Calling Christmas by Its Name
 

Hey, this argument never gets old! :lol2



http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/ChristmasC...ory?id=1394841

Calling Christmas by Its Name

People Are Saying 'Happy Holidays' Instead of Merry Christmas

Dec. 11, 2005 — - Happy holidays! Merry Christmas!

They may sound like simple salutations, but they have become opposing battle cries in a wintry culture war -- with conservative Christian groups going up against retailers, municipalities and even the White House.

If you receive a card from President and Mrs. Bush this season, you will find the first dogs sitting in snow, a scripture from the book of Psalms and "Best wishes for a holiday season of hope and happiness."

And to some, that is pure blasphemy, because nowhere does it mention the word "Christmas."

"When I got the card from President Bush, it didn't mean that much to me," said Catholic League president Bill Donohue. "I figured that's what most presidents did. Then I found that I was wrong. Everybody from F.D.R. to Bush's father had at least one card every year while they were in office that said Merry Christmas."

The so-called "war for Christmas" is actually thousands of years old because 'tis the season of mixed messages.

Evergreen trees, candles and gift-giving were all part of a pagan winter ritual hundreds of years before Jesus was even born. The Christ child and St. Nicholas joined party in the 4th century. Jewish Hanukah and African Kwanzaa emerged in America in the 20th.


Political Furors
But any effort to be all-inclusive by referring to the "holidays" has riled those anxious to keep Christ at the center of the season and even sparked political battles.

A spruce on Capitol Hill is a Christmas tree once again, losing its "holiday" title thanks to the effort of Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.

After Target opted for generic holiday advertising, a conservative Christian group threatened the retailer with a boycott 700,000 strong. Target's new campaign now includes the word "Christmas."

An Ohio couple says they've sold almost 15,000 "Just say Merry Christmas" bracelets.

Donohue said he wants to know why people insist on "neutering" the holidays.

"Elvis didn't sing about 'Blue Holiday,' " he said. "Nobody says 'I'll be home for the holiday.' It's, 'I'll be home for Christmas.' If you can't say Christmas at Christmas time, when 85 percent of the population is Christian and 96 percent of the population celebrates Christmas, something's wrong."

In Phoenix, the sheriff has ordered Christmas music to play throughout the county jail all day long -- hymns and carols -- and for agnostics he says he'll mix in the singing Chipmunks.

"We can't say 'Merry Christmas' in the U.S., in the world anymore," said Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz. "What are we coming to? I am saying it. I am singing it. It's gonna be in this jail, and that's the way the ball bounces."


'Political Correctness Run Amok'
Perhaps people who are offended by the use of the Christmas have "drunk too much from the multicultural well" and are victims of "political correctness run amok," said Donohue.

There are two ways to deal with the problem, he added.

"You can educate the people that object to 'merry Christmas,' or you can veto the use of the term," he said. "I want to educate the bigots."

A lot of people who are afraid to say merry Christmas are actually Christians who don't want to offend people, Donohue said.

"On Thursday, I'm going to be with Jackie Mason and we're going to take a Hummer, go down Fifth Avenue and have press conference about Jews saying, 'It's okay to say merry Christmas. All my Jewish friends say it's okay to say merry Christmas.' "

But for those who are still worried about offending people, Donohue has a solution.

"I think we can say, 'Merry Christmas and have a happy New Year,' " he said. "That covers it both."

Copyright © 2005 ABC News Internet Ventures

this is so stupid. saying "happy holidays" doesn't dis christmas; it merely incorporates all religions' holidays, rather than focus on just the christian one. and, of course, that's the problem for people. they don't want to include other religions because all of those followers are GOING TO HELL.

Yeah, it's ridiculous. First of all, I don't actually know anybody who gets offended if you say Merry Christmas. Even my Jewish friends and co-workers, they have been so inundated with it all of their lives, it just sort of rolls off of them now. They stopped caring, if they ever did.

Secondly, why not have one phrase that covers everything? I think this story is less about the argument, and more about the people who partake in it.

Bill Donohue and the Catholic League. :(

Happy Yuletide!

I just find it hilarious that all these people are defending a holiday that is essentially a renamed Pagan Sabbat, which, incidentally, is called Yule. This article had it pinned when they said that the trees and gift giving were pagan, but so are the "yule log", the colors, and even miseltoe for God's sake. Oh, and ya know how Christians hate sex? Miseltoe was actually used to represent fertility because the juice of the berries looks like semen.

Personally, I think this argument really misses the point. People are getting pissed because they feel like somehow this is cheapening the value of Christmas just because Sears won't write the name of the holiday on their banners, but they ignore/embrace/condone the blatant commercialism and material greed that really IS cheapening the spirit of the holiday.

I think that's a fair point Emu, but retailers need to cast a wide net....like Jesus! Eh!?

And Christians don't hate sex. They are freaks.

btw, best quote ever:

"We can't say 'Merry Christmas' in the U.S., in the world anymore," said Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz. "What are we coming to? I am saying it. I am singing it. It's gonna be in this jail, and that's the way the ball bounces."

YA HEAR THAT, ATHEISTS!? THAT IS HOW THE FUCKIN' BALL BOUNCES!!

I just don't understand why this is rearing it's head now. I've heard "Happy Holiday's" all of my life, now it's become the "War on Christmas"...next they'll be bitching because the stores have removed all religious symbols from the easter displays and replaced them with chocolate rabbits and marshmallow chickens.... :|

Yeah! I want my kids' pictures taken with the Good Friday Bloody Fucking Corpse!

