Except we actually could call it Christmas way back then.
So, the seasonal blitz has begun, and this year, even more than others, the word Christmas cannot be spoken. At work, we’re having a holiday party. Every commercial I hear has something about “the holidays.” The word Christmas is absolutely verboten, and here’s the kicker: I don’t believe one Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Sikh, etc. even cares! We’re doing this to ourselves because we erroneously believe that mentioning “Christ” will offend people.
Now before you judge me, I’m an atheist: but Christmas is Christmas. It’s not “the holidays.” It’s not “the festive season.” It’s bloody Christmas! We’re celebrating Christmas. Holidays? What the fuck are “the holidays.” I get three fucking days off. That’s not a holiday season; it’s three fucking days off.
I, personally, do not take exception to Ramadan being called Ramadan. I personally do not take exception to Hanukkah being called Hanukkah. I personally respect what other religions consider holy days and if I can be observant of them I certainly will.
Please give Christmas back to the Christians and stop the unnecessary politically correct bullshit. Please.
Interesting comment for this thread. “Christmas…Christmas…Christmas…” So there.
No one knows when Jesus was born, just as no one knows when Muhammed, Confusius, or the Buddha were born. At some point, a committee (isn’t everything done by committee?) decided to celebrate Jesus’ birthday on 12/25.
If you’ve questions about Thanksgiving, please refer to some enclyclopedia.
Per the shopping season between Thanksgiving & Christmas, please don’t ask me. I work at Wally World, so I just make sure that everyone who wants to buy something gets what they want.
Perhaps I’m obtuse, but I’m not seeing “unnecessary politically correct bullshit. Please.” Please explain.
I always thought the holiday season included Christmas and New Years, plus a relatively minor Jewish holiday and some made up holiday nobody actually celebrates. Thanksgiving almost seems to be included in the Holidays, as the official starting point. In my experience, everything tends to slow down tremendously between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, unless your work is somehow associated with retail - then it’s the busiest time of the year. So it really is a holiday “season.”
On the other hand, I think it’s wrong to force Christmas to be about Jesus when I think for most Americans it’s really about Santa. But why can’t stores put up signage that says Happy Holidays and a bunch of ornamental Santas and elves and magic deer?
Maybe it’s different where you are! Here we are getting towards an annual battle to use the word “Christmas” - we are told it’s the “holiday season” or the “festive season” or it’s “winterval” but it’s just not christmas any more.
I’m not a Christian, I don’t share the beliefs they have but I understand that they celebrate the birth of their deity just like all the other religions celebrate special days related to their religion. In the UK, it seems that every religion is allowed to have celebratory days and festivals, and to call them whatever they like, but the nominally “Christian” population of Britain are not allowed to have “Christmas” because it might offend the religious minorities who live here.
What’s so wrong with Christmas anyway? I’m celebrating it, I don’t usually because it’s not my religion, but I’m doing it this year out of spite!
I’m in my mid-thirites, and the term “holidays” has been used since I was a kid. Granted, we said Chirstmas a lot, too, but I think we still do. Heck, there’s a famous Andy Williams song called “Happy Holidays” that was recorded a long ass time ago.
I think people are just hyper-sensitive to the word “holidays” now, but it has always been used heavily. As a kid, I always thought it meant Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. When I got a little older (say, 8 or 9), I thought maybe Hanukkah was included, as well.
What bums me out more than the politically correct corporate avoidance of the word “Christmas” is the HUGE DEAL so many people make every time they hear the term “Happy Holidays”. Now, a phrase I associate with the holiday season suddenly has this stigma attached to it.
Hold up a second. The idea is to be inclusive, not exclusive. The reason for “Holiday Season” is to include everyone regardless of faith or lack therof rather than using “Christmas” which is pretty damn limiting. It is also a safe choice for retailers who don’t want to step on the toes of some prickly minority.
It’s possible that the word is simply too loaded with religion to be taken as a harmless gesture any longer. It’s got “Christ” right in there doesn’t it? In scandinavian countries I believe they use Jol’ or Jul’ think “Yule” and they don’t seem to have any problems, except from hypersensitive Americans who don’t get it.
I thought one said holidays because there are more than one holiday celebrated between now and the new year. I’d rather say holidays than specify every time I refer to said period. I’ve never heard of “winterval” and think whoever developed that word should be taken out back and shot.
I don’t buy this Christmas is verboten bit. Christmas is as much a secular holiday as it is a Christian one. I see plenty of Santas, Rudolphs, wreath, holly, ribbons etc around. I can’t shop but I hear carols everywhere–and not just secular ones. I also see very tacky Nativity displays in stores etc.Where I don’t see them is in front of municipal buildings and public squares or schools which is fine by me–they don’t belong there. UK is a bit different, but America is so overwhelmingly a Christian country that there is no way the Xmas is put upon or oppressed in any way. Rather than sensitive minority groups (who know all about Xmas and some even celebrate it themselves), it’s this ridiculous majority that has its knickers in a twist.
I say to UK–bring on the Yule log, mistletoe and wassail! Go pagan and have a holly, jolly Christmas (or Saturnalia)!
I’m completely with you - it’s Christmas. I’m not offended when someone wishes me a happy Diwali, Eid al Fitr, Buddha’s Birthday and I mean no offense when I wish someone a Merry Christmas. When someone wishes me ‘Happy Holidays’, it makes me think of ‘Have a Nice Day’ or some other irritating, meaningless pablum. “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”
For what it’s worth, Perry Como recorded “There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays” in time for Christmas in 1954, so it isn’t a brand new usage. It’s just a usage I’d like to see die out.
