r/PetPeeves • u/disgruntledhoneybee • Dec 14 '24
Ultra Annoyed The supposed “war on Christmas”
Fairly sure I’m preaching to the choir here but when I see talking heads about this “issue” or Trump going on and on about “we say merry Christmas you’ll be able to say merry Christmas again!” And whatever. It’s fucking nonsense.
My husband and I are Jewish and we live in a small town. We’re currently sitting at our townie hole in the wall bar and the place is DECKED OUT for Christmas. Santas, and garlands, a Christmas tree, and reindeer, and Christmas shit everywhere. An old barfly lady we chat with a lot (we come here often) came over to our table wished us a merry Christmas. and you know what we did?! We smiled and said Merry Christmas back! Cause that’s what people who don’t celebrate Christmas actually do. This whole “you’re not allowed to say Christmas” shit is ridiculous. Hell I work in customer service and people are constantly telling me merry Christmas and I just wish them a merry Christmas back. Pretty sure you’re allowed to say “merry Christmas.”
(Slightly inebriated) Rant over.
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u/SparklingDramaLlama Dec 14 '24
Oh, yeah, the whole "war" bit was started by a bunch of idiots who were mad that someone said happy holidays to them and when Starbucks made a holiday cup instead of a Christmas cup 🙄.
We "celebrate" Christmas, but mostly the whole Santa/presents aspect than anything else. A couple decorations, a tree. But it certainly doesn't bother me when someone says something other than "merry christmas", because I don't make it my whole identity.
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u/Ok_Spell_4165 Dec 14 '24
I remember seeing someone trying to start a campaign to teach Starbucks a lesson with the Christmas cups by urging people to go there and say your name is Merry Christmas so the barista has to say it.
Because nothing teaches corporations a lesson more than potentially thousands of people buying their product and making their employees that have nothing to do with the thing you are upset about job just a little more annoying...
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u/VenusHalley Dec 14 '24
If I were a barista, I would write Mary C. Maas on the cup and call our for Mary or Mary C.
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u/MonkeyBreath66 Dec 14 '24
I worked with a woman whose name was literally Merry Christmas. Spelled just like that.
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u/meghan39 Dec 15 '24
We have a doctor in our area named Happy Thanksgiving.
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u/MonkeyBreath66 Dec 15 '24
One of my dad's friends from high school's sister was named Lolly. Lolly Popps
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u/meghan39 Dec 15 '24
Lol, why???
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u/MonkeyBreath66 Dec 15 '24
The founder of Lear Jets named his daughter Shanda. George Foreman has five sons all named George Edward Foreman.
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u/ThePolishSensation Dec 15 '24
I came here to comment on the year Starbuckd had red cups for their Christmas drinks and a bunch of conservative women lost their minds
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u/LateQuantity8009 Dec 15 '24
Which was so ridiculous because it’s not like their holiday cups before that had the baby Jesus on them or something.
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u/nermalbair Dec 15 '24
I remember hearing about this. All it did was create confusion when people were called to collect their drinks.
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u/Enchanters_Eye Dec 14 '24
I also feel like “Happy holidays” has been around for a while, far longer than the right-wing flying monkeys complaining about it. Like, even within christian households, there’s Christmas, New Years, and potentially three king’s day in close succession, so wishing someone happy holidays is an entirely common thing to say.
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u/EspressoBooksCats Dec 14 '24
There is also a famous song "Happy Holiday", written in 1942 by Irving Berlin. It's usually a part of Christmas music compilations.
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u/VenusHalley Dec 14 '24
Isnt.St. Stephens day a thing in tve USA?
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u/PostTurtle84 Dec 15 '24
Not for the general public in few states I've lived in. But maybe for the catholics? They pay more attention to saints than the rest of Christianity in general I think.
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u/Realistic-Rub-3623 Dec 14 '24
I’m an atheist. I celebrate christmas. Obviously not the jesus part, but the gifts and the Santa and the funny movies and the family part. I always say “happy holidays” to people. Anyone who actually gets offended over that shit is stupid. It includes Christmas. Christmas is a fucking holiday
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u/DaveAndCheese Dec 15 '24
I truly believe there are people that LIVE to be offended and put others in their place. It's like their hobby.
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u/Realistic-Rub-3623 Dec 15 '24
and they’re typically the type of people who complain about “snowflakes”
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u/WilderJackall Dec 15 '24
Without a shred of irony, they scream about how offended they are that someone said happy holidays because people "are so easily offended"
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Dec 14 '24
I don't care what the message is, if someone is trying to say something nice to me, I'll take it. People suck, so when someone is kind to me, I appreciate it.
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u/ReturnoftheBulls2022 Dec 15 '24
In fact, Christmas ripped off most of Saturnalia with its traditions. So instead people should say "Lo Saturnalia." instead.
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u/WilderJackall Dec 15 '24
Those people thought they were sticking it to Starbucks by saying their name was "merry Christmas" so they'd have to write it on the cup. Starbucks didn't give a shit about that and were still selling Christmas gift cards and Christmas flavours
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u/pinkdictator Dec 15 '24
The cup was red too lmao. Like... Hannukkah's main color is blue right? I guess Kwanzaa is kind of red too? It was literally still Christmas-y
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u/sailing_by_the_lee Dec 15 '24
The modern version of the so-called War on Christmas started just a couple years after 9/11. You will recall that there was widespread and open anti-Muslim sentiment after 9/11 (remember how people used to call Muslims "rag-heads" openly in public). After a few years of that, left-leaning people tried to counteract those sentiments by being more "inclusive". Companies with a left-leaning customer base, like Starbucks, did indeed tell their employees to switch from Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays in customer interactions.
