrupt families and stress everyone out.

Christian organizations who see Happy Holidays as an assault on Jesus need to ask themselves what they are really celebrating in December. Christ's message has endured through the generations, despite the best efforts of some of his followers to corrupt it. It will endure "Happy Holidays" as well.

[Faygo Kid]

1. We cling to Christmas from our childhoods

The sense of wonder, the unconditional acceptance of Christmas, the family memories, the yearly traditions. We crave and miss those things. The religious aspect is certainly part of that. But the memories are so very strong, and I miss those relatives now gone, and hear an Andy Williams song even now. . .

[TallahasseeGrannie]

5. Indeed

[quaoar]

11. All those things are what Christmas is about

What Christmas is not about is getting 30% off at Wal-Mart.

[Faygo Kid]

13. Thank you. And I agree. Christmas 1960.

Grew up without a Dad, and remember being a kid in the '50s being woken up while Mom fumbled for gifts in the closet in the middle of the night for my brother and me. Probably 9 years old, and really knew that there was no Santa, so I turned over and went back to sleep. I was wrong. That single Mom working so very hard to give my brother and me a good life was the best Santa ever. Will put a grave blanket on her for the holidays the day after Thanksgiving.

[Aimah]

14. Sounds like you had a cool mom.

[Faygo Kid]

2. error

[Aimah]

3. I think it's a great idea...to just say Happy Holidays

We have Christmas, Hanuka and, Kwanzaa regularly. Sometimes Islamic holidays fall in November and December depending on the progress of the Lunar Calendar. I worked retail for a long time and I never felt comfortable saying Merry Christmas it's not natural to me as I'm not Christian. But I also wouldn't feel comfortable saying Happy Eid, Happy Hanuka, or Happy Kwanzaa to every person. Happy Holidays so it means something to a lot more people even if you only celebrate the coming of Winter.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

7. I agree

don't say Merry Christmas to me unless you celebrate Christmas and you know I do.

But it's a holiday season for just about everybody... and even if you have no faith at all, you at least get a legal holiday out of it.

I don't want Christ put back in the secular Christmas. He's already in MINE and everybody else can do what they want.

[cynatnite]

4. 'You're taking christ out of christmas'

I was talking with the manager of Golden Corral and she told me in order to save space on their sign they put 'Merry Xmas' so they could also advertise their special.

She told me about a woman who was so upset by the sign, she came into the story and complained Golden Corral was taking christ out of christmas. This was a few years ago.

It sounds so freaking insane. If god does exist, does anyone think he/she/it really cares? I can't see it being that high on a list of god's priorities.

:eyes:

[TallahasseeGrannie]

6. When I was a child

I thought the X in Xmas was just to save time and I thought it rather rude! At some point I realized the X was a cross.

[npincus]

8. really?

I didn't realize the 'x' symbolized the cross- why wouldn't it be 't'-mas then? hmmmmmm....

[TallahasseeGrannie]

12. Good question

but I learned about it in a Medieval art history class, that X represents Christ.

[darkmaestro019]

9. Again with the I'm-being-persecuted.

They took the Sun out of Solstice first.

What's wrong with Happy Holidays? Covers everybody, more or less--Jewish, Wiccan, all the beautiful flavors of pagan, neopagan, and heathen--even atheists can get behind family and friends, love, presents, food, good cheer.

This is doing the vast majority of Christians no good at all--it's adding to the perception that ALL Christians are tantrum-throwing, inconsiderate, inflexible extremists. I'm sick and tired of the "Help help, I'm being oppressed!" cotillion of the Christian block. Not being "Yes, Lord Vader!"ed to CONSTANTLY is not oppression. Ask a queer or a Jew to elucidate--or a Christian in early Roman times.

If I say Happy Holidays and someone says Merry Christmas to me in return, I smile. A rose is a rose. It means "Have a nice set of days." I find it hard to be offended by that. I get the idea that no matter what your chosen reason or title or mythos, this time of year is a time to be together, love one another--in support through the harsh winter, and to symbolize that the Sun in whatever personification you like, is undefeated.

The RW sorts simply do NOT get that they are NOT going to get their way, all the time, every time, no matter how their spoiled controlling brat little hearts desire it. If I were a rich man (la, lol) I'd buy each and every one of them a present: a neatly stitched sampler that says YOU CATCH MORE FLIES WITH HONEY.

[MaggieSwanson]

10. I prefer "Season's Greetings" myself.

Some of us don't celebrate holy-days. But I completely agree with your sentiment - and I wish my extended Christian family Merry Christmas every year.

When my daughter was smaller (and I was younger), I was very irritated by the presumptive "Merry Christmas"s thrown our way at every retailer we visited. I'm mellower now, and she's old enough to realize the value of differences in beliefs.

I'll compromise with "Happy Holidays" from a store clerk. But it is a compromise; I have little patience for those who feel attacked by that sentiment.

[ignatius 2]

15. I saw an excellent greeting yesterday..Treasons Greetings..from the

White House...

[Nikki Stone 1]

16. I love this: "not a time to bankrupt families and stress everyone out"

Recommended

[Synnical]

17. Happy Holidaze

Enjoy being with your family. As an atheist, that's the only way I can deal with The Season of Consumerism.

I no longer do Xmas - instead my family gives me Halloween presents. I ask them not to, but the keep doing so.

OH! Is the topic allowed in GD again?