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Merry Christmas Vs. Happy Holidays

prisonchaplain

By prisonchaplain
in General Discussion

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How do you greet people during the holidays?  

  1. 1. How do you greet people during the holidays?

    • Merry Christmas. Hey, it's a Christian holiday, and this is still a predominantly Christian country!
      7
    • Merry Christmas. However, I offer a generic "Happy Holidays" if I know they are not Christians, or if they indicate such.
      5
    • Happy Holidays. I don't want to offend or leave anyone out.
      0
    • Happy Holidays. To force a Christian greeting on an unbeliever would be like casting pearls before swine.
      1
    • I just give my normal everyday greetings to avoid the hassle. Hey, my spiritual life is about Jesus, not defending man-made holidays.
      2

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prisonchaplain

prisonchaplain

Posted
Posted

We've all heard the stories of how various commerical retailers are forbidding their employees from using religion-specific holiday greetings, such as Merry Christmas. Some have suggested boycotts. Congressman Hassert went out of his way to have this year's Capitol Hill bush designated a CHRISTMAS (LIKE IT OR LUMP IT) TREE. Some Christians have chosen to give a very adamant "Merry Christmas" response to any generic renditions.

In Today's Tacoma News-Tribune (WA), the editorial suggested that in the past the secularists (I like to call them secular fundamentalists) were pretty adept at making donkey's hind-ends of themselves, but that this year, some Christians a responding in kind. The paper's legitimate question: What happened to the mercy and love and forgiveness?

All thoughts to keep your mind abuzz as you finish up your holiday shopping. :P

Guest Taoist_Saint

Guest Taoist_Saint

Posted
Posted

I voted for #1, but not because I believe it is the right thing to do. It just happens to be a habit that I am in.

And it is true most people in this country are Christian. No one has ever been offended when I said "Merry Christmas", so I don't think the majority of non-Christians are as senstitive as we might think.

I would not hesitate to tell an atheist "Merry Christmas" because most are not "secular fundamentalists" (despite media hype). I think for the most part they would just accept it as a part of our culture and probably respond with their own "Merry Christmas".

Hindus or Buddhists probably just accept Christmas as another celebration of another "god"...of which there are many...even if such gods are a symbolic aspect of the Brahmin (Ultimate Reality) or maybe just symbolic projections of our psyche. So I might tell them "Merry Christmas". The only Hindus and Sikhs that I know are so Americanized that they say "Merry Christmas". Any Buddhists I know are like myself...from a Christian cultural background, so they would also say Merry Christmas.

Muslims and Jews might be more likely to be offended...so if I KNOW someone is Muslim or Jewish and I KNOW that they would be offended, I would say "Have a good Holiday" (Happy Holidays sounds cheesy to me for some reason).

But I think I probably SHOULD use a more generic greeting. Some habits are just hard to break when they are so trivial to me...like this one.

(of course to LDS, I always say "Merry Smithmas". JUST KIDDING!!! :wow:

sgallan

sgallan

Posted
Posted

None of the choices fit me. I'm not a Christian and I say Merry Christmas. I also will have a Christmas tree. With Christmas lights. Will open presents on Christmas morning. And catch a buzz on Christmas eve. I also find nativity secenes very peaceful.

Josie

Josie

Posted
Posted

I went to a nativity festival today that was absolutely awesome. Nativities from all over the world and great pictures too. It was all in the worship of Christ. It was awesome.

I am proud to be a christian and believe in Christ as Savior of the world. I feel blessed to even know of his existence. That is the best part of this holiday and mas without the Christ infront does not leave much to be desired.

LionHeart

LionHeart

Posted
Posted

The 25th of december was originally Christmas, to my knowledge. We did not see other religions having a shin dig on that day and decided we wanted to have our own version of that holiday on the same day. If anything, I think it would be the other way around. When you're in someone else's house, you abide by the rules of their house. If these other guys are going to celebrate Christmas on the same day we do, they can live with how it is set up. We Christians started it so we could celebrate the birth of our Savior; not so other people could come and sue us to try to make it the way they want it. If I tell someone "merry Christmas" and they plan on celebrating it, yet they get offended because I called it Christmas, that is their problem and they can go ###### a rock for all I care.

LionHeart

LionHeart

Posted
Posted

There is one thing I want to make sure we're clear on, and that is that I am NOT a foul mouth. That word in my above post that was blotted out can also be used to describe the function of a vaccum cleaner. Let that suffice.

stellati

stellati

Posted
Posted

None of those choices fit me either. Yeah, I'm christian but when it comes to wishing people a merry christmas or happy holidays I don't think anything of it. I say Merry Christmas because it's tradition. I say Happy Holidays because I'm sick of saying Merry Christmas and I need something new. :P

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