Wal-Mart Confronted on 'Happy Holidays'
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A group of religious protesters demonstrated outside a Wal-Mart superstore Saturday, hoping to turn away customers by calling attention to the retailer's decision to use "happy holidays" rather than "merry Christmas" in its seasonal advertising.

But even shoppers who agreed with the protesters weren't willing to interrupt their quest for holiday deals.

"I believe in Christ, and I don't like the use of 'xmas' or the use of 'happy holidays,'" said Steven Van Noy, 39, as he left the store loaded down with packages. "The bottom line is that they had what I needed at Wal-Mart, so I went to Wal-Mart to buy it."

Controversy over the secularization of Christmas is nothing new, but this year religious groups are publicly taking on retailers who have decided to tone down the religious aspects of the holiday in their store decorations and promotional material.

In an online petition, the American Family Association recently gathered more than 500,000 signatures asking Target to include Christmas in its promotions. Stores such as Sears and Wal-Mart are facing boycotts.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Amy Wyatt said the company has made no effort to remove Christmas from its holiday ads. She said a promotion set to run from mid-November to early January was simply misunderstood: its slogan is "home for the holidays."

"It was a matter of choosing a slogan that carries through the entire season," Wyatt said. "The signs went up before Thanksgiving and won't be taken down until after New Year's. The idea was to focus on the family."

About 50 protesters took part in Saturday's demonstration, organized by religious leaders. d**k Otterstad of the Church of the Divide donned a Santa Claus costume and greeted shoppers with the message: Don't forget about the meaning of Christmas.

"It is insulting that Wal-Mart has chosen to ignore the reason for the season," Otterstad said. "Taking the word 'Christmas' out of the holiday implies there's something sinful about it. ... This is a part of our culture."

Otterstad of the Church of the Divide donned a Santa Claus costume and greeted shoppers with the message: Don't forget about the meaning of Christmas

what is the big deal with "happy holidays"? not everyone celebrates christmas, have these people not heard of kwanzaa or hanukkah? "happy holidays" just covers all the bases.

Oi vey.
This is ghey.
I'm tired of the whole "political correctness".
My choir group got in trouble for saying Merry Christmas at the end of our concert.
If you're not christian then don't listen when I say Merry Christmas.
Go on with your day and deal with it. :p

1. Oi vey is a jewish thing. Tis funny that you are saying don't listen when you say Merry Christmas, yet you use jewish sayings. Weeeird.
2. Political Correctness or just being respectful of all other religions?
3. You go on with YOUR day when I say Happy Holidays.

Seriously, what the hell is so wrong with saying Happy Holidays. It shows respect for all the other cultures and religions out there. Christianity is not the only damn religion in the country so stop acting like it! Besides, the true meaning of Christmas is lost, it is especially obvious in this stupid protest.

"It is insulting that Wal-Mart has chosen to ignore the reason for the season," Otterstad said. "Taking the word 'Christmas' out of the holiday implies there's something sinful about it. ... This is a part of our culture."

Happy Holidays encompasses everyone and not just a special group of people. Grrrrr....silly people, lets all throw snow balls at them.

5. Christianity is by far the most dominant religion. :p

It's not - it's just the push to get rid of "christ" that is disrespectful.

3.The TRUE meaning of Christmas is Jesus being born. Get over it.
4.It really doesn't show respect; HOLIDAY IS AN EXTRACT FROM HOLY DAY.
5.Christianity is by far the most dominant religion. :p

Step down from your soap box.

how is saying "happy holidays" getting rid of christ?

christmas = one day. one day.

the season is not christmas.

the month of december is not christmas

the holidays, therefore, are not exclusively christian.

can any non-jews tell me the story of hannukah.

and yet everyone knows what christmas is.

thats disrespectful.

3. So the meaning of Christmas is the birth of Christ, YAYAYAYAY, however, December 25th isn't Christ's birthday.
4. Respect works both ways. Christians aren't the only ones with holy days, you see, the Pagans celebrated Yule before Christians celebrated Christmas on that same day. It would be disrespectful to accept a younger religion's celebration as the only thing holy on Dec. 25th.
5. Christianity may be the most dominant religion, but the combined number of non-Christians would be dominant group.

jesus liked to get chitty chitty with the bang bang with men.

if you have a problem with what i just said then you can just not read it, right?

4.  Then everyone needs to change the actual name of the holiday.  The push to remove anything Christian is limiting our freedom - store empolyees ought to have the right to say "Merry Christmas."
5.  Who cares about dominance.  Every people group ought to have a voice - ought to have the right to say "Merry Christmas" at their jobs.

