“Happy Holidays” is not nearly as offensive as the Christians who disrespect and cheapen Christmas by celebrating it for 2–3 months out of the year and then ditching it before New Year’s, rather than anticipating it during Advent and celebrating it from Dec. 25th through Epiphany as they’re supposed to.
Of course, I’m an unrepentant pagan who has been celebrating secular, Jesus-free Christmases my entire life, so what do I know?
This is a brilliant idea.
For reference the ENTIRETY of the “‘Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays’ thing” is created by people who object to others saying “Happy Holidays”. I have never in my life seen a single person get in someone’s face in person about hearing “Merry Christmas”, but I have personally been browbeaten for saying “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings”, or for responding to “Merry Christmas” with “and Happy Hanukkah”.
There were a couple of blowhards on this board who admitted to (were even proud of) berating store clerks for saying “Merry Christmas,” and/or playing even innocuous secular seasonal songs (one of them insisted on calling songs like “Let it Snow,” “worship music.”
So yeah, there are people who are OMG offended (how dare you!) by “Merry Christmas” but the offenderati are a lot more organized and bullying around “Happy Holidays,” having threatened stores with boycotts, etc. Apparently to these people the whole thing is just ruined if Walmart says “Happy Holidays” to the Jewish shoppers when they ring up the crappy merch made by slave child labor in China.
Love to see your cite for that, tnetennba.
I’m probably going to want to point and laugh at someone later this week.
I can’t find the threads, so you can point and laugh at me if you want to. I remember in particular mentioning “let it snow” as an example of a song that is just a winter song (as well Frosty and some others) and the person insisting on calling them “worship music,” since they were casually associated with Christmas.
tnetennba I just want to say that I love your name. I actually gave the friend who introduced me to The IT Crowd a chrome box containing the internet along with the instructions from the Elders Of The Internet.
I like “Happy Holidays.” I don’t even mind “Merry Christmas.” But today at Safeway, every single checkstand had a sign that said in large black letters:
Happy Holliday’s!
If we want to get incensed about something, I suggest we start with this abomination.
I think it’s safe to say that sign would in fact make baby jesus cry.
“Happy Holidays” means “enjoy whatever holidays you happen to observe, and or just the general merriment of the season”. I’ll never understand what’s objectionable about that.
The argument is against “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings”, not against “Merry Christmas”. You misunderstand the issue.
Don’t you know about Holliday’s law that states that the more PC you try to be, the more likely you are to make an ass of yourself? Maybe that’s what they were referring to.
the second one has a k to his name, mack samuel bolan, and he’s of italian descent.
merry christmas and a happy zyklon-B to all of you.
Uh, the abomination was the apostrophe.
What religion has a major holiday? Hanukkah isn’t major. Kwanzaa isn’t religious.
Winter Solstice? Who does that besides a few weirdos? 
Wait, why does it have to be religious? Why does it have to be a major holiday? It’s not for “Christmas or its equivalent,” it’s just a broader, more inclusive phrase.
“Merry Christmas” = “Happy Dec. 25th”
“Happy Holidays” = “Happy end-of-year fesitval period, relevant subsection thereof.”
Why is this so difficult to grasp? It’s not an attempt to avoid saying the Ch-word, it’s an attempt to be nice to everyone, whether Christian or not. Some of you just can’t stand the fact that we know about Jesus, but don’t worship him. Get over it.
first of all, many christians treat christmas as a season, not just a one-day celebration. some start celeberating as early as september (where i am right now christmas is already three months old.) so the page-1 idiots who say “merry christmas” is reserved for the 25th of december are aptly named. your second point is correct, i never contested it. now back to my point: i like hearing “merry christimas,” if only on the eve. giving the precise greeting is not an invitation to worship. as many pointed out, the celebration can be as secular as you want it.
some say this HH collective greeting is just another jewish plot but i’m not thinking of it that way. some idiot started it and it was taken on by more idiots. what i do object to is the excuse that people just want to be “nice” to everyone (everyone except merry christmas fans like me.) not everyone is stupid enough to believe that’s the only reason for sticking to HH.
Happy Holidays mac_bolan00!
same to you and a merry christmas to you and your family.
You seem to be such an extraordinarily foul person that splitting hairs over Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays seems pretty irrelevant.
well, the moron was being disrespectful of my idol mack bolan (note the underlined portion of his post.) he got what he deserved.