I realize its suddenly become a taboo of sorts to say Merry Christmas.
We don't want to exclude or offend.
I mean, don't say "God bless you" when someone sneezes.
It's, "bless you", or "Gesundheit" to be really safe.
I noticed while shopping this year, many clerks didn't say Merry Christmas to me as I was checking out.
Some did, however, respond with a polite "thank you", "you too" or "Happy Holidays".
Bleh.
Some answered with a happy, "Merry Christmas to YOU", my favorite because it felt like they were almost relieved that it was suddenly okay to say it because a customer had said it to them.
Who ARE these people that we are worried about offending?
Has anyone EVER gotten a negative response for a "God bless you" or a "Merry Christmas"? The Christmas trees downtown are, what... "Holiday Trees" now? How many other holidays besides Christmas and Arbor day are represented by trees?
None.
Friends, its a Christmas tree.
The Christmas time nativity seen is what... a "Holiday Homeless Family"?
What will the mighty political correctness movement offer us next?
Can't we agree that its not offensive to say, or hear, a well intended salutation and move on to other more pressing matters in our world?
**** Update 12/31/05....
Thank you everyone for your comments, and excellent points. I've been blogging for over a year and never have I gotten such a response. I thank you for reading, and especially thank you for sharing your thoughts. I do have respect for the points each of you made.
13 comments:
Merry Christmas and AMEN to that!! Hallelujah I said it. Feels so good I might just say Happy Birthday Jesus!!!!
The real name of the holiday is actually "Yule", as was for thousands of years, but let's not get technical. It's the predecessor to Christmas, a very ancient holiday (holy day.) Remeber "Yuletide cheeer," "Yule log," "Yuletide greetings" and all that? Even into our childhood those were still fairly common phrases. Now it's all Christmas, all the time. Now if you really want some funny looks, try saying "Happy Yule" to a clerk in a store.
"Who ARE these people that we are worried about offending?" really, why don't you just say fuck the jews, muslims, and african's while you're at it? ask yourself what's wrong with saying happy holidays. p.c. yes, maybe. but if you're jewish, it could make all the difference in the world, no? the world SHOULD NOT revolve around christian holidays! i.e. jesus birthday, nor should it the holidays of the jews, muslims, etc. exclusively. but imagine that you're a jew (btw - jesus was once a jew in case you were wondering)having everyone tell you merry christmas - now wouldn't that be a little bit annoying? maybe reading up on your religion would help clear up your idea of whom would be offended by your seemingly innocent "merry christmas" salutation. think about hanukkah, which falls close to christmas and has absolutely nothing at all to do with christmas! yet the pressure to conform to the christian ideology has wreaked a bit of consumerism havoc on hannukkah that's for sure. ask yourself why you are celebrating jesus birthday in the first place. holidays to me are about being with family and counting your blessings. well, if know your history thanksgiving isn't exactly the most p.c. holiday to celebrate either. but i celebrate both holidays with family and friends of all races and religions. take a class on the history of religion maybe. sometimes a little p.c. is ok. especially around the holidays when both happiness and tension is high. i'm not anti-jesus or pro-jew, i'm pro God and celebrating our differences, which means RESPECTING our differences. to do that, i say happy holidays unless i know the person is a christian and then i say merry christmas. And hey, God bless you really is fine. God is God. Doesn't matter if it's Yahweh, Allah, God or Jehovah. God Bless you doesn't really offend people unless their anti-secular religion, athiest or otherwise. jesus as the savior is what doesn't fit in with the other main religions. do some research, or not. But bless you works just as well. So, Bless You and Good Luck.
p.s don't get me wrong. christmas trees should absolutely be called christmas trees. it's ridiculous to change them to holiday trees. and the nativity scene should remain just that. but saying merry christmas to everyone - you have to admit - can be uncool.
Thank you everyone for your comments, and excellent points. I've been blogging for over a year and never have I gotten such a response. I thank you for reading, and especially thank you for sharing your thoughts. I do have respect for the points each of you made.
Since everyone's been anoymous so far, it's hard to specify who I want to refer to... so, to the one who said:
"really, why don't you just say fuck the jews, muslims, and african's while you're at it?"
