Happy Holidays? Merry Christmas? :)

[amber]

No doubt many of you have heard about the controversy about whether to say merry christmas or happy holidays. I was in the grocery store today, and this elderly man that does the cooking samples handed me a Lindor truffle and said "merry holidays" We had a good laugh. I thought that was a good compromise

 

[buckytom]

i get flak from my irish friends about it being "happy christmas", not merry.

i used to just say "merry christmas", unless i knew the person was jewish. then i'd specify "happy channukah".

then i changed it to a standard "happy holiday", thinking of people like gb, remembering how he said he felt about the christmas overkill, and being kinda left out and sad being non-christian this time of year. (who would want to hurt gb? if you said "i do", you need to see me first.)

but then, last year, i said "happy holiday" to a really nice guy at work that i swap gardening tips with, and he replied "thanks, but it's not my holiday."
apparently, he's muslim.

so, now i just sit on my porch in a rocker, and shake my cane at all of the passers by, telling them to stay off my lawn...

 

[SizzlininIN]

Its Merry Christmas for me. No offense to others but I've been saying it for 39 years and you can't teach this dog new tricks......so please take no offense when I send out my greetings later! Personally, it doesn't matter how anyone acknowledges it to me as long as they acknowledge it.

 

[Ishbel]

In the UK it's Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year....

Unless you are the mayor of certain English towns who wish to be as PC as possible and who have changed it tio 'Winterval' - a mix of winter and festival..... the local mullahs and Indian leaders think it's absolutely hilarious that we bend over backwards not to offend - but they still have Diwali and Id....

 

[kleenex]

How about the words:

Happy December.

 

[licia]

Merry Christmas is what I say to everyone, unless I know for sure they are different, then I don't say anything.

 

[middie]

Its Merry Christmas for me. No offense to others but I've been saying it for 39 years and you can't teach this dog new tricks......so please take no offense when I send out my greetings later! Personally, it doesn't matter how anyone acknowledges it to me as long as they acknowledge it.

same as me sizz

 

[cartwheelmac]

I don't get why people are offended. Do they want to have a bad day on the 25th? I sure wouldn't cause then I get grouchy and yell at my siblings, Next thing I know I am in trouble so I need a Merry Christmas.

Cameron

 

[corazon]

so, now i just sit on my porch in a rocker, and shake my cane at all of the passers by, telling them to stay off my lawn...

Bucky, you can always make me laugh!

I usually take the approach of letting the other person speak first. If they say Merry x-mas, I say the same. Otherwise, I just tell them to have a wonderful day, that would work for everyone. I think unless you know, it is pretty hard for the other person to take offense, how are you supposed to know their religion?

Reminds of a Simpsons quote:
And in a gutless act of political correctness, Pizza day will now be known as Italian American Sauce Bread day.

 

[amber]

As Buckytom mentioned, Happy Christmas is what my husband was accustomed to, when he lived in the UK. I like Merry Christmas, happy holidays, happy kwanza, happy hanuka, happy whatever your custom is

 

[lmw80]

I am jewish and do not understand why people get offended! I always say happy holidays if I don't know for sure if the person celebrates christmas or not, but most of the time I say merry christmas. I don't even correct people when they tell me merry christmas...I just say thank you, you too. It's such a happy time of year, and it bothers me that people have to ruin it by being "offended"! I love looking at the decorated houses and singing along with the christmas songs on the radio. I mean, what is there not to like??

 

[Andy M.]

I am jewish and do not understand why people get offended! I always say happy holidays if I don't know for sure if the person celebrates christmas or not, but most of the time I say merry christmas. I don't even correct people when they tell me merry christmas...I just say thank you, you too. It's such a happy time of year, and it bothers me that people have to ruin it by being "offended"! I love looking at the decorated houses and singing along with the christmas songs on the radio. I mean, what is there not to like??

Lori:

I like your positive attitude. Thanks for sharing.

 

[thier1754]

Lori, you said it all. This overly-pc "holiday" problem has only become a blatant issue in the past decade or so, but it's been building for a while. How silly. Saying "Merry Christmas" is not an evangelistic tool. It's a happy greeting among all of us that acknowleges a beautiful time of year and, for Christians, it has a deeper meaning. So...Merry Christmas everybody!

 

[Raven]

I'm with Bucky on the porch with the cane. (Bucky can I bring my double barrell instead? .410's beat a full house any day LOL!)

Merry Christmas OR ELSE!

~ Raven ~

 

[pdswife]

Lori:

I like your positive attitude. Thanks for sharing.

I agree 100%!

 

[licia]

Isn't it a bit crazy that someone seeks to change every aspect of life that is good while allowing all sorts of dirt to permeate our air waves, give it to our children and expect us not to complain? I say if you don't want to celebrate Christmas, so what? but stay out of the business of telling others what to do. Personally, I refuse to buy from any store that decides to be so politically correct that they ignore all my wishes. If I see a person I know is Jewish, I wish them Happy Hanukka, or whatever holiday they are celebrating at the time. I refuse to give in to those seeking to make all of us just like them, but with no rights.

 

[Alix]

You know, I love to see what you all have written, it does my heart good to see that we are all so tolerant of each others differences. I love to learn about different religions and celebrations (as GB will likely attest cuz I pester him a lot!) and I think that everyone deserves to celebrate their own and say what they please. Its lovely to see so many like minded folk here.

 

[shannon in KS]

I agree Alix! It is all a matter of respecting other's opinions. You get hundreds of DC people together from all over the world and different backgrounds, there is bound to be disagreements in opinion and such, but we all seem to come together! It is enlightening though, to learn about other cultures, religions, traditions- it can help us understand others, and OURSELVES better by helping us look at our lives from a new perspective. Sometimes, we need to put everything aside, and see the beauty in our friends, and the simple fact that we are all human! We are all in this life together, whether we are on different paths or not, at different points in our lives. I have met people before, who I totally clash with, and meet them a year later, and they are a totally different person, or is it me that has changed and I see them in a different light? Through our ever-changing lives, I wish the best to you all, happiness!

 

[BigDog]

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, or Happy Holidays are my usual greetings, in that order. I hear Season's Greetings too, but I question the need for greetings for the specific season of winter. Don't usually hear of spring greetings, or the others.

As for the PC mumbo jumbo bull shavick, I'm not clairvoyant (sp?) so if I choose the wrong greeting to greet you with, build a bridge and get over it. At least I am being cordial enough to greet you. It's nice to see responses like lmw80. Most people get all bent out of shape when you greet them with a seasonal phrase that does not apply to them. Unless one is wearing traditional dress of their culture/heritage, how are you to know? Side note to that, many don't know what traditional dress is for many cultures! Guess they're really screwed, eh?

I don't get bent out of shape when I'm told Happy Halloween on the approriate day, though it is not a day that I participate in the "traditional" events.

Wish more of the world had paradigms along lmw80's line . . . . .

 

[Dina]

I like this thread about diversity celebrations! In my Latin culture, we say "Feliz Navidad" and celebrate on Christmas Eve which we call "Noche Buena". We have a big feast for dinner on Christmas Eve, kids start opening presents around 11:00 or midnight, nooner if the little ones are sleepy. We don't usually have a specific place to be on Christmas. My husband's family is in Dallas and mine are in south Texas. We travel every other Christmas to visit up in Dallas (as we will this year). We just love being around family and the kids, especially, love to be around their grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. So Feliz Navidad to everyone!