"happy holidays" vs. "merry christmas" Options

[Mulder]

ok, i know that people are talking about this in the lounge, so i understand if a mod closes this, but i wanted to know how everyone felt about saying "happy holidays" or "merry christmas"

saying merry christmas can be offensive to non-christians. im not saying it offends everyone, but i'm sure there are some that don't like it.

how is "happy holidays" disrespectful to anyone? it encompasses all the holidays in winter.

december is not christmas. christmas is one day. hannukah is 8 days. i believe (and im sorry if im wrong) that kwanzaa is 7 days??.

so why is christmas so important, and why are some christians making such a big deal out of saying "merry christmas"?

[*StanleyThePanda*]

The origin of the word makes it all the more silly. People need to relax and ENJOY the holidays! Oops, must have offended someone. 

Oh, I dont mind, I was just saying. I do enjoy it and relax...I really dont care what people say

[omgah_itsmaggiex]

yea, its not a big deal.  i dont care, i would use merry christmas anyways, even if ppl did feel offened.

wait, you dont think its a big deal? i myself was a christian until a few years back and having people come up to me telling me, "merry christmas" DOES offend me. not everyone celebrates christmas. not everyone is christian. its like saying, "oh, its jesus' birthday. lets celebrate!" when clearly there are many people who dont even believe in god.



furthermore, it just bothers me how christmas is only one day, and it still remains the biggest holiday year round.

[Chii]

furthermore, it just bothers me how christmas is only one day, and it still remains the biggest holiday year round.

just because other holidays like hanukkah are a few days long doesn't mean that they have this big hullabaloo of a celebration. i'm seeing a jewish guy, he's quite religious and all he does is see his family the first day of hanukkah and then just lights candles as the days pass (i'm not sure if that's all he does but i know he really doesn't do much).

i don't mean to offend other holidays but if i'm not mistaken, most of the world celebrates christmas. only a tiny percentage of the world is jewish. almost half live in the united states and that's only about 2% of the united states. and even less people celebrate kwanzaa.

so it's kind of no surprise that christmas is so widely commercialized.


i think it's ridiculous that people make such a big deal over something so stupid. sure most people celebrate christmas but not everyone. those people should really get over it, this is just unnecessary drama.

[f4113n]

HAPPY CHRISTMAHANUKWANZICA~!!

[abstracted]

HAPPY CHRISTMAHANUKWANZICA~!!

You forgot New Year. How horrible of you.
^_^

Christmas is not only a holiday. It has become a part of the culture, particularly in the US. When people say 'Merry Christmas' now, it most nearly means Happy Holidays. Christmas is so widely celebrated that people just say Merry Christmas. On television, all you see are products commercialized for CHRISTMAS, with Christmas songs and such. I'm not saying that this is the better holiday or anything--it's just what's common.
I don't celebrate Christmas, but since I know so many people that do, I follow along with a few of the traditions, like sending out Christmas cards, putting up a tree, and giving/receiving presents. It's for the sake of tradition/culture, not because of the holiday. Yes, people celebrate it for what it really is, but because Christmas is so big, even those who normally wouldn't celebrate it do, because it's a part of the culture.
The same goes with 'Merry Christmas'. It's just a way of saying 'Happy Holidays'.
If you're Hindu, say, you don't celebrate any of those three holidays of December. So, when a friend who does celebrate Christmas hands you a gift with Christmas wrapping and a Christmas card, are you going to tell him or her that you're offended by the Christmas gift?

Now, what I really don't get is when people get offended about Christmas trees, and they ask people to call them 'holiday trees'.
This is ridiculous. The tree is a Christmas tradition, not for Kwanzaa. It doesn't matter what you celebrate--if you put up a tree, it's a Christmas tree because that's what it IS.

I hope I made some sort of sense. o.O

[vash1530]

no its an xmas tree!

[imm]

Merry Christmas shouldn't be offensive to non-Christians OR Christians. Christmas is a national holiday, even though not all of us celebrate it, therefore saying "Merry Christmas" should just be generally accepted. Christmas IS important, considering 40% of the United States is Christian, and that our country was founded on the basis of Christianity (even though all of this is changing). As for Christians making a big deal out of saying "Merry Christmas," I wasn't aware of that. I think it's mostly just the people here that are taking political correctness too far.

[The_AZN_Godfathe...]

I was always somewhat worried if I would offend someone by saying "Merry Christmas."

