# The "War on Christmas 2013" has begun **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 5, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174 "2013-11-05T19:50:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/41 "2013-11-06T17:28:29Z")
Personally, I say Merry Giftmas because that gets right to the heart of the matter, doesn’t it? For some random facts: Thank Charles Dickens for a lot of the modern interpretation of Christmas. He started the whole “Merry Christmas” thing anyway, and highlighted the secular “goodwill towards all” part. Boston actually outlawed Christmas celebrations for something like 22 years back in 1659. Puritans are just not all about that. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/42 "2013-11-06T17:29:26Z")
> [@ctnguy](#): > > Do Americans actually wish people “Merry Christmas” outside, say, the week around Christmas? If someone said “Merry Christmas” to me more than a few days away from the day itself I would think they were weird. No. But advertisers start immediately after Halloween: “Just in time for the holidays…” “This holiday season…” “Try our holiday special…” “When holiday shopping…” etc. It does annoy me slightly because it is in fact Christmas that we’re talking about, and I doubt there’s a single person on the planet who would be upset if we actually called it Christmas, as opposed to “the holidays.” It never used to be like this. I mean, does any other religion go out of their way to NOT name their religious holiday by the actual name? ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/43 "2013-11-06T17:32:01Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > I guess I get annoyed by both factions. At this point Christmas is so secular that you really have to go out of your way to be offended by someone saying “Merry Christmas”. On the other hand, although “Happy Holidays” is so bland it is a bit more inclusive. I wish people would just say what they want and not be bothered by what other people say. Except that, basically, there aren’t two factions in the ‘Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays’ “battle.” The number of people who get upset when they are wished a ‘Merry Christmas’ is vanishingly small. I have never once seen or heard a person complain about a check-out person wishing him or her ‘Merry Christmas.’ I suspect I have a small handful of militantly anti-religious friends who seethe a little bit about it on the inside, but they keep that to themselves. On the other hand, there _are_ multitudes who get pissy when _other_ people say ‘Happy Holidays.’ Sometimes there are two sides to an issue, but not here. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/44 "2013-11-06T17:32:18Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > I’ll tell you what I’d support a war on; wishing me a Happy or Merry bloody anything before at least December the 15th. “If I could work my will…” ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/45 "2013-11-06T17:34:15Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > Who’s behind the move to be offended if one doesn’t say “Happy Holidays”? Do you actually, personally, know anyone who gets offended at that? Honestly? Because I don’t, not a single one, and I know a LOT of hard-core lefties and people belonging to different religious traditions, up to and including militant atheists. But I do know a shit-load of people who get their shorts knotted up over anything but “Merry Christmas.” And I honestly don’t get it, because “Happy Holidays” and “Season’s Greetings” have been bog-standard, perfectly acceptable alternatives for _decades_. No less a star than Bing Crosby recorded a song _named_ “Happy Holidays” back in the early 40’s, and it gets a lot of play in Christmas compilations to this day. When I was a kid in the 80’s every single tv and radio station we had access to ran an ad from the day before Thanksgiving to a few days after New Year’s wishing all their audience “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays.” But then, about 10 years ago, people started carrying on like those two phrases were some new, sinister plot by the Jews and Muslims designed to keep up white folks down. I mean, seriously, WTF? ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/46 "2013-11-06T17:44:10Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > It does annoy me slightly because it is in fact Christmas that we’re talking about, and I doubt there’s a single person on the planet who would be upset if we actually called it Christmas, as opposed to “the holidays.” > > It never used to be like this. I mean, does any other religion go out of their way to NOT name their religious holiday by the actual name? I’ve just had a realization - living in the Southern Hemisphere, talking about “the holidays” at Christmastime has always made perfect sense to me, because our summer holidays happen over Christmas. Schools go out from early December to mid January, and almost everyone goes on leave at least from before Christmas till after New Year’s. So it really is “the holidays” for us. I suppose in the Northern Hemisphere that doesn’t apply, so “happy holidays” does seem a bit more like political-correctness. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/47 "2013-11-06T17:57:01Z")
I enjoy Christmas and holidays as much as the next person, but both “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays” are meaningless automatisms. I don’t need to hear either to get into the spirit. I especially don’t need to hear them a million times. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/48 "2013-11-06T20:39:16Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > “If I could work my will…” Bah 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/49 "2013-11-06T20:52:17Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > The number of people who get upset when they are wished a ‘Merry Christmas’ is vanishingly small. If this was true why is it becoming more and more prevalent? > [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > Do you actually, personally, know anyone who gets offended at that? Honestly? Because I don’t, not a single one, and I know a LOT of hard-core lefties and people belonging to different religious traditions, up to and including militant atheists. But I do know a shit-load of people who get their shorts knotted up over anything but “Merry Christmas.” No, but I don’t know anybody who gets upset over “Happy Holidays”, either. I do, however, live in Boston which changed it’s “Christmas Tree” to a “Holiday Tree”. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/50 "2013-11-06T20:57:34Z")
