Holiday Politics

I like when people wish me a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or whatever they want to say. But I can also understand the other side. Think about how you feel about all the Christmas stuff being kept out. Then consider that people celebrating other holidays have to see all the Christmas stuff, hear all the Christmas stuff, deal with all the Christmas traffic, maybe even have to work on Christmas because they don't celebrate AND their celebration is totally ignored by everyone. It would get old after a while. They probably feel a bit like you do. Now other holidays are being celebrated, but they are not necessarily the major holidays of their religion. Everyone makes a huge deal over Hanukkah, which is really a minor Jewish holiday. It's only a big deal because it is close to Christmas. I have friends of so many different faiths, that I like to send out New Year's cards instead of Christmas cards. Then nobody is inadvertently offended AND I get extra time to finish them up!

Well, companies and public schools need to be inclusive.

Now, individually, I know that when someone wishes me a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Bodacious Kwanza, Happy Holiday, etc, they are in fact, wishing me well. They are NOT telling me to go eff myself.

I get sick and tired of all the offense collectors that come out of the woodwork this time a year. Please, people, just relax and enjoy a little good will towards your fellow humans.

Our public school brings people in to talk about Hanukkah, Kwanza and Eid but they won't allow anybody to come talk about Christmas.

A friend of mine said "bless you" to someone who sneezed in the check-out line last week and he told her "don't push your religion on me!" I think she should have told him she hoped he'd die then, but she's nicer than me.

Why are we more offended by Christmas than by our taxes getting raised again and again? I just don't get people anymore.

Poor Christians. We make up a huge majority of this country, our sabbath is a day off not just for us, but also for government services such as the postal service, etc., and our holiday parties are shunned! We have no way to celebrate our faith publicly! It's not like the birth of our savior is a National Holiday - oh, wait, it is. Well, but we can't decorate our houses for the holiday - um, hmm. Well, at least the stores don't have special sales for us while they play music just for our, uh, our holiday...

I am constantly amused by the cries about the "war against Christmas" that seem to arise every year. On a personal level, my family celebrates Christmas. We decorate our house, buy our gifts, go to our church, and send out Christmas cards (to all of our friends, no matter their religion) wishing them a "Merry Christmas." This is our faith, and we choose to share it on a personal and friendly level with those who know and love us.

However, when it comes to public or government entities such as companies (that employ people of all faiths) and schools, I absolutely see the point in avoiding anything that is strikingly religious in nature. You say you wouldn't mind kids singing a Hanukah song, and I understand where you're going (I love the traditional Christmas music, too) but as another person pointed out, Hanukah songs are rarely about God, much less the birth of a God-child or the savior of a people that WE don't believe in. I wonder if you would feel the same if, during Ramadan, your children sang multiple songs in praise to the Great Allah (with one or two Christian songs thrown in there, you know, to make the Christians feel less left out)? If so, then your open-mindedness is refreshing and it's a shame you feel your faith is excluded. I wouldn't mind my children learning songs of different religions, either. But I think most Americans would have a real problem with it these days, thereby choosing at least one religion they would prefer to exclude on that religion's holidays. Silent Night and Joy to the World are celebrations of the birth of Christ - a concept that many other religions don't accept. In my opinion, a company party is not a personal expression of faith - nor is a sale at a department store, or a parade down the center of town, and calling these things "Holiday-" or "Winter-" instead of "Christmas-Parties" is actually not an attack on Christmas.

Clarification: You didn't say it was an attack on Christmas, so I wanted you to know that I know that. I heard someone on the news yesterday, however, claim that changing a "Christmas Parade" to a "Winter Parade" was an attack on Christmas. I disagree, and am both amused and a little irritated by the assumption that I should be offended by something so unrelated to the true meaning of the holiday.

This is a tough one because there are so many strong feelings either way. Personally, I like being wished a Merry Christmas, but know friends who are highly offended at the assumption that they celebrate the holiday. Their religious holidays and traditions are important and if you're not going to acknowledge them all, then better not to specify any!

Either way, it's usually better to err on the side of caution and be neutral, especially at work. Just a funny example... when I was in grad school I worked as the Fitness Coordinator at the campus rec center. We did a "holiday" display in the front lobby that really got out-of-hand. Years ago, the Director put up a tree and had all of the student employees make ornaments with their pictures on it- super cute. The next year, she added a Menorah because a couple of our employees asked for it. Great! The NEXT year... someone told her she needed to put something up for Kwaanza (which by the way is NOT religious in nature and has to do with a cultural celebration), but she put up the candles anyway. The NEXT year... Ramadan was added. The display went from "quaint" to hideous and she stopped doing it altogether.

So yes, be inclusive and sensitive, but also keep some perspective and don't douse the spirit of giving and spending time together!

My daughter got in trouble at her middle school for saying Merry Christmas to a friend..in a private conversation, overheard by a staff member. My husband would have relished going to the office to defend her right to say that, had it been needed. We are not very religious, but we do celebrate Christmas, and I do find issue with the fact that in a private conversation, she was chastised publicly (she felt publicly humiliated and chastised by this mean spirited teacher) for wishing a pal a Merry Christmas.

You are never going to please everyone, and for me, it is never my goal. If someone wished me a Happy Hanukkah, I would say "and a Merry Christmas to you"..all in "good faith" and merriment of our respective celebrations and good wishes as it is simply intended, without any discriminatory undertones. I do not understand why it is never the other way around? Why is Merry Christmas so offensive? I don't choose to say Happy Holidays.

According to an ABC poll, 83% of Americans are Christians...so that tells me the bulk of our country is likely to celebrate Christmas in some way. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/dailynews/beliefnet_pol...

EDIT TO ADD: This sort of line of thinking always makes me wonder..do other countries have these issues? England is mostly Christian as well (Higher percent I think than the US)...do they have all sorts of "inclusive" sort of issues with schools and public offices and such as seems to happen here in the US?..just a thought that occured to me.

I agree with you. In an effort to not offend anyone else, we Christians have to censor ourselves while allowing everyone else freedom of religion. I don't have a problem with their freedom of religion but I wish I had it too.

I completely agree with you. Merry Christmas!

I assume the request to change was made by the team? If it's for the team, honor that and move on. If it's YOUR celebration, you get to celebrate whatever you darn well please.

We celebrate Christmas at my house. Still - I tend towards "Happy Holidays" because not all of my friends and family are Christians. But they know I am and if it slipped out, they'd be gracious about it.

Anyone wishing me any kind of happiness is OK by me.

This is probably not going to be a popular answer but you did ask how we feel so here goes: I personally like to be wished Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Joyful Solstice, Eid Sa'eed, etc. because it means my friends of various faiths and cultures are thinking of me during a festive season. That being said I must say, or type rather, that Christians are not "shunned" in this country (look at Pakistan, Eritrea, China, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, etc. if you want to see Christians who actually face persecution not mere "shunning"). So while you are all *UGH* about changing the name of your party just remember there are people who do not have freedom of (or from) religion, just to maybe put things in perspective. I think the only ones who are really "shunned" the world over are people who have no faith or apostates. Now, finally, I would like to wish you a very merry Christmas!

I say Merry Christmas and if they don't like it too bad. As a Christian I have the right to celebrate our holiday's and custom's just as Muslim and people of the Jewish faith can. Fortunately in the office where I work we have people of different faiths but they love celebration our holidays. Their concern is whether or not they are celebrating correctly. I say embrace your faith and holiday's and not let anyone tell you that you can't. In parting Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your families. T.