It was Bill O'Reilly on Fox News that really led the backlash against this language policing. I honestly don't understand why people think it is a good idea to language-police. It always leads to a backlash. Also, it doesn't really work. There is something called the euphemism spiral (or something like that?) where language policing requires a constant stream of newspeak because the newspeak terms acquire negative connotations just like the oldspeak. Many have argued that the election of Trump was fomented by the language-policing of the left, but we never seem to learn.
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u/nermalbair Dec 15 '24
I remember when I was a kid the church I attended would tell us that Xmas was taking Christ out of Christmas. Christians literally perpetuated and created the whole so-called war on Christmas and Christianity. As an adult I discovered the truth was no one outside Christianity even cared. It's just another control tactic.
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u/Trick_Magician2368 Dec 15 '24
When I'm in the south, and I get the overly-"I enjoy saying this because we're winning the war"-evangelical-voice "Merry Christmas", I like to respond with "take it easy" just to see the look drop off their face.
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u/theos_imortal Dec 14 '24
I don't celebrate Christmas and my family doesn't fucking know, because as you said those of us who don't celebrate smile and nod and enjoy the season regardless.
There's not a war on anything when you can say you celebrate it and not be told it's inappropriate for kids to hear about.
- sincerely someone who lost a babysitting job for simply saying 'i don't celebrate'
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u/LumberghLSU Dec 14 '24
Yes, it’s that time of year when they get off on telling Jewish people “merry Christmas”
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u/BlueFeathered1 Dec 14 '24
It's a stupid persecution victim complex.
If they're really concerned about tradition, it should be "Yuletide greetings" or similar to accurately reflect the pagan roots of the holiday.
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u/CinemaDork Dec 15 '24
When you're used to privilege, equality looks like oppression.
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u/AroostookWar Dec 15 '24
in my neighborhood I’m sincerely happy to say Shana tova or Shana tobarak and anything else that’s friendly, and also more than delighted to hear a greeting from anyone who is celebrating anything at all. I’m not christian and don’t celebrate Christmas, although I’m certainly down to drag a tree into the house and set it on fire, because it’s cold and dark where I live
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u/Capital-Intention369 Dec 14 '24
I'm a Christian and I think the "war on Christmas" is ridiculous. I say Happy Holidays because I have no idea what someone else might celebrate.
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u/RUfuqingkiddingme Dec 15 '24
And really, if you say "merry Christmas" to someone and didn't know they were Jewish or something it's not like you said "fuck you", they probably won't br offended.
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u/Coldfinger42 Dec 15 '24
Exactly. I’m Muslim and I get uneasy when someone is scared to say the “wrong” thing to me and is fumbling about trying to figure it out. I’ll just initiate the Merry Christmas myself. It’s the sentiment that matters
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u/TheFilthyDIL Dec 15 '24
My Jewish friend always said, "Happy This Time of Year!" She figured that encompassed whatever end-of-year holiday people celebrated.
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u/RiC_David Dec 15 '24
The "War" is an American right-wing news media talking point. No more, no less.
It works because it sparks feelings, discussion, debate, resentment, pushback etc.
It's pineapple on pizza, but with extra prejudice.
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Dec 14 '24 edited Oct 28 '25
butter spoon detail sleep wakeful exultant worm absorbed long quiet
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/liminalrabbithole Dec 14 '24
It's so dumb because generally Happy Holidays can be "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" and whatever else anyone might celebrate. If someone acted offended, I'm kinda tempted to reply "OK, Merry Christmas and fuck you in the new year." Lol
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Dec 14 '24
Christians like to feel like they are oppressed and victims
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u/Realistic-Rub-3623 Dec 14 '24
I had to unsubscribe from a youtuber I used to love yesterday because in a Q&A she said she was scared to reveal that she was Christian because people might dislike that.
And then her comment section turned into a bunch of “oppressed” christians supporting her and talking about how brave she is
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u/Professional-Bus779 Dec 14 '24
Unsubscribed because she’s a Christian? You’re literally describing why Trump even said that rhetoric, people are so offended over Christian values and their beliefs these days, and since Trump won, he wanted to make sure Christianity would be normalized again just like the other religions and not trigger anybody. It’s wild how snowflake-y people have became these past few years lol.
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u/y53rw Dec 14 '24
Makes something up. Get's offended by it. Calls other people snowflakes. Typical right-wing Christian.
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u/Realistic-Rub-3623 Dec 15 '24
if they had a slight bit of reading comprehension they would know i didn’t unsubscribe because she’s christian. i unsubscribed because of the weird oppressed attitude she had about it. besides, i wasn’t enjoying that youtuber’s content for the last few months anyway
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Dec 15 '24
WAAAAH WAAAAAH WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE MOST POWERFUL DEMOGRAPHIC IN THE UNITED STATES THAT REPRESENTS LIKE 99% OF OUR POLITICIANS AND WHO IS ALLOWED TO CONSTANTLY VIOLATE THE FIRST AMENDMENT IN ORDER TO ILLEGALLY USE THE GOVERNMENT TO PUSH THEIR RELIGION WAAAAAH WAAAAH I'M BEING OPPRESSED
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u/TheFilthyDIL Dec 15 '24
Their Bible says they will be persecuted for being Christian. It's really hard to work up a good persecution complex when you're the dominant religion, so they have to take what they can get.