So I started saying "Merry Chrismahanukwanzaaca" which got somewhat tiring. It didn't even cover everything, and I realized "Happy Holidays" is the way to go.

If I'm sure someone is Christian, I usually just say "Merry Christmas."

"Happy Holidays" is basically the safe way to go.

"Christmas" is so common in America nowadays, so most people shouldn't really care if you say one or the other.

[*disco infiltrator*]

Yea, I go the way of "Happy general winter". Covers atheists, too.

[vash1530]

i think we should make xmas a national holiday so noone will b*tch.

[synthetic truths]

happy holidays works..theres always someone who gets offended over merry christmas...
smh
just to be safe...not to step on anyone's toes...i say happy holidays...
i steer away from religious drama.

[MFDOOM]

Holidays are tools that the dark forces use to keep the people of the globe in line. Fear the dark forces, or rise up against.

[WHOngos144]

Merry Christmas.

[imm]

i think we should make xmas a national holiday so noone will b*tch.

Lmao Christmas IS a national holiday...why do you think nobody has to work or go to school on the 25 December, hm?

[*mona lisa*]

Lmao Christmas IS a national holiday...why do you think nobody has to work or go to school on the 25 December, hm?

That is so because it is a federal holiday... or maybe both.

[stryker76]

The fact that everyone here in America makes a big fuss out of sayin Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas is the fact that America was founded on Christian believes. Although i do not agree with not a single one of them. They where thus everyone doesnt like it when ppl do no acknowledge Christmas.

Although i personally say both Happy Holidays to include New Years if i wont see that person again before then. Or before Thanksgiving becuase i consider November-the First of January the Holiday season until Easter in April and my Birth Day in June ^^

[stryker76]

okai first of all.. not all christians are always saying "merry christmas". They only make is a big deal b/c its the birth of Jesus Christ. and so on for the story of it.

Im Sorry to say that Christmas is only the Celebration od the Christ Child. Not his birthday. And here is a lil story i found on CB around Christmas time Last year.


The True Chrisatmas Story

Merry Christmas, boys and girls!
THIS is the story of Christmas and how it all began!
A long, long time ago, Germanic, Roman, and Celtic people celebrated the Winter Solstice. Once a year, they dressed their homes up with Holly, mistletoe, yule logs, and wassail bowls and even decorated a tree! Today, we call these people Pagans. The word "Yule-tide", meaning "wheel time" (the cycles of time) is a term that refers to these old Pagan celebrations.

During the 3rd and 4th centuries B.C.E., the Persian Mithras would sacrifice a bull on December 25 to celebrate the Sol Invictus (the Invincible Sun). The ceremony signaled the birth of a young Sun God who sprang from a rock or a cave in the form of a newborn infant.

The ancient Romans celebrated the festival of the Saturnalia from December 17th to the 24th to honor Saturn, the god of grain and agriculture. The festival consisted of a period of goodwill, devoted to visiting friends and the giving of gifts. Then, on December 25th, the Romans would celebrate the Winter Solstice in a ceremony of the annual renewing of the Sun.

On December 25th 354 C.E., Pope Liberus introduced the Nativity - a celebration of the birth of the Christ Child. He chose December 25th in order to Christianize the Pagan rituals of the time. Thus, Pope Liberus began the custom of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, and this celebration grew in popularity as the Pagan rituals of Mithra and Saturnalia that were formerly celebrated on the 25th of December slowly faded in popularity.

Today, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with ornaments on trees, with mistletoe, and with the giving of gifts. And THAT, boys and girls, is the story of how the Christians stole the perfectly good Pagan holiday of the Winter Solstice, stuck it up the *** of a 300 year old dead guy named Jesus who probably wasn't even born on the 25th, and called it Christmas. Merry Christmas! The End.

[OriskybusinessO]

Im Sorry to say that Christmas is only the Celebration od the Christ Child. Not his birthday. And here is a lil story i found on CB around Christmas time Last year.
The True Chrisatmas Story

Merry Christmas, boys and girls!
THIS is the story of Christmas and how it all began!
A long, long time ago, Germanic, Roman, and Celtic people celebrated the Winter Solstice. Once a year, they dressed their homes up with Holly, mistletoe, yule logs, and wassail bowls and even decorated a tree! Today, we call these people Pagans. The word "Yule-tide", meaning "wheel time" (the cycles of time) is a term that refers to these old Pagan celebrations.

