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I hope everyone is having a nice Christmas today as well as enjoying the
other cultural holidays we celebrate this season.
Please be careful about drinking and driving - don't want to read some post
on Off Topic about someone getting busted for DUI or telling us another
member we know was killed while driving drunk.
Hope to see you soon
tbaxleyjr
Merry Christmas everyone. I don't think drinking and driving is as big a
problem around Christmas as much as new year's though.
chris_knows
Seasons Greetings guys! Hope ya all are have a great time! :thumbs:
Cliffy
Yea man Il see u in a few weeks lol
Im not a Christmas person, but Im getting hammered for new years :thumbs:
newyorker
I dislike the recent trend of abandoning "Christmas" in favor of "Happy
Holidays."
This country's political correctness is so overbearing and ridiculous. It
really sucks. :cussing:
3xBeam
While I agree that they are trying to please everyone because everyone has
something to bitch about now (and its gay), it was rather annoying working
Holidays, wearing my star of David out in the open, and having people tell
me "Merry Christmas" like its the only holiday around
newyorker
Yes, it really sucks that not everyone celebrates Christmas. :banghead:
Nissan_Altima
Yeah, but that's no reason to not allow people to celebrate Christmas and
put up nativity scenes on public property.
chris_knows
Why can't people accept that Merry Christmas is basically wishing you well?
If somebody told me Happy kwanza (sp?) I'd either just take it as somebody
wishing me well, or perhaps inform them of my relgion but still be
thankfull.
If somebody wants to say Happy Holidays great, but I don't like it when
store workers are required to say it. I was at the local market buying
some London Broil for my Christmas Jerky (cheap present that most males
like) and the lady working the register caught me off guard with a Merry
Christmas. Then I realized that I was caught off guard by it and realized
how I'd come accustomed to store workers saying Happy Holidays.
giant016
Not sayin its wrong...just annoying when I am clearly jewish (see the big
shiny star hangin on me) and people tell me Merry Christmas...
newyorker
Happy Holidays to everyone! Be safe... :)
-Ice-
Yeah, that's just ignorant lol.
chris_knows
I say Merry Christmas to all my colleagues, even though I know some of them
don't celebrate it. I even give out Christmas cards...It's through habit
with me though, and I'm sure if I didn't say it, people would wonder why.
Cliffy
What are you talking about? He said he is unhappy with people saying happy
holidays instead of Merry Christmas. When did the idea of not allowing
people to celebrate Christmas come up?
Well...because it's basically not. Christmas is a religious holiday that
has become pretty much national in America. If I'm not Christian, don't
believe in Christ, etc, etc then why should I celebrate it?
While that's great, some people are not like that. If someone told me Merry
Christmas (quite common), I usually just say thank you and keep moving just
because I don't really care. However, I do respect other's opinions of
caring.
Nissan_Altima
Christmas is actually a Catholic holiday last I remember
newyorker
christian... catholic is a denomination, not a religion.
and as a simple solution, why not respond to "merry christmas" with "happy
hannukah", or whatever else is appropriate?
windsonian
Because the people telling me merry christmas arent jewish..they are
ignorant catholic/christian people that dont realize there are other
religions out there...next time someone tells me merry christmas Im just
going to pretend I dont know what they are talking about...something along
the lines of
them "merry christmas"
me "im sorry, what"
them "merry christmas"
me "ive never heard of him"
That should certainly get some blood boiling for these
ignorant/uninformed/crazy asses.
newyorker
do you know they're catholic?
and if the only reason they're ignorant is because they're saying merry
xmas to you, then surely you're saying merry christmas to them?....
otherwise you'd be ignorant.... or un-festive.
.... and i'm sure that'd get my blood boiling :roll:
windsonian
I tell people happy holidays because i dont know what they celebrate..these
people are ignorant to the fact that christmas isnt the only holiday
newyorker
so are they catholic or not?
windsonian
who..i have no magic wand that tells me what religion people are so I say
happy holidays because it wishes well to everyone..if I KNOW someone is of
a certain religion, I wish them accordingly
newyorker
then surely it is ignorant to say "are ignorant catholic/christian people"
..... when in fact they may or may not be. If I were catholic, I wouldn't
want to be generalised so.
windsonian
Yes but only christian/catholic/crazy people find the need to be ignorant
to everyone else..other people say happy holidays, there ignoramuses say
merry christmas (not all of course)
newyorker
My bad...I heard something on the radio earlier that day about that, and it
just came out lol.Alright, tell us how that goes...A YEAR FROM NOW lol.Yes,
but other Christians argue for "happy holidays". If someone says "Happy
Hanukkah" to me, I'd reply with a "Happy Hanukkah to you too". It's about
courtesy and wishing them well, not a gang sign.
BTW Christianity involves Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox.
Here's a diagram of how the religions split from just one to a
butt-load:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/ChristianityBranches.svg
chris_knows
its just annoying when i am clearly wearing my jewish symbol. its like me
coming up to someone wearing a cross and wishing them a happy
hanukah...:banghead: its kinda like "hey i can clearly see your religion
but i have a different faith so im going to try to push my beliefs on you
whether you like it or not!"
newyorker
I don't think they're really pushing their beliefs, but they are being
ignorant...Also, how many people wished you "Merry Christmas", as opposed
to "Happy Holidays" or "Happy Hanukkah"?
chris_knows
this year?? 8 out of every 10
newyorker
To assume that everybody celebrates the holidays is pretty ignorant.