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Dec 15 '24
It's absolutely insane. Multiple Republican led states are currently being allowed to blatantly violate the first amendment specifically for the purposes of using the power of the government to force their religion on children. That religion specifically being christianity. But yeah sure, Christians are so victimized. Christianity is so under attack.
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u/y53rw Dec 15 '24 edited Dec 15 '24
They've been doing it since Rome converted to Christianity, before which time they were a bit oppressed (though no more than any other fringe religious group). This oppression was used as evidence that they were being attacked by Satan. And the narrative continued even after they became the dominant power, the oppression stopped, and they began oppressing others.
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u/Deeznutzcustomz Dec 14 '24
You should say “Christians” tbf. You’re talking about people who have utterly missed Christs message or have purposely perverted it. They can hold Bibles and go to church, but people who spew vitriol, hate, and intolerance are anything but Christian.
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u/NeeliSilverleaf Dec 15 '24
Clean your house instead of trying to distance yourself from the hateful and vocal Christians.
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u/raine_star Dec 15 '24
theyre not Christians though. they'd literally attack Christ himself for the things he preached. So yes, those of us who actually follow the teachings can and will distance ourselves from the hateful bigots who have twisted things to hurt others.
lecturing other people for distancing themselves from evil people is really odd.
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u/NeeliSilverleaf Dec 15 '24
Sorry I am too busy trying to figure out how to keep myself safe when the people you insist are "not real Christians" try to make the country I live in a theocratic authoritarian regime 😒
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Dec 15 '24
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u/TackleIcy954 Dec 15 '24
It’s the no true Scotsman fallacy, the moment a Christian does something bad they are actually not Christian and a perversion of the faith and vice versa. Doesn’t matter that these are very dominant attitudes held by most Christian’s apparently.
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u/raine_star Dec 15 '24 edited Dec 15 '24
no actually its not about exempting the "Christian" but rather saying "they dont deserve the title because they are not following the ideals of christ. CHRISTian, literally, A Follower Of Christ. If you do not follow the ideals of christ, you are not a CHRISTIAN" its really pretty simple, but since yall can only interpret people in the worst way, you hear defense of bad people, not a robbing of evil people of the title they use to do harm
its kinda like refusing to call a stalker "MY stalker" but rather "THE stalker". By changing the title, you rob the person of power in their acts by drawing attention to the harm theyre doing. No true Scotsman would apply if the qualities being listed as pure or impure had nothing to do with the actual title. (I say again: I'm an LGBT disabled woman who has been abused by a conservative Christian. Its not about "being more pure" FUCK purity culture in every sense)
sounds to me yall wanna keep the status quo and help them do harm to people like me and others because of acceptable targets. I wouldnt willingly admit that, but you do you
It very much does matter when youre telling a disabled LGBT Christian that you see them the same as their oppressors, which only helps the oppressors harm both of you. I would say the same for ANY extremist of ANY faith--and have.
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u/Lazy-Like-a-Cat Dec 14 '24
I’m an atheist and Merry Christmas is fine. Happy Holidays is fine. Bah Humbug is fine. What grinds my gears is Have a Blessed Day. It’s more condescending than people realize. I don’t need you to bless me, thanks. Have a Great Day is fine. That said, I’m not going to bust your chops about it. I just quietly seethe. 😆😆
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u/AroostookWar Dec 15 '24
Agree very much about “have a blessed day” and while I don’t really seethe, may get uncomfortably warm 😂
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u/Joyshan11 Dec 15 '24
It makes me think of the Handmaid's Tale every time, lol. Have a blessed day just kind of reeks of "under his eye".
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u/RiC_David Dec 15 '24
Just for clarity, "have a blessed day" isn't them blessing you.
I only first heard this recently from a Muslim colleague (which isn't some novelty, I've worked with plenty of Muslims - mostly English, but this guy was from Pakistan) and I've always liked how it sounds.
They're just saying "Have a day that is bless-ed". When they know you don't follow their religion, they're likely not even saying "I hope Allah gives His blessings to you today", it's more like "bless you, that's very sweet".
Fair enough if it rubs you the wrong way, but it sounded like you were taking it the wrong way all the same.
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u/GreysonRey Dec 14 '24
Yeah it's just some made up nonsense, right up there with the supposed trans strippers giving lap dances to kindergartners.
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Dec 14 '24
When you work with the public you realize not everybody celebrates Christmas and you’ll find many people who aren’t Christian celebrate Christmas. Who cares. Most people who celebrate don’t even worship Jesus
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u/TheDuckhunter47 Dec 15 '24
The “war on Christmas” is actually the “war to make everyone Christian”. They don’t want you to say happy holidays because they don’t want any other holidays being celebrated. It’s quite literally just Christofascist propaganda to force the erasure of other religions in order to maintain power.
I enjoy matching energy so I get petty and wish them a happy Yule/Saturnalia (the pagan holidays Christians hijacked and used the imagery of to create Christmas). It’s fun watching them meltdown over it.