During the 3rd and 4th centuries B.C.E., the Persian Mithras would sacrifice a bull on December 25 to celebrate the Sol Invictus (the Invincible Sun). The ceremony signaled the birth of a young Sun God who sprang from a rock or a cave in the form of a newborn infant.

The ancient Romans celebrated the festival of the Saturnalia from December 17th to the 24th to honor Saturn, the god of grain and agriculture. The festival consisted of a period of goodwill, devoted to visiting friends and the giving of gifts. Then, on December 25th, the Romans would celebrate the Winter Solstice in a ceremony of the annual renewing of the Sun.

On December 25th 354 C.E., Pope Liberus introduced the Nativity - a celebration of the birth of the Christ Child. He chose December 25th in order to Christianize the Pagan rituals of the time. Thus, Pope Liberus began the custom of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, and this celebration grew in popularity as the Pagan rituals of Mithra and Saturnalia that were formerly celebrated on the 25th of December slowly faded in popularity.

Today, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with ornaments on trees, with mistletoe, and with the giving of gifts. And THAT, boys and girls, is the story of how the Christians stole the perfectly good Pagan holiday of the Winter Solstice, stuck it up the *** of a 300 year old dead guy named Jesus who probably wasn't even born on the 25th, and called it Christmas. Merry Christmas! The End.

Hmm, I was sure 'America celebrates Christmas' because Christians were jealous that they didn't have a holiday to celebrate when the Jews had Hanukkah. But that just might be by my upbringing.

[*kryogenix*]

Hmm, I was sure 'America celebrates Christmas' because Christians were jealous that they didn't have a holiday to celebrate when the Jews had Hanukkah. But that just might be by my upbringing.

Actually, I learned that Hannukah was originally a minor holiday, but was boosted in importance so that Jewish kids wouldn't be left out.

Christmas has been the most important Catholic holiday for thousands of years now. So important in fact, that it was part of the reason why the Eastern Orthodox church split.

I don't agree with the whole "stolen from the pagans" theory. I don't think the catechism says anything about having to give gifts, hang up misteltoe, put up a tree, etc. People do that on the side, but it's not what Christmas is. Christmas is Christ's Mass.

In fact, giving gifts has some religious significance as the three kings came bearing gifts.

[stryker76]

Actually the Pagan part is very easy to understand because for one i have a cousin that practices Wicca. And they celebrate the Winter Solstice for 3 days during december the 23-25. The 25 beign the last day and the day in which the mojar ceremony take place. and like i said the Roman Catholic church wanted to take over the world and puch other religions to the curb so they mad December 25th the day in which to celebrate the Birth of the Christ Child.

[OriskybusinessO]

Actually, I learned that Hannukah was originally a minor holiday, but was boosted in importance so that Jewish kids wouldn't be left out.

Christmas has been the most important Catholic holiday for thousands of years now. So important in fact, that it was part of the reason why the Eastern Orthodox church split.

I don't agree with the whole "stolen from the pagans" theory. I don't think the catechism says anything about having to give gifts, hang up misteltoe, put up a tree, etc. People do that on the side, but it's not what Christmas is. Christmas is Christ's Mass.

In fact, giving gifts has some religious significance as the three kings came bearing gifts.

But it was still there...

I forgot what I was talking about. Oh no!! I'm not contributing to this debate!!

[s_parker_luver]

that's what my maths teacher said, "Merry christmas. okay. is there any student who doesn't want to hear this? *hands up* okay. i'll say happy holiday. becoz some students in my calculus class told me they don't like the hear the word christmas."
well. i personally think if Merry christmas is offensive to some people, why don't we just say happy holiday? in this way u won't offend anyone, right?

[sporadic]

but that offends uber-christians, it appears...
I think it's kind of silly to be offended by that sort of thing.
It's not like they're saying "HANUKKAH SUCKS!" Although if that truly offends them... whatever floats your boat.
And it's perhaps more ridiculous that people would be freaking out over "Happy holidays"... I read some letter in the opinion page saying basically that happy holidays was some how taking away christianity? Eh, whatever. Keep in mind, I live in North Dakota.

[OriskybusinessO]

People these days are so touchy, they need to lighten up and take it nicely when someone whishes you a Happy 'whatever.'

[maryissa]

I say Merry Christmas no matter what becuz thats what i celebrate.