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12-11-2008, 02:30 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: NYC area
1,744 posts, read 563,812 times
Reputation: 1362
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I say "Happy Holidays" because I live in a place with a lot of different cultures and religions, and it's a matter of simple courtesy. I do say "Merry Christmas" to people that I know are Christians. As in all other situations in life, you have to take into account who you are speaking to before you open your mouth, and the holidays do not suspend that rule. I don't celebrate Christmas, but if someone says "Merry Christmas" to me on the erroneous assumption that I do, it does not offend me. I don't correct the person, either. I assume it came from the heart (or at least from good manners), and I don't want to punish the person by making him feel like he's put his foot in it, or as if his good will isn't welcome. I just say, "Thank you, you too," and that's that.
If, on the other hand, the person knows that I am not a Christian and says "Merry Christmas" anyway -- I really don't know what to think. Is it stupidity? Ignorance? Extreme naivete, such that the person thinks all religions celebrate Christmas? Or is the person trying to offend me and make me feel like a stranger in my own land? This doesn't actually offend me, by the way -- at least, not in the sense that I would lose any sleep over it. It's just pathetic that (as far as I can gather from the posts here) some people are really offended that some other people celebrate different holidays; and so they choose to celebrate Christmas by trying to pick a fight with adherents of other religions or make some sort of lame statement that non-Christians don't belong / aren't welcome / should be second-class citizens, etc. It is what it is -- petty and childish -- and I really don't give it much thought.
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12-11-2008, 04:26 PM
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Moderator for San Francisco & San Jose Forums
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: San Francisco, CA
9,152 posts, read 7,872,337 times
Reputation: 2699
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Quote:
Originally Posted by planetsurf
BUT, the great big white elephant in the room is that CHRISTIANS have diluted the Christ in Christmas by trying to make their religious holiday 12 weeks long instead of 2 days (or 12 if you're traditional).
Christmas is Dec 25th. Dec 11th is in the middle of the holiday season.
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Uh huh.  Especially since Chanukah & Ramadan (and Diwali, etc) usually come BEFORE Christmas, how do they get off telling us it's THEIR time of year? I mean c'mon - I'm willing to give you a week or two before 12/25, but asking to dominate the entire months of November & December seems a tad selfish.  |
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12-11-2008, 04:35 PM
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Moderator for San Francisco & San Jose Forums
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: San Francisco, CA
9,152 posts, read 7,872,337 times
Reputation: 2699
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Redisca
If, on the other hand, the person knows that I am not a Christian and says "Merry Christmas" anyway -- I really don't know what to think. Is it stupidity? Ignorance? Extreme naivete, such that the person thinks all religions celebrate Christmas? Or is the person trying to offend me and make me feel like a stranger in my own land?
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This is something I also wonder about.  I'm almost always wearing a Star of David necklace, and I assume most people understand what that means. But apparently they do not, or just don't care, which I find very disrespectful (the latter). It does help at the holidays, though... just the other day I was at Marshall's, and the clerk wished everyone a "Merry Christmas" until me - she gave me an awkward "Uh, have a nice day!" which was sweet even though it was about 9pm.  But hey, at least she made an effort! |
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12-11-2008, 04:46 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Apr 2008
710 posts, read 481,851 times
Reputation: 192
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The "Holiday" cards are coming in hot and heavy now.
We're up to 6 generic Happy Holidays/Peace On Earth variety, 1 "This Christmas Season..." card.
The best one we JUST got today ... "HAPPY EVERYTHING!"
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12-11-2008, 04:59 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Elfin Forest
3,816 posts, read 1,224,215 times
Reputation: 1600
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Quote:
Originally Posted by planetsurf
The "Holiday" cards are coming in hot and heavy now.
We're up to 6 generic Happy Holidays/Peace On Earth variety, 1 "This Christmas Season..." card.
The best one we JUST got today ... "HAPPY EVERYTHING!"
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Me and my boyfriends card this year says 'Visualize whirled peas' with a blender full of peas My family is.... unique so a normal holiday card would never cut it. |
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12-11-2008, 05:38 PM
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Moderator for San Francisco & San Jose Forums
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: San Francisco, CA
9,152 posts, read 7,872,337 times
Reputation: 2699
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Quote:
Originally Posted by planetsurf
The "Holiday" cards are coming in hot and heavy now.
We're up to 6 generic Happy Holidays/Peace On Earth variety, 1 "This Christmas Season..." card.
The best one we JUST got today ... "HAPPY EVERYTHING!"
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That's a good one! I saw a graphic last year that summed it up perfectly, but it has some words I can't post on here - LOL. I bought some generic "Peace on Earth" for the general mailing (which I rarely follow through on  ), and I'll get holiday-specific for the people I'm close to. |
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12-12-2008, 07:45 AM
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RoaredTheirTerribleRoars
Status:
"A Typo Waiting to Happen"
(set 4 days ago)
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Fernandina Beach, northeast FL
10,496 posts, read 9,647,148 times
Reputation: 7874
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Quote:
Originally Posted by planetsurf
The "Holiday" cards are coming in hot and heavy now.
We're up to 6 generic Happy Holidays/Peace On Earth variety, 1 "This Christmas Season..." card.
The best one we JUST got today ... "HAPPY EVERYTHING!"
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I always like the Peace on Earth ones.
But Happy Everything is certainly a catch-all phrase.
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12-12-2008, 08:04 AM
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Merry Festivus!
Status:
"It's ok Bearcats, we don't need Kelly!"
(set 11 days ago)
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: The 'Nati
2,142 posts, read 1,443,077 times
Reputation: 936
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gizmo980
That's a good one! I saw a graphic last year that summed it up perfectly, but it has some words I can't post on here - LOL. I bought some generic "Peace on Earth" for the general mailing (which I rarely follow through on ), and I'll get holiday-specific for the people I'm close to. |
Is this the one you're talking about minus the offending word?
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12-23-2008, 12:58 PM
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Rust-Belt Hero
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Rochester, NY
3,008 posts, read 1,285,497 times
Reputation: 659
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Glad to see that City-Data.com put up an official Merry Christmas graphic on the page header... EXCELLENT!!!
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12-23-2008, 01:07 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: May 2008
268 posts, read 84,346 times
Reputation: 71
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Quote:
Originally Posted by planetsurf
The "Holiday" cards are coming in hot and heavy now.
We're up to 6 generic Happy Holidays/Peace On Earth variety, 1 "This Christmas Season..." card.
The best one we JUST got today ... "HAPPY EVERYTHING!"
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I am thinking of switching to happy new year cards, I am pretty sure everyone celebrates that. |
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