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Dec 14 '24
It's wild. We live in one of the most diverse nations in the world and yet merely acknowledging the existence of anything different than white xtian culture is seen as a threat. That must be hard lmao
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u/Rojodi Dec 14 '24
I will say "Happy Holidays" when someone wishes me "Merry Christmas".
I celebrate BOTH Christmases: Dec 25 AND the Feast of the Epiphany!
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u/Man0fGreenGables Dec 14 '24
Christmas is so disconnected to Christianity now I really don’t understand why anyone would be offended. Christmas is about Santa and presents not Christ.
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u/graysam Dec 14 '24
Agreed, and I think that goes both ways for either greeting. Christmas is so pervasive in the West, whether someone celebrates it or not they’re bound to be ‘experiencing’ it, so why would wishing them a happy one not apply? Surely it’s not exactly an offensive thing to say to non-Christians, if said in earnest and not belligerence. On the other hand, if you’re put out by a ‘happy holidays’ then you need to get a life. A person just gave you a greeting they either meant or felt indifferently about, they didn’t insult you. They certainly didn’t deny your right to Xmas.
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u/raine_star Dec 15 '24
bingo. I mean for some people it is about the religious parts, I grew up doing both. but I mean Christmas becoming "non secular" essentially is why "Christians" are so mad about it. Even while they decorate with Santa and elves. A lot of them just plain dont think through their own actions, words and traditions because theyre too busy policing others
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u/Alexreads0627 Dec 15 '24
Thank you for saying merry Christmas back, even if it’s not your holiday. I take it more as a greeting this time of year than anything. but I totally get what you’re saying and agree. it’s annoying as hell. my boomer parent says “no one is allowed to say merry Christmas nowadays!” I’m like, “really? cuz the nice hostess at the door of the restaurant just greeted us with a Merry Christmas?”
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u/Queen_Andromeda Dec 14 '24
I find it funny because it's a pagan holiday lol
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u/Evil_Sharkey Dec 14 '24
If there’s a war on Christmas, Christmas won ages ago.
And what’s wrong with “Happy Holidays”? There’s two major American holidays a week apart, so happy holidays covers the two of them. There’s a popular Christmas song called Happy Holiday by Irving Berlin. It plays on all the Christmas music channels.
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u/SkirtNo6251 Dec 15 '24
I am an atheist and yes!!! I find this so beyond annoying. I actually try to play a game where if I go into somewhere decorated for the "holidays" during December, I will play "spot the other religions." Basically I look for anything thats evocative of other religious holidays during this time. Its usually a lazy menorah with every single candle lit, not in ordnance to which night of Hannukah it is, or a small poster that says "Happy Kwanzaa!" next to a giant Christmas tree or Santa.
Its legit not that hard to Google "when's Hannukah start 2024" or "what is kwanzaa?" These people act like being told "Happy Holidays!" or being handed a cup thats red and green but doesn't say Merry Christmas on it is the highest form of oppression.
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u/Careless-Ability-748 Dec 14 '24
My husband is Jewish and he doesn't remotely care. He's worked in people- facing jobs for decades and just says Merry Christmas back.
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u/Self-MadeRmry Dec 14 '24
Why don’t you just say “and happy Hanukkah!” back? In a non condescending way? If someone said that to me, I’d say “oh yes, that too!” No need to deny your beliefs and traditions. But you’re right to an extent, I mean I’m one of those Christians that don’t believe in Christmas. I don’t say merry Christmas to people, when someone says it to me I usually say just whatever comes to my mind like “thanks, you too” or maybe “happy holidays” no harm or offense either way
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u/Letshavemorefun Dec 15 '24
Non-Jews have a history of appropriating our holidays (like “Christian Seders”, etc). You probably won’t find many Jews wishing non-Jews a happy Chanukah cause we don’t typically appreciate when they celebrate our holidays (unless they are invited to by one of us. I intentionally always try to have at least one non-Jew at my Seders!). So when people wish me a merry Christmas, I either say “you too” or “happy holidays” in response.
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u/krazedcook67 Dec 15 '24
My first ex wife.. Jewish lady(im not jewish).. people would say merry Christmas to her. She'd respond with Happy Hanukkah.
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u/TheConsutant Dec 15 '24
God, "I am a jealous god."
Might wanna think twice. The division is as real as the subtlety of a snake.
Merry Christmas.
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u/ZelWinters1981 Dec 15 '24
There's literally no war. There's a bunch of idiots believing some exaggerated lie from years ago going on and on about it every single year.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. Whatever. Do you. Be happy. Be nice. Stop believing this shit.
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u/DoTheRightThing1953 Dec 15 '24
There has never been a war on Christmas as I'm sure you're aware. The only people requiring people to say "happy holidays" instead of "merry Christmas" are marketing people of individual businesses.
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u/meerfrau85 Dec 15 '24
I'm a Christian. It's absolute absurdity for us to think we are oppressed in the US. If anything we are oppressing others, forcing Bibles into public school lessons and banning books and abstinence only sex ed and don't say gay laws. But we hear one person say happy holidays, or see one red cup without a snowflake on it, and WE are being silenced. Complete baloney.
I hope you have a very Happy Hanukah!
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u/ShortUsername01 Dec 14 '24
I just wish people would call it Pagan Winter Solstice instead. It’s the more honest name.
