Wal-Mart Confronted on 'Happy Holidays' Options

[Chii]

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."

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.

[*digital.fragrance*]

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.

[Spirited Away]

3. I know - but many don't celebrate it for the same reasons. Culture celebrates it for Santa Clause and presents, etc... and Christians celebrate Christ's birth. I don't have any hatred, and I honestly don't know where you read that. Us Christians ( at least most of us) don't have any hatred - we are just extremely disappointed in this turn of events. Look at it this way - just recently in Indiana, the word "Jesus" is not supposed to be used in Congress' prayers. And then there's the whole "no God in education" issue. The nation is pushing us out completely. To be honest, it's getting quite frustrating.

I got "hate" from this:

3.  I know - they decided they needed to celebrate something on the same day....
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.

Who "decided" to celebrate on the same day? Lets clear this up a bit. CHRISTIANS decided to CONVERT Pagans and what better way to do it than to PRETEND that Christ's birth is on December 25th, which is Yule, a celebration that went on CENTURIES BEFORE CHRIST.

Why are you disappointed in something that was never meant to be in the first place? Remember that our Founding Fathers insisted on Seperation of Church and State, and the State provides public education. Do you see where I'm going with this? By the way, schools can teach about religion, just not preach for them. God is still introduced, and if students are interested they have the choice to learn more about God on their own. If students are forced to listen to a teacher preach about God, where's choice in that? Where's freedom?

For example, this is what is happening:

QUOTE([url=http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47634)
]After a series of reports by WND, however, Wal-Mart officials satisfied demands by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, which had called for a national boycott after accusing the retail giant of discriminating against Christmas while promoting other seasonal holidays by name, such as Kwanzaa and Hanukkah.
Christmas is rejected and not any other holidays.

Discriminating against Christmas? HOW? For saying HAPPY HOLIDAYS is DISCRIMINATING CHRISTMAS? And saying Merry Christmas isn't discriminating other religions?!?! People are so full of themselves and does logic not exist? So if you come to my house and I wish you Happy Holidays, I'd be discriminating Christmas even though I don't celebrate it? Oh, that must means Hallmark is discriminating Christmas because it prints Happy Holidays cards. Walmart must also be discriminating against Atheists and Agnostics, too, because they don't wish us a merry or happy or not happy merry anything!

4. I suppose so, but imagine a single mother parenting two kids and that is her ONLY income (and there is no hope of getting another job), she doesn't have much of a choice. About people not being allowed to say "Merry Christmas", one of our local radio personalities called Target and said "Merry Christmas" and hte operator responded "Happy Holidays"... and it went back and forth like that, and eventually, the woman said, "Sir, what can I help you with?" and he responded, "I just hoped that in wishing you a 'Merry Christmas' that I would get one in response." ..and she said, "Sir, that's not my job."

She doesn't have a choice? No one is going to gut her if she step up to her supervisor and say I quit because you do not allow me to say merry Christmas. Even if her situation is dire, she STILL HAS CHOICE. She can stay, suck it up and she'll be able to feed her kids, or she can leave and be in trouble for a while. See the two choices, not much, I know, but there they are.

I would have said more nasty things to the man had he put me in that situation. No one's going to force me to say Merry Christmas just as I'm not going to force anyone else to say Happy Holidays. If my employer, the YMCA, requires that we greet with Merry Christmas, I'd have choice to suck it up and do, or leave, or continue on with my Happy Holidays until they fire me. And I would be in a dire situation being a commuting full time student and all. Simple.

About the protesting, that is in response to the non-use of "Merry Christmas." I still don't understand why "Merry Christmas" was removed when there wasn't any protesting about it. Christmas is a national, cultural, and religious holiday. There is no excuse to ban it.

Because it's a choice to target ALL groups of people, not just Christians and since Holidays include Christmas, it makes sense to use it. Also, the only day that Walmart observes is Christmas. HOLIDAYS isn't religion specific. It can apply to Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Agnostics, Pagans, and of course Christians... etc. That isn't discriminating. The excuse not to use it is simply giving respect to all religions, not just one.

My point is - Removing "Merry Christmas" takes away our freedom of expression. Using Happy Holidays isn't bad, it's just the act of taking away Merry Christmas that is frustrating.

But it isn't taken away, it exists in HAPPY HOLIDAYS.