> [@ctnguy](#): > > I’ve just had a realization - living in the Southern Hemisphere, talking about “the holidays” at Christmastime has always made perfect sense to me, because our summer holidays happen over Christmas. Schools go out from early December to mid January, and almost everyone goes on leave at least from before Christmas till after New Year’s. So it really is “the holidays” for us. I suppose in the Northern Hemisphere that doesn’t apply, so “happy holidays” does seem a bit more like political-correctness. It also doesn’t work specifically in the United States. We don’t use the idiom “going on a holiday” - we say “going on a vacation”. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/51 "2013-11-06T21:06:04Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > Do you actually, personally, know anyone who gets offended at that? Honestly? Because I don’t, not a single one, and I know a LOT of hard-core lefties and people belonging to different religious traditions, up to and including militant atheists. But I do know a shit-load of people who get their shorts knotted up over anything but “Merry Christmas.” > > And I honestly don’t get it, because “Happy Holidays” and “Season’s Greetings” have been bog-standard, perfectly acceptable alternatives for _decades_. No less a star than Bing Crosby recorded a song _named_ “Happy Holidays” back in the early 40’s, and it gets a lot of play in Christmas compilations to this day. When I was a kid in the 80’s every single tv and radio station we had access to ran an ad from the day before Thanksgiving to a few days after New Year’s wishing all their audience “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays.” But then, about 10 years ago, people started carrying on like those two phrases were some new, sinister plot by the Jews and Muslims designed to keep up white folks down. I mean, seriously, WTF? I’ve known some and in several cases the anger has been at least justified (i.e., the obviously non-Christian customer buying obviously non-Christmas merchandise). ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/52 "2013-11-07T01:57:46Z")
I’m slowly understanding this. “People” are wondering why Christians get uptight over “Happy Holidays.” You ever tried insisting on calling an Arab “Abdul” instead of his real name? ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/53 "2013-11-07T04:12:29Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > I’m slowly understanding this. “People” are wondering why Christians get uptight over “Happy Holidays.” You ever tried insisting on calling an Arab “Abdul” instead of his real name? Yes, because that’s clearly the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/54 "2013-11-07T04:13:39Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > The number of people who get upset when they are wished a ‘Merry Christmas’ is vanishingly small. I have never once seen or heard a person complain about a check-out person wishing him or her ‘Merry Christmas.’ That would be me. I never used to care; some people said “Merry Christmas”, some “Happy Holidays”, some “Happy Christmas”, depending their mood, the date, their religion, the situation, … whatever. Please on earth, good will to all, … Then people started discussing it. And caring about it. And telling everyone that they cared. Then people started getting mean about. Saying “Merry Christmas” in a combative tone. Correcting you if you said “Happy Holidays”. I used to like Christmas; now it just another weird thing mean people associate with a lovely natural annual event, apparently for the sole purpose of pissing all over it. > [@the\_diego](#): > > I’m slowly understanding this. “People” are wondering why Christians get uptight over “Happy Holidays.” You ever tried insisting on calling an Arab “Abdul” instead of his real name? And you, of course, are the person who gets to decide what everyone’s name is. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/55 "2013-11-07T04:46:33Z")
Merry/Happy Christmahanakwaanzaka is harder to fit on a card. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/56 "2013-11-07T07:03:17Z")
“Happy Holidays” is easier to say than “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” which is how I have always heard it for thepast 25+ years. If the fundies think it’s something new and just to upset them, they can fuck right off. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/57 "2013-11-07T07:09:04Z")
How do you fight a war on Christmas? With Tannen-bombs! ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/58 "2013-11-07T08:55:28Z")
^ No. We use what Christians make best: Pornography (don’t worry mods, it’s R-18 porn.) [http://www.brobible.com/files/archive/images/buzz/ChristmasPorn0.jpg](http://www.brobible.com/files/archive/images/buzz/ChristmasPorn0.jpg) [![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ikfz0k5pau8/TPbyr87G0LI/AAAAAAAAAHs/g0yzdHL4RDY/s1600/Laura+Croft-Sexy+Christmas.jpg) ](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ikfz0k5pau8/TPbyr87G0LI/AAAAAAAAAHs/g0yzdHL4RDY/s1600/Laura+Croft-Sexy+Christmas.jpg) [![](https://witchcartoons.net/christmas/media/adultcomics1.jpg) ](https://witchcartoons.net/christmas/media/adultcomics1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/59 "2013-11-07T08:58:19Z")
> [@j666](#): > > And you, of course, are the person who gets to decide what everyone’s name is. Of course not. That’d be name calling. Same flawed logic for the “Holiday” season. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174/60 "2013-11-07T09:02:22Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > “Happy Holidays” is easier to say than… And this is the only good excuse I know. So we allow for people with certain limitations. Christmas is, after all, a time of --never mind, it gets tiring. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-on-christmas-2013-has-begun/673174.md?page=4)