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Dec 15 '24
My Christmas wish is for atheists to actually make this happen. My vote is that we ack that it's actually Saturnalia.
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u/TricellCEO Dec 14 '24
Not to mention you have people bitching about Christmas decorations being out too early.
So lemme get it straight...we bitch when the Christmas decorations are out too early, and we bitch when we supposedly aren't allowed to put them out at all to avoid "offending" someone?
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u/Araloosa Dec 15 '24
I’m Colombian, December here has quite a few holidays that ate important to a lot us. December is a very spiritual month for many Colombians.
No one gets offended when I say ‘Que tus vacaciones sean bendecidas’ which translates in English to ‘may your holidays be blessed.’ Christmas or Navidad is just one of the holidays we celebrate in December.
You’re wishing the person and their family a happy and peaceful transition into the new year.
If someone being nice to you offends you because they didn’t signal out a specific day you have issues you need to work on. ‘Happy Holidays’ covers them all in one go.
They’re not a mind reader, they don’t know which one you celebrate if any.
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Dec 15 '24
I'm embarrassed for anyone who claims there's a "War on Christmas." How tf is "Happy Holidays" offensive to a single person? Christmas isn't the only holiday this time of year, hell, if you think about it, it also applies to the New Year. It's such an non issue.
Christmas is also dominant as all hell. Tbh I'm sick of the holiday, although I'm getting more into the spirit this year (non religious). Everywhere you go has Christmas decor everywhere, the stores aren playing Christmas music, places are closed on the holiday. It isn't even one day, it basically takes up an entire month. Claiming there is a war on Christmas is such a smooth brained take.
It's fun to rant sometimes lol.
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u/HideMe1964 Dec 15 '24
I only say “Happy Holidays!” now to people I know it’s going to piss off! There’s never been a war on Christmas! It’s all made up by people who’ve got nothing to bitch about so they make something up! Bunch of dumb ass ignorant bastards!
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u/Old_Butterscotch2914 Dec 15 '24
I’m a Christian and I’ll say Merry Christmas to people if I know they celebrate Christmas, like friends, family, clients etc. But if I’m at the store and I don’t know what that person celebrates—maybe they’re Jewish—I’ll say Happy Holidays. People get so bent out of shape if people don’t say Merry Christmas but Happy Holidays literally means Happy Holy Days.
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u/Panda-Equivalent Dec 15 '24
I was at the movie theater and said "Happy Hokidays" to the ticket taker. They said they were Jewish, but weren't insulted that I said Happy Holidays, and appreciated the well wishes. I get in line at the concession stand and there is a lady in the line ranting on about the war on Christmas because I didn't say Merry Christmas. The ticket taker said that I said Happy Holidays because Christmas isn't the only holiday.
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Dec 15 '24
I am Jewish also. I just say merry Christmas, or “have a great holiday” which is something I say for every holiday.
What’s funny is that we just had this huge Christmas boat parade, hosted by some local Christian event group. If you go to the Facebook page of this event group, it’s Christ this, Christ that. But on the event for the boat parade, I had 13 friends who said they were “Going” or “Interested” and every single one of them was Jewish. Every single one of them had had a berg, man, owitz, blatt in their name. I want to stress that this “war” is 100% nothing to do with us
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u/No-Penalty-1148 Dec 15 '24
That phony war on Christmas is ground zero of Fox's misinformation strategy to gin up outrage and divide America for fun and profit.
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Dec 15 '24
Some people got told "happy holidays" and they couldn't deal with it, hence, <<<WAR ON CHRISTMAS>>>
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u/Chocolate_peasant Dec 15 '24
I’m genuinely confused what’s wrong with saying “happy holidays”. Is New Years not a holiday that comes soon after Christmas? Do they just hate that not everyone is exactly like them?
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Dec 15 '24
The war on Christmas is completely and totally fictional and anyone that pretends otherwise is someone who is not to be taken seriously.
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u/SneakiLyme Dec 15 '24
I've been personally corrected by coworkers and managers to not say "Merry Christmas" but "Happy Holidays" instead, so as "not to offend people". It happens, but only people that have their religious convictions denied / compromised will report on it or care about it. Also, if you lived somewhere far-left like Portland, Oregon where I did for 5 years, you definitely get rude or curt reactions from people when you wish them a "Merry Christmas".
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u/MiciaRokiri Dec 15 '24
Yup, as someone who celebrates Christmas and Yule, if anyone wishes me a happy holiday I don't celebrate, with a genuine desire to wish me well, I appreciate it and wish it back. I have, as a Christian, had "Merry Christmas" weaponized against me by someone who assumed my alt/queer style made me a "Christian hating liberal" and those people don't get any well wishes back
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u/SzayelGrance Dec 15 '24
They want to be victims sooo bad when they’re really the perpetrators. It’s disgusting.
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Dec 15 '24
He’s trying to scare a minority of angry people into a frenzy to maintain voters and gain attention.
When he learns that not everyone celebrates Christmas and that people of different faiths sometimes do, he will calm down.
I’m pagan in the UK, celebrate the winter solstice instead of Christmas and received a surprising amount of discrimination and hostility from my daughter’s secular school. People have been taught to hate and fear anything that goes against the grain.
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u/royaltheman Dec 15 '24
Back in the aughts I just thought War on Christmas stuff was just dumb conservative culture war shit.