And another thing - Christmas stuff in stores before December is irritating. Christmas stuff before Remembrance Day is downright offensive. Anne Shirley compared snow in April to “getting a slap when you were expecting a kiss.” I think Christmas in November is like getting a shot of Corn Syrup when you were expecting a nice, peaty single malt.
You see, in this country, we bend over backwards to include the minority faiths to the detriment of our own. Last year several local councils banned use of the word “Christmas” and anything to do with it so there are plenty of people who are keen to resurrect the use of the specific word so that us British don’t feel alienated in our own country.
I’m an atheist too and I don’t have a problem with people using Christmas or ‘the holidays’. I know what they mean either way. Short of publicly funded religious displays I wish we we atheists would just leave Christians and their big holiday alone and quite whining and bitching that it’s exclusionary. So what? We can celebrate it how ever we want to. Regardless of how it started it’s their religious holiday now and we don’t kick up a fuss about secularizing the names of any other religious holidays. I think that it’s petty and there are far more important church/state separation issues to focus on.
I agree with eleanorigby- I use the term "holidays’ because it’s not just Christians celebrating Christmas, there are other holidays in December being celebrated. I use the term to include everyone not to be rude to people who celebrate Christmas. I think that’s a ridiculous assertion, in fact.
You can’t take away the Christ in Christmas!!! OK, OK, but can we celebrate other holidays as well or are you the only one who gets to celebrate? Jeez.
I say “Happy Holidays” or something similar to many people, since I work in a medical center/hospital and typically - if they’re lucky - we won’t be seeing that patient again any time soon! So they’ll probably have celebrated at least 3 holidays in this season before I might see them again. If someone wishes me a happy/merry whatever and I don’t know their religious/etc. situation, I wish it right back to them, otherwise if I do I wish them whatever is appropriate for them.
Thanksgiving has become “my” big holiday since in the last several years I’ve often hosted the swarm of inlaws and cooked the big feast, so I really do care about acknowledging this holiday. It’s not just a dress rehearsal for Christmas; for us it’s a (hopefully) warm gathering of family without the financial and other issues and baggage that have become associated with presents for this group.
That’s fucked up. Slap your public officials with a wet trout or two! Non-Christian Indian people (people from India) here often celebrate Christmas. They don’t do that in UK?
Yes, lots of people who are not Christian or not native to the UK will celebrate Christmas with the rest of us. In fact, it seems to be only the councils who kick up a fuss about it. I’ve never heard anyone say they’re offended by it.
Pretty much everything you read about the “War on Christmas” in the UK is one of four things:
Made up by tabloid newspapers
A mistake by a junior member of staff in a Council somewhere, but not corporate policy
Used as an excuse by people who don’t want the hassle of organising xmas events, as in teachers who “ban” nativity (no sane teacher would ever want to organise 5 y/olds into a theatre production)
A chance for retailers to extend the consumer frenzy past “xmas” and into the whole “holiday season” (ie. it gets you to spend more money)
Have a read of this article:
It puts to rest the myth of “winterval” and a whole bunch of other nonsense around the “war on xmas”.
Just as some balance, I currently hold in my hand a ticket for our company’s “Christmas party” (we’re the UK arm of a huge US corporation, so no happy holiday here); the midlands towns where I live and work are both switching on their “Christmas lights” in the next couple of weeks.
And Birmingham are having a “Christmas market” and a “Christmas craft fair” (in fact it’s the main banner on their homepage!).
The real “war” needs to be fought against ignorant Daily Mail readers who assume that paedos, muslims and gypsies are deliberately trying to steal christmas in an attempt to bring down house prices and raid our pensions.
OK, I’m indifferent to the Happy Holidays thing. But I would like to see them:
[ul]
[li]stop decorating so damn early in the stores[/li][li]stop playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving[/li][li]Give us a *nice *Christmas movie for once. They seem to get more stupid and angry each year. Christmas with the Kranks? Sucked. Deck the Halls? Sucked. And even though Jon Favreau is now one of my favorite directors, his new Four Christmases looks like it too will suck. Give me a *feel good *Christmas movie again, like the olden days.[/li][/ul]
I agree about the “war on Xmas” being nonsense. It’s happening here too, people are afraid to say Merry Christmas to someone for fear of alienating them. Nuts to that.
I’m not a Christian, but I say Merry Christmas to my Christian Friends, Happy Chanukah to my Jewish ones, Happy Yule to the Pagans I know and I’d say something about Ramadan, but I don’t know any Muslims, and Merry Christmas to everyone else. If they get offended at my good wishes, that’s really too bad. Personally, Christmas is greater than the Christian Holiday, it represents more than just the assimilation of the pagans into the new Christian movement, erm, “the birth of Jesus”. To me it means a month out of the year when we act like we should be acting the other 11. It means memories of my parents, snowy forests and sledding hills. It means Marshall Fields on State Street and the tree lighting in Daley Plaza. It means giving, it means helping and it means a feeling you get that only happens once a year. It means going further to be nicer to your fellow man, no matter what his creed, even as the edges of the world seem to get rougher. I will say Merry Christmas to everyone else, because it means, at least to me, that if only for just one day, we’re nice to one another, even if it’s only to get an iPod.