I think this is exactly the problem, that anyone wishing someone a "Merry Christmas" somehow gets interpreted as "fuck you if you're not Christian." Can't we all just be happy that anyone cares enough to wish a person a happy sentiment on the holidays? Okay so they don't know anything about which religion might be yours. But the sentiment behind it is, "I wish you well," not "screw you if you're not like me."
Personally, I'm about as not-religious as a person can be, and I've been wished many things-- Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, even Happy Kwanzaa (though not this year). I'm grateful for all the positive sentiments, even if they're not specific to my beliefs.
my "fuck the jews, etal" comment was referring directly to the person who said "who ARE these people that we're worried about offending" because frankly this statement offended me - for it's ignorance. in no way did i interpret it as saying "fuck you if you're not christian" or "screw you if you're not like me" i opened with that remark to make a different, non-surface reaction point, which hopefully i made afterall. on a side note, there was this big news item about suing and boycotting companies who said happy holidays instead of merry christmas that you might find kinda interesting. check it out at the link below :-) unfortunately the underlying issue is exactly what we'd all like to pretend that it's not about - and that we all wish it wasn't about. happy new year! that's a safe one :-) be well.
Ok, time for my (belated) $.02 worth...
*Happy Holidays covers all of them; Christmas, Yule, Channukah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, you name a winter holiday, it's covered by Happy Holidays.
*I personally don't know anyone who would 'get offended' if they were mistakenly assumed to be of one denomination or the other (via an unfitting but well-meant holiday greeting) but I have heard of such folks that do, indeed, take themselves that freakin' seriously.
To those folks I say 'find something more important to worry about'.
*Christian historians and scholars have placed Christ's birthday in Spring (March or so) so let's all remember that Christmas as we know it today is a fiction created by the Catholic church of the 4-900's CE (common era) to convert the 'pagans' in the lands they were conquering (remember that Winter Solstice is on Dec. 21st...)
That being said, the whole thing is kinda... well... silly to argue about, I think.
Happy MLK Day!
:)
I wrote the orig anony replies. I love what you said, and that you have your history down! That was my point in the first place. Sandie, you rock!
In response to "Anonymous " who said: "I wrote the orig anony replies. I love what you said, and that you have your history down! That was my point in the first place. Sandie, you rock!"
Anonymous, I'm glad that you took the time time to read my blog and post your thoughts. I would however, ask that if you would be kind enough to at least identify yourself to the readers of this blog if you plan on taking shots at me in the future.
After your comment:
"maybe reading up on your religion would help clear up your idea of whom would be offended by your seemingly innocent "merry christmas" salutation."
I was polite, thanked all (including anonymous posts) who posted their thoughts.
Coming on once anonymously to take a shot at me is fine. Twice is a bit much. I love Sandie, and praising her is great. Contact her directly, or identify yourself on my site if you return with another shot.
Even if these weren't shots, identify yourself to facilitate a "spirited debate". One can't debate with someone who doenst identify themself.
"He who throws dirt, loses ground." --Anonymous.
Thank you for visiting.
I agree with Sonja, Sandie and Dan. I read the anonymous comments that made it sound like people would be offended if they receive a Merry Christmas comment and they are of another religion. That is crap. Anytime someone is taking the time to wish you well for anyday be it holiday or otherwise, I think we need to take it in the spirit it is offered. Just offering someone holiday cheer of any sort should be appreciated whatever your beliefs. So, that said, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and happy whatever else you want to celebrate. Lori
wow, i just hopped back several years in the blogs because they were on the list and saw this. i feel compelled to say something about anonymous' comment.
anonymous said (after the first long rant about the need for folks to say happy holidays instead of merry christmas):
"p.s don't get me wrong. christmas trees should absolutely be called christmas trees. it's ridiculous to change them to holiday trees. and the nativity scene should remain just that. but saying merry christmas to everyone - you have to admit - can be uncool."
well, all i have to say to that garbage is if you're really that bent on no "christmas" then why would "christmas tree" be ok?
i'm with dan on this one. sorry, but our founding fathers built this nation on the foundation of christianity, not on the muslim faith, the jewish faith, the bhuddist faith or no faith at all. so saying merry christmas in the united states is something the non-christians will just have to hear. maybe they need to use some p.c.
karen
p.s. and about jesus being a jew, i realize that, but he began christianity. and plenty of jews demanded that he be crucified.
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