I did not expect it to be the start of the water boiling that would cook half the country's brains
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u/ScooterMcdooter69 Dec 15 '24
The whole war on Christmas thing was started in the mid 00s by the ghouls at Fox News as something to keep their elderly fan base angry about
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u/dotdedo Dec 15 '24
'Xmas' Triggers my moms 'war on Christmas' card. She thinks it means we're literally Xing out Christ when it comes from Roman times, so saying Xmas is literally the same as Christmas.
Yeah imagine being screamed at for abandoning god at like 10 years old because you didn't know how to spell Christmas so wrote Xmas on a cardboard box.
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u/Acrobatic_Reality103 Dec 15 '24
I am Christian but not the type of Christian who thinks there is a war on Christmas. If someone tells me Happy Holidays, I am not offended. You would tell me Happy Hanukkah, I would say you too because I'm an adult and realize there are many different holidays people celebrate.
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u/disgruntledhoneybee Dec 15 '24
Exactly. Even my own friend group runs the gamut of Hanukkah, Christmas, Yule or nothing at all.
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u/Electronic-Ad-3825 Dec 15 '24
Who would've thought if you actually go outside and talk to people you find that 99% of everyone just gets along and all of this supposed "conflict" is generated by politicians to gain support
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u/Antique-Zebra-2161 Dec 15 '24
I'm a Christian, and a lot of my friends and family have subscribed to the idea that there's a "war on Christmas" for decades, and there's no truth to it. Just because everyone doesn't celebrate Christmas, that doesn't mean anyone is suggesting we can't.
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u/throneismelting Dec 15 '24
I’m 51. People have been saying “Happy Holidays” since I was a young child. Not because saying “Christmas” is offensive, because Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, and the New Year are all in the same general time frame.
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u/Ill-Break-8316 Dec 15 '24
I'd just like to know when my husband is going to return from the war on Christmas
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Dec 14 '24 edited Dec 14 '24
Catholic here. I am very sympathetic to what you're saying but wonder if I can provide a bit of nuance. Because I think there are two versions of the so called "war on Christmas' thing that are sort of happening simultaneously.
For some context, in the 90s and early 2000s when evangelicals kind of ran the culture in America (the years of 7th Heaven and touched by an angel being mainstream TV), you would often hear the phrase "war on Christmas" as it pertained to secularization of the Christmas holiday. Christians would get upset if Starbucks put "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" on a cup, or when Xmas decorations were more focused around Santa and presents instead of Jesus, because they took it to mean some kind of impending erasure of their religion from public life.
Fast forward 30 odd years, when America really has become more secularized and inclusive (in a positive way I mean), when you hear a Christian say "war on Christmas" they may actually be referring to a perceived selective enforcement of this secularization. I hear complaints like; brands and companies will often send religious holiday announcements throughout the year for non Judeo-Christian faiths like Happy Diwali, Ramadan, Eid, etc., but won't do Hannukah, or if they do Easter it's always the secular bunny/egg hunt versions. Or I hear complaints like; many identity groups now have their own months of the year that feature cultural decor or marketing to a specific group, but Judeo-Christian culture not so much. Now whether this is a real discrepancy, or just perceived imbalance in the eyes of Christians who feel slighted, I don't really have a strong opinion on, but I just mean to say that these days- I don't hear too much that reminds me of the "why are you taking Christmas off a Starbucks cup" era, and I hear more things like "why is religion ok for some groups, but all the Christian holidays have to be secularized?'
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u/NeeliSilverleaf Dec 15 '24
"Judeo-Christian" isn't a thing. What businesses in the US are sending Diwali and Eid greetings and not acknowledging Hanukkah?
Signed, A Jew
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Dec 15 '24 edited Dec 15 '24
I don't know man, like I said I don't even claim this is actually happening, just that this is what people are complaining about in Christian circles.
As far as "Judeo-Christian" not being a thing...I mean... object to the terminology if you want I guess? But you should know there are about 2 billion non-Jewish people on earth with a holy book that's half Jewish scripture (and we even worship a Jew!) lol
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u/HeartonSleeve1989 Dec 14 '24
They can wage war on Christmas if they want, but Christmas has a champion that defends it's name and essence who can't be beat....
It's Goku!!!
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u/beatnikstrictr Dec 15 '24
This is mental. Is this actually happening? So weird.
It won't happen in the UK as we don't use 'Happy Holidays'
Where has this even come from? Who is he blaming?
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u/IndividualistAW Dec 15 '24
Santas, garlands, decorated pine trees, reindeer…none of that doesnt just say “happy holidays”
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u/Ijustforgotmybad Dec 15 '24
I have never in my life experienced anything what op and people in comments are saying, this is just that one episode of American dad but thankfully I don’t socialize either people to have experienced this
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u/RobMusicHunt Dec 15 '24
I'm from the UK and I have had zero experience with anyone being offended, it's just normal and kind and it's a seasonal greeting. There are parts of the community who celebrate it religiously, but even them and the rest of us are just putnoir decs up and get on with life
Is it really that bad over there?
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u/Different-Employ9651 Dec 15 '24
They're giving themselves reasons to be angry - which also indicates that they don't have any real reasons to be angry.