4. That, my friend, does not make sense. A single person did not come up with the name for this "holiday". Employees DO have the right to say Merry Christmas, but there is no reason why a Christian or any customer should be angry about Happy Holidays being said to them.
5. "Who cares about dominance"? Why did you say that Christianity is the dominant religion in the first place?

4.  They shouldn't, but the reason behind it (they removed "Merry Christmas") should.  The holiday called "christmas" is a much cultural as religious.  There is no reason to remove it, but they do anyway.
5.  I didn't - someone else in this thread did.  I was just responding to other points made.

4. And there is no reason why Happy Holidays shouldn't be used. I'm not Jewish, but I'm pretty sure Hanukkah is both a religious and cultural holiday as well.
5. Oh, sorry. I thought you were the same person. Very sorry.

Anyway, this can be continued in the actual debate topic. :)

re-goddamn-diculous!

I've always put it this way...

I'm Christian but not Christian to the point of recklessness.

They used to say "Merry Christmas" - until someone said that was religious.  They ought to say Happy Hannukah too - but they aren't allowed to say that either - so I suppose that it is disrespectful to both groups - not that fact that they aren't saying "Merry whatever"  but the reason behind it.
3.  No one is quite sure when His birthday was - therefore we choose to celebrate it on Dec. 25th.
4.  Then everyone needs to change the actual name of the holiday.  The push to remove anything Christian is limiting our freedom - store empolyees ought to have the right to say "Merry Christmas."
5.  Who cares about dominance.  Every people group ought to have a voice - ought to have the right to say "Merry Christmas" at their jobs.

5) Stephir did and I answered within context. Why don't you ask him/her what's that got to do with anything?

Fae...
Hmm... I should Google this and see what sort of results I get.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10355980/
Cracks me up that this is a religious free country, but many petty jealousies conveniently put a cap on that which the US Constitution so clearly states. There are fanatics, like a Mr. Wildmon, who would be miffed that the President helped Muslims celebrate Ramadan and wish his friends and family a "Happy Holiday Season". It seems this man is unreasonably jealous that Muslims have a place in the White House. And while Rev Jerry Falwell may believe that this is a nation "under God", not every citizen—with the same rights to liberty as he, believes so. It is discriminating, demeaningly so when he tries to pass it off as a fact. However, the one truth that we must all be subjected to, as it is HISTORY and the LAW, is the United States of America was founded on the basis of religious freedom, not the freedom to worship God alone.

We live in a free enterprise nation where dominance rules.
Hence voting.
That's why it was brought up.
I'm a chick...:S
Anyway this all boils down to the AGE OLD question, Freedom or equality;;Free Enterprise or Communism?
I want the freedom to say Merry Christmas, and I want others to have the freedom to be able to say Happy Hannukkah or Merry Kwanza.
I'm not going to say "Happy Holidays" just to make other people happy.

You have the right to say Merry Christmas just as everyone else has the right to say Happy Holidays. Again, if you work for a company that CHOOSES not to allow employees to say Merry Christmas, quit and find one that will.

Not really. My whole choir group(choir is also my second hour) got bitched at by pinchy liberals in the park for saying Merry Christmas at the end of our concert. Pfft. I can't quit school.

School didn't disallow you to say Merry Christmas (no need to quit), neither did those "pinchy liberals". Just as you have the right to say Merry Christmas, people have the right to complain. Christians are doing just that about Happy Holidays.

3) Actually, it is quite certain and agreed by all religious institutions that Christ was not born on December 25th. The date is used for the convenience of conversion. That much is clear and undebatable. Christians didn't choose to celebrate on December 25th out of the blue and to claim that it's wrong to say Happy Holidays when Christians took over the holidays from Pagan traditions is RIDICULOUSLY hyppocritcal.
4) The said term isn't copyrighted. If Christians want the word to be holiday specific and not used freely by non-Christians or for commercial means, get it copyrighted or turn it into a trademark. It's NOT only non-Christians that's doing the limiting, haven't you heard that there are Christian lead movements to kick Happy Holidays out? The reason to remove Merry Christmas is simply CHOICE. If I hire you to work for me and do not like the fact that you can't say Merry Christmas, you have the CHOICE to quit.

3.  I know - they decided they needed to celebrate something on the same day.  And we're not saying it's wrong to say "happy holidays."  We just hate the fact that they are removing "CHRIST" out of a nationally celebrated holiday because they say it's "Christian" when it really isn't anymore.
4.  I know it's not copyrighted.  We don't want it to be holiday specific - we just wnat people to have the right to say it if they want to (in the context of employees).  Some people really don't have the choice to quit.  Many people haev different financial situations, and jobs shouldn't dictate what people have a right to say and not to say.  They can't limit our freedom of speech.