You’re absolutely right Khadaji. There is no way to please everyone. I still say, “Call it what it is.” I know I’m in the minority, as a Jew in public schools. If I didn’t like it, I’d send my children (if I had any) to Jewish school. Politically correctness has become so exaggerated that I’ve come to realize it sucks.
Yes, be aware and respectful that there are MANY religions among us, not just Christianity. The USA is a conglameration of many nationalities, religions and cultures. No, don’t try to appease everyone by muting and diluting each one. Great example of this is Chirac in France. Though I’m of French decent, and I’ve always tried to defend French people (but not government), I’ve really gotta say: You guys fucked up big time when making him the leader of your country.
Well actually it wasn’t the “christians” that did it, it was Mr and Ms. ULTRA PC.
This “Holidays” nonsense didn’t start because someone thought they were being “inclusive” or whatever. It started because some idiot (or idiotS) somewhere in the advertising industry thought that the word Christmas, (with its “OH so Vulgar and insensitive” reference to Christ), was offensive to those who weren’t christians.
I remember hearing this debate at least 15 years ago, and then have watched as “Merry Christmas” has become something a bit “iffy” to say if you’re not sure what religious persuasion (if any) your acquaintances are.
One almost never sees all purpose “Merry Christmases” anymore. If it’s an ad, it’s always “Happy Holidays” (mustn’t risk possibly offending anyone by even the MEREST hint of one’s beliefs), it it’s a school gathering (sports, clubs what have you), Oh for the sake of NOT GETTING FREAKING SUED, you’d better not hint of ANY sort of religious connotations to “this time of year” and so on.
So it’s not the ad agencies, or the schools or groups that have made this into such stupid antiseptic sounding tags for Christmas, it’s all the “Be PC for PCness’ Sake” morons.
Sheesh, I’m surprised that they let Valentine’s (how offensive is THAT Holiday to single folks?), and Halloween (Arrrggggh Devil worshippers!!!) stand and haven’t changed them to Candy Holiday One and Candy Holiday Two.
Our county schools are calling it “Christmas/Winter Holiday”, as well as having a ‘holiday concert’ where they sang not only Christmas Carols, but a couple of Hanukkah songs as well.
So many people celebrate secular Xmas, that it doesn’t bother me anymore if it’s called Christmas or Xmas or Traditional Winter Holiday. Also, our schools close for Yom Kippur and Rosh Hoshanna - and I listened to women at my gym bitch about it. I asked them how they’d feel if school were open for Christmas and Easter - they shut up.
How about “winter break” then? I’ve heard of schools that have “fall break” and I’ve always had “spring break” (which probably began as Easter break).
I’m not Christian at all, but I’m certainly not offended by references to Christmas in its proper context. Somebody up the thread said call it what it is. I agree. Please.
I’ve wished Jews “Happy Valentines Day”, to which I’ve been told, “I don’t celebrate any day that celebrates a Saint”. Being Jewish myself, I’m like: For fucks sakes, get over yourself. I’m wishing you happiness in love and to get laid tonight."
As for Hallowe’en, same deal. LOTS of Jews don’t send their kids out because it’s a “Pagan Holiday”. My sentiments are: Your kids get dressed up in costumes (like fairies and football players), go door to door, asking for candy. They come back with a pillow case of sugar. No one is praying to the moon or to the devil. End of.
Minor nitpick from a Jewish agnostic: I have yet to see a “holiday break,” or even a Christmas break, which covered Orthodox Christmas. Anyone have a clue what the proportion of Orthodox Christians in the U.S. is? Here in Chicago it must be pretty decent-sized, even just counting Greeks and Romanians and Ukrainians.
(I agree with the O.P. though; it’s kind of ridiculous to call something a “holiday break” which is obviously designed for Christmas. Chanukah happens to fall rather late this year, but most years there isn’t anything close to the overlap that we have this year. And when I was in school, especially in choir, I really got sick of doing the same token “Chanukah” song or two every year. If you want to work on diversity, guys, find some new sheet music! It’s out there, really it is. And this from someone who loves Christmas music and has no problem whatsoever singing it. For that matter, neither did the son of my synagogue’s rabbi, who stood next to me in the bass section.)
Um, quit talking out of your ass. Kwanzaa has never been touted as a religious anything. And if you ever actually attend a Kwanzaa party, you’d see that.
I totally agree with your sentiments CheekyMonky. For one thing, maybe THE thing, all of these Holidays have really, for all intents and purposes, ceased being about which they were originally created, if they ever really were in the first place.
They are now, especially Christmas, Valentines Day and Halloween, about what the commercial industry wants them to be about.
Christmas is about presents and santa. Valentines day is, as you said about getting love, and getting laid (with CHOCOLATE hopefully :D), and Halloween is about getting to dress like a cheerleader and dance all night, (oh wait, that’s me, not kids). AHem, Halloween is about dressing like fairies and pirates and going door to door getting lots of candy.
In this day and age, they really no longer have any religious meaning, so how could they possibly be offensive? Except to those of us who resent being guilted into buying stuff for people, JUST because it’s [insert commercially overtaken Holiday of your choice].
We were not asked. The decision was made without our input, (hence some of us surrender the term gracefully and some of us surrender the term grudgingly.
I just find it amusing to have the word Christmas taken from me without my being asked, and then to have someone get mad at me for not having a hissy fit that it was taken.
Forget what they call the break and just enjoy it. When you become a working adult, you won’t get those extra days unless you want to use vacation time. I wish the biggest of my worries was getting my panties all bunched up in a wad because of what someone calls two weeks of lounging around with no work or school.
Of those three ethnic groups, the Greeks and the Romanians celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25, Gregorian Calendar (along with the Antiochians and Little-Russians). Great-Russians and Serbs are most likely to celebrate it on Jan. 7, Gregorian Calendar, and Ukrainians might celebrate it on either day, depending on what jurisdiction they’re in.
I believe according to official statistics there are around 6 million Eastern Orthodox in the US.
My kid’s school calls it Winter Break, it’s cool with me. What I do think is weird id my child wrote letters to Santa, colored pictures of stockings, Christmas trees. It doesn’t bother me too much, as we do celebrate a secular Christmas, but it makes me wonder how it makes the non-Christian children feel.