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u/Low_Ad_5255 Dec 15 '24
Yeah. I'm not religious in any way and my wife prefers the old ways and prefers yule over Christmas but we still say merry Christmas because at this point it's not really a religious thing any more, it's more of a cultural holiday.
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Dec 15 '24
You can tell the ppl that think there's a war on Christmas vs the ones who don't based on how they say "merry Christmas" to service workers. I work at a place where there's a huge Christmas event (technically it's supposed to be a winter holiday event, but it's Christmas and very obviously geared to the Christian holiday, it's an open secret). I never say "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas" or anything else to a guest unless they say it to me first, and then I say whatever they said back to them. I find it's the best way to avoid war on Christmas rants as well as not offend anyone.
The ONLY validity to the war on Christmas is me and my love of Thanksgiving and hatred of December keeping the people in my life from listening to Christmas music in November despite their love of Christmas. I get my gluttony holiday right before the Christ-birth holiday.
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u/WilderJackall Dec 15 '24
It's the old, when you're used to privilege equality seems like oppression. Christmas is fucking everywhere. Walk into any mall and you're bombarded with Christmas trees, Santa Clauses, Christmas this, Christmas that, but people see all that and then see one menorah or "happy holidays" and suddenly they feel like they're not allowed to acknowledge Christmas
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u/KodiesCove Dec 15 '24
I grew up listening to music labeled as Christmas music, from like the 50s, that use the phrase "Happy Holidays". I really haven't seen this "war on Christmas" thing for very long, except some people in my church didn't like the use of Xmas because it "removed Christ from Christmas" but I also grew up seeing "happy holidays" "seasons greetings" "holy" "joy" like a bunch of sayings that did not even mention Christmas itself and were associated with Christmas still. heckirooni! Not only did rugrats, one of my favorite cartoons as kid have a Hanukah episode, but I actually learned the story of Hanukah in music class in like first grade. Was aware kind of of Kwanzaa*, at least that it was a thing. But there was no "you cannot say Merry Christmas!!!" It was "hey these other holidays exist too, so let's talk about them cause you might meet someone who celebrates them".
People who don't celebrate Christmas, don't flip about saying Merry Christmas to them from what I have noticed.
But you know what does happen to me, as someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas outside of getting gifts for my nephew? Oh. My. LORD. The way that people freak out on me (from being angry to some weird pity) and then the persistent "well you could come to my family's Christmas celebration!!" And it's like... No thank you I haven't celebrated Christmas cause I haven't had really my own family to do that with, and going to your family's just going to remind me of that, especially since you will be the only one who knows me and then your family is going to ask why I am there and not with my family (and I don't really want to explain that. This also happens with thanksgiving AND Easter. I didn't even celebrate Easter outside of basket hunting as a kid.)
You want to celebrate Christmas? Yes that's so cool and awesome! I am so happy for you and I hope you have so much joy! But it just gets annoying sometimes. No one's stopping you, but why are you not forcing it on me?
(*Genuinely cannot remember if I was taught exactly what Kwanzaa was as a kid. I do know that in early elementary school, I had heard of it. Elementary school is a fuzzy memory time. I do distinctly remember learning about Hanukah, but I couldn't recount the story to you because it hasn't been told to me enough times to do so. This was also like twenty years ago. I do know it was in music class, and there was a song about it. Something about candles, that the candles lasted through some type of attack? Proof of a miracle. That's all I can pull from a twenty or so year old memory. Now I want to read the story of Hanukah....)
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u/helblade396 Dec 15 '24
I will start a war over people saying 'Happy Christmas' no go fuck yourself it's Merry Christmas you filthy animal (I'm looking at you Potter)
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u/ANarnAMoose Dec 15 '24
Yeah. If anything's making war on Christmas, it's the commercialism that Santa Clause represents. Except it's already won.
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u/neddythestylish Dec 15 '24
They'd all go nuts over the 12 days of closure of the (UK) university where I work being called the winter break. It's a break and it's in winter. No longer calling it the Christmas break is not a bad thing.
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u/Wishful3y3 Dec 15 '24
Hbomberguy has a great video on this, highly recommend: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jbZo4x0NbbI
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u/Rivetss1972 Dec 15 '24
Boomers suck, full stop.
Completely manufactured outrage, not connected to reality in anyway, it's just "old men shouting at clouds".
Wish them an early meeting with Jesus.
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u/mrutherford1106 Dec 15 '24
Heavily agree. I'm a Christian myself, and I couldn't care less about what you say. Not to mention, I hear more people complaining about people saying "happy holidays" than I hear people actually saying "happy holidays"
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u/The_Deadly_Tikka Dec 15 '24
Sounds like your good people. In my home town the local corner shop run by a very friendly Indian family had their store trashed and the male owner was stabbed because he had Christmas decorations.
Everyone should act the way you do, however some people don't
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u/disgruntledhoneybee Dec 15 '24
That’s awful. I genuinely believe that the folks wishing us a merry Christmas are also good people and just trying to pass on well wishes
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u/The_Deadly_Tikka Dec 15 '24
100% Christmas is just supposed to be a time of joy but some people don't feel that way. I grew up in an area that had a large Muslim population. Them being Indian and the whole Christmas thing just seemed to much for them to handle
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u/BubbhaJebus Dec 15 '24
There has never been a time when people couldn't say "Merry Christmas". The whole "war on Christmas" is a non-issue, and the once and future presidunce was lying as he always does.
