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Topic: Happy Holidays vs Merry Christmas: Who Gets Most Offended? Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Steve Coates
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Posted: 12 December 2017 at 5:37pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

A Joyous Recess to One and All!

I don't like the word "holiday". I don't celebrate holy days, I celebrate friends and family and the break from the routine. 

Although, I don't mind wishing someone "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah" or other salutation if I know it is appropriate to their beliefs or upbringing. 
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Wallace Sellars
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Posted: 12 December 2017 at 6:42pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

I like HAPPY HOLIDAYS because of the song.

SEASONS GREETINGS is nice, too, though I don't think I've ever spoken it
aloud to anyone.

I know quite a few people who take issue with the use of X-MAS instead of
CHRISTMAS. (They don't think you should take "Christ" out of "Christmas," you
see.) I prefer CHRISTMAS because I like the look of the word, but X-MAS
is just fine.
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Lars Sandmark
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Posted: 12 December 2017 at 7:40pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

I prefer to say "Merry Christmas" simply because that's what I've heard for my whole life.
We call them Christmas presents, and Christmas cards, and we say 'Merry Christmas'. No big deal, call it what it is.

Personally(!) I see it as a North American tradition more than a religious one at this point. YMMV.
Someone says Christmas I think of Santa, when you say 'Happy Easter' I think of chocolate eggs, same idea.

Although I do feel strongly that a decorated tree is called a 'Christmas Tree'.

'Holiday Tree' is stupid.








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Robbie Parry
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Posted: 12 December 2017 at 7:57pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

This is worth a read:

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Matt Reed
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Posted: 12 December 2017 at 8:44pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

I wish people happy holidays and don't really worry about how they take my greeting.  "The reason for the season" isn't really based in Christianity but coopted from the pagans.  With so many religions celebrating their holiday around the same time, I just sweep them all up in one go and am done with it.

As far as being offended if someone wishes me, an atheist, a merry Christmas, I'm not.  It's presumptuous to be sure, but I don't get my knickers in a twist. The time between Thanksgiving and New Years is my favorite (it has nothing to do with religion) and I'd rather not quell that feeling by constantly correcting people. I take it in the spirit in which it's intended, wish them happy holidays, and move on.
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Brian O'Neill
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Posted: 12 December 2017 at 9:12pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

As someone who never cared for 'Seinfeld', I'm wondering how long it will be before 'Festivus' references die. Oh, air the grievance, and that stupid Whatever Pole...
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Peter Martin
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Posted: 12 December 2017 at 9:20pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

I know quite a few people who take issue with the use of X-MAS instead of 
CHRISTMAS. (They don't think you should take "Christ" out of "Christmas," you 
see.) I prefer CHRISTMAS because I like the look of the word, but X-MAS 
is just fine.
-----------------------------------------
Those who get their nose out of joint over Xmas are trying to hard.... and should try to get their heads around the concept that the Greek letter Chi (X) has historically been used to represent Christ (another common variant is the Chi-Rho which combines the Greek letter Chi and Rho into a single symbol). Xmas is therefore not taking the Christ out of Christmas. It's using traditional Christian symbolism and you'd think Christians might know about this!


Church candle with the Chi-Rho symbol:



Edited by Peter Martin on 12 December 2017 at 9:23pm
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Brian O'Neill
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Posted: 12 December 2017 at 9:24pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

Lars Sandmark:
I prefer to say "Merry Christmas" simply because that's what I've heard for my whole life.
We call them Christmas presents, and Christmas cards, and we say 'Merry Christmas'. No big deal, call it what it is.

Personally(!) I see it as a North American tradition more than a religious one at this point. YMMV. 
Someone says Christmas I think of Santa, when you say 'Happy Easter' I think of chocolate eggs, same idea. 

Although I do feel strongly that a decorated tree is called a 'Christmas Tree'.

'Holiday Tree' is stupid. 
*****

Agreed. Every commercial these days is as 'Christmassy' as it gets for sales pitches..Santa Claus, reindeer, elves, egg nog, Christmas trees, ugly Christmas sweaters...yet nobody says the word 'Christmas'...'This HOLIDAY, have a happy HOLIDAY with the Honda HOLIDAY sale and have a happy Honda HOLIDAY blah blah blah HAHLIDAAAAY. 
Not a menorah to be seen. No Diwali, Eid, or Kwanzaa references. 
So, whatever could this odd December 25 'holiday' be? The history books are so vague for possible answers.
In contexts like that, just say fucking Christmas. Nobody will die. If they do, they probably have much bigger problems.


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Mike Norris
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Posted: 12 December 2017 at 11:45pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

I worked in retail for two decades. Never had anyone get offended by either "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas". I think the outrage is mostly manufactured by people needing to be outraged. 
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Wallace Sellars
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Posted: 13 December 2017 at 6:30am | IP Logged | 10 post reply

Those who get their nose out of joint over Xmas are trying to hard.... and
should try to get their heads around the concept that the Greek letter Chi (X)
has historically been used to represent Christ…



Most of the people I mentioned know that… And if they didn't before, do
after I tell them… And yet… *shrugs*

It seems to me that some people enjoy being offended.
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Michael Penn
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Posted: 13 December 2017 at 7:09am | IP Logged | 11 post reply


 QUOTE:
It seems to me that some people enjoy being offended.

TRUTH.
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Jean-Francois Joutel
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Posted: 13 December 2017 at 7:47am | IP Logged | 12 post reply

I like the old fashioned greeting for this time of year.

SOL INVICTUS!

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