Merry Pagan Winter Ritual!

Ya, the Catholic League really doesn't have other issues to worry about.

And considering what other things retailers have done to degrade, cheapen and insult their customers during the season, this bullshit really doesn't bug me too much. Hell, outside of Home Depot, I don't hink I go to any major retailers anymore. Thank Nonspeciffic Religious Figure for the internet.

If you don't let the Christians have Christmas they're going to take away all the Queer peoples bank loans. Everyone needs to back up off each others lawns.

On behalf of Jews everywhere, I'd just like to say we love your Christmas cookies, and a good Christmas dinner. We also like it when you climb up on your rooftops in cold weather and string up those dime store lights. The Carolling...not so much.

And apparently white elephant/Secret Santa-themed holiday parties. :/

I prefer to say merry christmas, because I say "happy thanksgiving" before thanksgiving, and I say "have a good newyear" before newyears. And most other people do too.

Most people say happy holidays JUST for christmas, and it is does sound a little anti christian. I don't care either way, I just don't like companies preventing their employees from saying "merry christmas." That is much more offending I think than hearing it.

I'm gonna play devils advocate here. I grew up not really celebrating christmas, and little kids thought it was horrible that I didn't get to celebrate christmas and that I couldn't eat pork. It was really embarrassing because no one in the entire fucking world knows what Eid is. It was a minor annoyance, just because you got the "MY RELIGION IS BETTER THAN YOURS" vibe. It's still kinda awkward when people go on and on to asking about what I'm gonna do for christmas and if I bought all my presents and how tall my christmas tree is. I just kinda go off about how I found some great deals and stuff.

That being said, they are two words and christmas has almost been degenerated to a completely secular holiday, so saying it just kinda breaks it down a bit more, in my opinion

I really just want to wish everyone a happy hannakuh and ask why when people get mad at me, but that would lead to oodles of boycotts

My family is athiest and always has been and we celebrate Christmas. Kids at school used to get mad at me and say I wasn't allowed to celebrate Christmas if I didn't believe in Jesus and they said I would go to hell for it. Then I would say I didn't believe in hell and they would go, "youll just rot in the ground then" and I would go "yea pretty much".

I <3 Christmas you whiny stupid motherfuckers. Get over it. Its a fun time of year when families can get together and people are nice. Seriously. Come on.

Ugh, the politically correct nauseate me.

Take me for example - I'm an Asian Australian whose parents were Buddhists, my adoptive (yes im adopted) parents either Christian backgrounds or are athiests, I myself don't believe in a particular religion... but I don't feel offended by the word "Christmas". And why should I? Christmas never had any symbolic importance to me, but that's no reason not to celebrate it. It's like going to the birthday party of someone you don't know very well and someone screaming, "Hey man, you don't BELIEVE in the birthday!" Uhhh I did have a point to that analogy but bottom line...

I want an mp3 player for Christmas.

:lol

Right, and I think this is part of the reason you get such a Christian backlash over "happy holidays." They would argue that they've had to battle Santa for years now. And we should all know, there's no defeating Santa. He brings toys and candy and has happy little elves and reindeer. Christians have a kid born in a manger with some murr. Santa will win that battle every time.

So now you can't even say Christmas, thus putting them at another disadvantage. Point, Klause.

Before ya know it, we're talking lions. And lions eat Christians, except the one in Narnia, who is actually Jesus.

I present the following evidence:

1. Channukah isn't really one of the high holy days of Judaism. It's also not a national holiday. I would argue that Christmas and Easter are the paramount Christian holidays.

2. There really aren't any other significant religion holidays around this time. Kwanzaa? Not even a religion holiday and anyone who refers to Kwanzaa as one of the reasons they say "happy holidays" or whatever, is just exposing what an uninformed douche they really are because it does not exclude celebrating Christmas in any way. Oh and "winter solstice"? Who gives a fuck.

3. About 80% of this country is Christian (if my memory serves), and it was founded by Christians, and the holiday time is holiday time BECAUSE of Christmas.

It should be Merry Christmas and the Christmas Holiday and the Christmas Season and they should rename December, Christmas Month.

Anyway that's just what I think. Feel free to argue or insult me or go fuck yourself if you want.

Except Jesus was most likely not born on December 25th. That day was specifically picked to coincide with Roman pagan festivities.

It's a fake holiday.

So let's all just sing!

To the tune of "You’re Having a Birthday" by the Beatles:

It's Jesus's Birthday
It's Chanukah too yeah
It's Jesus's Birthday
So have a happy Yule tide
I'm glad it's His birthday
Happy Birthday Jesus

Yes, were going to a Christmas party
Yes, were going to a Christmas party
Yes, were going to a Christmas party

Holiday
I would like some presents
Holiday
See my uncles and aunts
Holiday
Get some socks and some pants-really tight pants

It's Jesus's Birthday
It's Chanukah too yeah
It's Jesus's Birthday

We'll break some bread and drink wine
I'm glad that it's Christmas
Happy Christmas to You

It's not a "fake holiday". The date isn't necessarily even relevent, it's the event that we celebrate.

The fact that you care is why Ziggytrix wins.

What I find a little odd is that Americans are supposed to be more religious as compared to Canadians yet there's isn't much so called anti-Christmas sentiment in Canada.