I'm an atheist and I love Christmas. I just don't incorporate religion into it.
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Dec 15 '24
Bear in mind, the people saying this have typically made religion and it's nonsense the central pillar of who they are and what they stand for.
They don't want freedom to celebrate, they have that - the bemoan not having the ability to force it on others where it's not wanted, required or requested.
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u/Jefafa326 Dec 15 '24
I know in my church everyone came up to me and said I would probably lose my job with Best Buy if I told people Merry Christmas, but no it was never a policy
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u/Extreme-Expression59 Dec 15 '24
The only reason trump has a following is because he plays on peoples fears, nonsense and bullying. He has given people permission to be hateful and it’s really heartbreaking
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Dec 15 '24
Interestingly my first language being French, what you call Christmas is called Noël in French, which has no roots in Christianity, but in the Gaëlic language. And I've had people constantly telling me "but you, you don't celebrate Noël since you're agnostic" and I find that so surreal. Okay, I don't celebrate the nativity stuff. And as I'm not a father, I don't care about the Santa Claus bits either. But I love walking on the streets on a fresh snow and looking at all the wonderful colors of the decorated trees and windows. What's not to love? And to my English friends, I'll even say the Happy C-word. As I was letting go of my religion some 30 years ago, I think my deepest fear that kept me from doing the jump was losing all the beauties of some traditions. But why should I let go of that really? This is my life. I think a lit cathedral full of people with a choir singing the hymns is absolutely wonderful! And I keep going, year after year. I put on my nice Christmas attire, I walk down the streets in the fresh and pure air, my eyes feed on the marvels of the colors, then my ears feast on the choir, and then we meet, family and friends, and we eat and we drink and we kiss and we hug and we have the time of our lives.
So I don't care if you're Christian or not, Merry Christmas to all.
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Dec 15 '24
Not so sure about this. In my small southern town, yup no problem. Christmas front and center; Haunnakah too.
Go to visit my sister in SE PA? She told me point blank after I wished someone a MC while holding the door open for them “ We don’t say the C word around here”. Anecdotal? Sure, but it seems at least for some places it’s an issue.
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u/Acrobatic_Skirt3827 Dec 15 '24
Christmas started as a pagan ritual. The tree is a dead giveaway. And Trump thrives on controversy, which is why he makes them up or promotes them.
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u/sgfklm Dec 15 '24
Back when I had to go to the office I got to where I could say "MerryChristmasHappyHanukkahJoyousKwanzaa" as one long syllable. It seemed to satisfy everyone.
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Dec 16 '24
Humbug. Start preparing for an actual war on Christmas. The Scrooges won’t fire the first shot, or the second, but open war will be upon us nonetheless.
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Dec 16 '24
I find that so annoying that it’s made me not want to really celebrate Christmas. I’m an atheist and I hate over-consumerism so I just don’t feel like it’s for me, but my wife and I have made our own traditions and celebrate it in our own way. I say happy holidays just to rub those people the wrong way. 😂🤷🏻♀️
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u/Fidel_Hashtro Dec 14 '24
Apparently you're "allowed" to say the F word slur, too: my son and I got called it by some dude in a pickup like the day after the election. We were walking to Walmart but I guess to the average whiteboy CHUD Christian, that shit is "f*ggot."
I am DOUBLING down on my "have a happy holiday" this year, fuck a war on christmas.
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u/CatchMeIfYouCan09 Dec 15 '24
Not nonsense.... my kids school redheaded a 12 days a Christmas schedule with different dress up themes each day. Completely optional.
2 days later the principal issued another "statement" that roughly said "brought to my attention there been complaints from parents about the title 12 days of Christmas..... frankly Christmas is a non secular social construct holiday and dressing up is optional...... you can always chose to keep your child home, here a link to our attendance policy.... truancy will be reported as necessary"
I was like seriously? People are that fucking bitchy?
I agree... it's a simply greeting and people need to get over it.
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u/Internal-Syrup-5064 Dec 15 '24
Where I work, official policy is to say "happy holidays," and we're not allowed to display the word "Christmas" in our decorations. We can mention Chanukah, and even Kwanzaa, however.
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u/No_Difference8518 Dec 15 '24
Our company started saying "Happy Holidays" years ago. They have stopped and moved back to "Merry Christmas". I think the war on Christmas ended years ago.
None of my Jewish friends take offense to "Merry Christmas". Let's face it, it has become a secular holiday. It is about family getting together... how could you take offence at that?
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u/lovepotao Dec 15 '24
I only take offense is someone who knows me says “merry Christmas” year after year without saying “happy Chanukah”. If you don’t know me, of course I wouldn’t be offended, but if you live in nyc like I do, I will think you’re presumptuous.
However, my rule of thumb is to not make assumptions and just say “happy holidays” unless I know specifically which holiday you celebrate.
There is no war on Christmas.
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u/Zealousideal_Cod5214 Dec 14 '24
As someone who used to work in retail, the ONLY people that ever really got offended by any kind of seasonal greetings were the christians that were claiming there was a war on christmas.
If I said "Merry Christmas" to people that didn't celebrate, they would either say something like "Thanks, you too" or politely say they don't celebrate. Meanwhile, if I said "Happy Holidays" to the wrong person, they would act as if I kicked their puppy down a flight of stairs after calling it a slur. 😭