See where I'm going with this?
giant016
Lol...That's pretty bad.
chris_knows
I see where you are going, but saying Happy Holidays would congratulate all
that celebrate, not just a certain religious group..
newyorker
I think it's pretty ignorant to say Christmas is a Catholic
celebration....Not all Christians are Catholic. I believe ChrisK touched on
this earlier. I will say Merry Christmas for years to come, as it's what I
celebrate. I'm not going to say Merry anything else beacuse first and
foremost I'm ignorant and don't really know who celebrates what, and
secondly I'd received a few funny looks I'm sure. How about we knock this
one on the head.
Cliffy
But saying Happy Holidays to someone that doesn't celebrate anything (such
as JW's) may offend them.
thefonz
In that case we should all sit quietly and celebrate amongst ourselves
newyorker
Seems to be the only way to stop people from bitching.
thefonz
:thumbs: It didnt bother me as much until I worked one holiday season at
walgreens. Lady comes up, I bag her stuff, and she tells me "merry
christmas" (meantime im wearing my star cause it was still currently my
holiday), so I try to be nice and tell her "happy holidays" she comes back
at me with a retarded look on her face and tells me "merry christmas". I
tell her "maam I dont celebrate christmas" and she comes at me with a "oh,
well maybe this year you should"
like wtf :banghead:
newyorker
:orglaugh::orglaugh:
...Then again, the customer is always right.
chris_knows
if it wasnt for that policy, and many others I would have slammed her in
the head with a snow shovel
newyorker
The fact is that saying "happy holidays" leaves some poeple excluded, just
like saying "merry christmas" leaves some excluded. If you want to say
it's ignorant to assume all are Christians, then it's ignorant to assume
that all believe in God.
giant016
I hope you are having fun arguing with NewYorker. You know what they say,
right? Don't argue with an idiot. They bring you down to their level and
then beat you with experience.
In no way saying happy holidays are you assuming that everyone believes in
G-d. People that celebrate Kwanzaa, as one example, are not forced to
believe in G-d. Last time I checked, Kwanzaa is still a holiday.
Furthermore, happy holidays could mean enjoying the holiday season,
regardless of whether or not you celebrate any, while Merry Christmas is a
more specific allusion. Finally, even if some people don't celebrate any
winter holidays (I honestly can't think of a group of people off the top of
my head but I'm sure there are some) that leaves a lot less people excluded
than Merry Christmas, a holiday celebrated by mostly only one religion.
Nissan_Altima
Sorry im not as pompous as you and dont think as highly of myself as you
do, nor is my ego inflated to the level yours is. Happy Holidays dipshit
:thumbs:
newyorker
I think by the people who don't celebrate, he means atheists. People with
no religion have no religious holidays.
chris_knows
Not only did you miss the entire point to my post, but you can't even
realize that your ego is way bigger than mine. Happy holidays to you too.
Putting the fact that you're speaking for the thoughts of someone else
aside, we never said anything about religious holiday. Kwanzaa is a holiday
and its celebrants can be as atheist as possible as the holiday contains no
G-d. Hence, people that do not believe in G-d can still celebrate a holiday
and can still enjoy hearing happy holidays.
Nissan_Altima
They could have a Godless holiday around the same time, but not
Kwanzaa...Kwanzaa "celebrates African American unity and culture."
chris_knows
Close -- Christmas as we know as as known through most western Christian
denominations (both Protestant and Roman Catholic) it is the celebration of
the birth of Jesus Christ. Most religion scholars think the birth actually
took place in late winter/early spring but celebrate on 12/25 due to
changes in the calendar and church (primarily Roman Catholic)tradition
before 1300 A.D. or somewhere thereabouts. Many Eastern Churches (some
Greek and Russian Orthodox) celebrate at later dates in December/January
time-frame.
As more and more folks of different faiths such as Islam or Jewish moved
into the U.S., we begin to see other ideas about winter holidays such as
Ramadan being the 9th month of the Islamic calendar and celebrating when
the Quran was revealed or Hanukkah where the Jewish folks celebrate the
rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem by Judas Maccabee in 165 BC after
it was overrun by the Syrians many years eailier.
Is political correctness the right thing - I don't know but please accept
my Merry Christmas as a wish for everyone regardless of background so sit
back, reflect on their backgrounds, family traditions and find peace.
tbaxleyjr
but you just admitted you had no idea what they were!!
and Wesleyan, C of E (Anglican), Uniting, Baptist ..... etc etc etc ...
there are plenty.
windsonian
Unfortunately, many very bloody wars took place over religion and the
spiritual and emotional power / influence a religion has over its
followers. Unfortunately, men tend to use this for personal financial and
political gain thus much bloodshed occurs.
Examples of this from the 1300s-1500s include the inquisition (making sure
folks in certain countries followed the Roman Catholic church upon fear of
painful death by boiling, burning alive, etc.), the Protestant reformation
in the 1500's, the fights over if the British Monarch would be Catholic or
Protestant throughout the 1600's (many people lost heads over that one
important issue since in later years, the British Monarch is the head of
the Church of England or Anglican church), the witch hunts in Mass. during
the 1600's - 1700's, Most modern conflict (including the U.S. War on Terror
which is actually a war against several fundamentalist and based on their
actions dangerous militant Islamics) are about a mixture of the strong
emotional power of religion plus politics.
Most 16 - 20 yr olds have not studied enough religion and world history to
understand much of this. I encourage, even for the technical types, to
take some world history in college or high school or borrow some good world
history and religion books from your public library and read them - You
will figure out we as a large group of people and a society are morons -
we keep doing the same stuff over and over because we don't learn from our
past.
I hope we can be able to poke fun and enjoy each other despite our various
backgrounds without starting our own mini war on religion.
tbaxleyjr
Actually Chris was right, and I was wrong. I assumed that Kwanzaa
celebrated something to do with God, guess I was wrong.
giant016
