Happy holiday / christmas / winter soltace?!

[KenWittlief]

Im wondering what everyone thinks about all the PC fuss being made this year about Christmas vs Happy Holidays?

Its come up over the years, some people where really upset back when the abbreviation "X-mas" started being used, but it really seems to be all over the news this year.

I havent really paid much attention to it, but I laughed when I saw a Honda commerical on TV last night: they really jumped into it with both feet.

A chorus is singing "We wish you a Happy Honda" to the tune of "we wish you a merry Christmas"

not only did they replace "merry Christmas" with "happy Holiday" they then changed "Holiday" to Honda

Im willing to bet the commercial was shot months ago before all the PC nonsense started this year, but I have to wonder if they realized what a cultural mess they have landed themselves in?

[Francis-134]

If I recall correctly, that Honda commercial was on last year as well.

Regardless, I don't see what all the fuss about "Happy Holidays" is about. Is it really that bad to_not_say Merry Christmas? Also, as Jon Stewart pointed out, there is a little holiday called New Years a week after Christmas. For the longest time, whenever I heard happy holidays I thought it was a replacement for merry christmas and a happy new year. Personally, it seems as though this only became a problem once people_made_it a problem.

[sciguy125]

Happy Chrismahanakwanzaka!

[Andrew Blair]

Ah bah humbug! We don't need an holidays! It'll solve the whole issue. And then everyone can come to Corry and assemble small tedious mechanisms in our sweatsho...I mean tropical beach resort! There'll be safaris and ice cream and we can call it "CometoCorryandAssembleMechanismswhilebeingpaidnot hingbutslopandbread-twiceadayandbebeatoverheadrepeatedlyuntilefficienc yismetinpreparationforthe-2006kickoffthatisonlytwoweeksawayDays!"

Alright problem solved. Tell your friends to join the new hip, pop revolution.

Those CometoCorryandAssembleMechanismswhilebeingpaidnoth ingbutslopandbread-twiceadayandbebeatoverheadrepeatedlyuntilefficienc yismetinpreparationforthe-2006kickoffthatisonlytwoweeksawayDays are here!

[lukevanoort]

Well, in many cultures and religions this particular time of year has been very important. The winter solstice is and has been important to many cultures and many religions have something that is related to it. So, I think happy holidays is appropriate, given the diversity, although you never hear hapy solstice. Although I've grown used to it living in the Bible Belt, people really need to stop having Christmas related stuff at schools, saying Merry Christmas is one thing but whole classes of it are just wrong. It doesn't help that I end up offending everybody around this time with history, including the etymology of the word Christ.

[Joe Matt]

The whole darn thing is a talking point started to give pundits and others a new thing to unquestionably fear. It's a passing thing that nobody will think about after Christmas. Or as Jon Stewart said, "You could say "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year", but you probably have s**t to do!"

[dlavery]

It is times like this that make me am glad I am a Druid...




-dave

[AmyPrib]

Personally, I think the whole PC thing has gotten out of hand (and not just on holiday phrases). Why does it have to be read into? Why are people horridly offended by someone saying Merry Christmas? I grew up this way, so it's difficult for me to understand why it's got to be this big movement to ban people from saying certain phrases.

Are they also offended when someone says Happy Hanukah, Happy Winter Solstice, Bless You (when you sneeze), Happy Easter, Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Druids day, or any other holiday name, or nothing at all during the holidays?

Maybe they do get offended, by why? Do they feel as if they are being forced to convert? Is it being shoved down their throats? I've never been offended by other's beliefs - because I know how to deal with diversity. I look at it as - they are wishing me happy holidays no matter which holiday or religion they believe in. Merry Christmas comes naturally to me, other words come naturally to others. I'm not going to freak out if someone wishes me a "whatever whatever". To me it's the thought that counts more than the words they use. Tolerance for differences has seemed to drop by the wayside.

If you want to use Happy Holidays to cover the diversity, cool. But being forced to by your employers or otherwise, and being restricted from saying certain things is slightly ridiculous. Perhaps everyone (including the offended and offenders) should learn to deal with diversity. It's give and take both ways people. If people just looked at the general "spirit" of the holiday, it shouldn't really matter.

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

I'm Jewish.

I say "Happy Hannukah" to everybody.

I say "Merry Christmas to you, too" when I'm told "Merry Christmas".

Remember, the only people blowing this out of proportion are a small number of people from each and every social group. Most Jewish people aren't offended by "Merry Christmas". Same goes for Agnostics, Aethiests, Druids, etc.

As for the PC thing, I'd rather they just call it a "Christmas Tree", or put up "Christmas (insert thing here)". It's a cultural thing, and as Amy said, we all might as well learn to handle diversity. In my opinion, too much PC can destroy those fun differences.

Of course, there is a line where that stops applying, such as when something is forced. However, I am confident that if I ever feel offended by a religious expression, the group/individual stating it and myself will be able to come to an agreement. Political correctness overload may avoid conflicts, but it also stops people from learning how to resolve them should the need arise.

[KenWittlief]

the battle rages on:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051218/...NlYwN5bmNhdA--

[Bill Moore]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

Im wondering what everyone thinks about all the PC fuss being made this year about Christmas vs Happy Holidays?

Who listens? Is it truly worth your time to hear every soundbite out of Washington? Or every soundbite on every so called news channel? If it truly is news, why do they only devote about 60 seconds to each story? Remember Katrina? Remember the Tsunami? Those stories were news. News stories have legs beyond the latest soundbite.

"News" in the United States has become a race to beat the next organization to the latest item that is being Hyped.

"Seasons Greetings" and "Happy Holidays", as greetings at this time of year, have been around longer than the people giving the soundbites. "Happy Holidays" was so common, it became a song in the 1942 musical "Holiday Inn". In the movie it was sung on New Years Eve, and obviously recognized the clustering of holidays at this time of the year.

This is just another faux news story, that will die in a couple of weeks. Then we can move onto the next "scandalous" piece of hype. Anyone want to predict what that will be?

BTW: I have a CHRISTMAS Tree, and I will wish you MERRY CHRISTMAS, but I also have an inflatable Snoopy on his Sopwith Camel doghouse in my front yard. Just because something doesn't specifically relate to religion at Christmas time, doesn't make it inherently sacrilegious.

[DCA Fan]

I think it is the most idiotic argument we've had this year. As if the news networks ran out of things to cover so they decided to make something up and then beat it to death. I feel that Happy Holidays is perfectly acceptable because of, well, the fact there are many holidayS during this season and we can quite easily kill a few birds with one stone instead of addressing each one individually.

[sanddrag]

When I bought a tree at Target, the tag on it said "Holiday Tree." Hrrm, does this mean I can keep it until Columbus Day? That's a holiday right?

[Bill Moore]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

When I bought a tree at Target, the tag on it said "Holiday Tree." Hrrm, does this mean I can keep it until Columbus Day? That's a holiday right?

Yes, and for the record, Columbus Day is October 12th, not the generally accepted second Monday in October. (Thanks a lot bureaucrats.)

[DCA Fan]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

When I bought a tree at Target, the tag on it said "Holiday Tree." Hrrm, does this mean I can keep it until Columbus Day? That's a holiday right?

Haha see this is why I hate PC-ness. It's generally accepted that a tree with ornaments is a CHRISTMAS tree. It's not like we have a holiday menorah or something like that. Who would seriously be offended by seeing a Christmas tree and it being labeled as such?

Speaking of which, I need to get back to decorating my Haunakah tree