What's the big deal about Happy Holidays

I prefer Happy Holidays also. It emcompasses all the holidays of the season such as Thanksgiving, New Years, as well as Christmas. I also have friends of different religious backgrounds and it is easier. I don't want to leave anyone out of my card giving but I don't want to offend anyone either. A lcustomer at Walmart the other day jumped the girl answering the phone for saying Happy Holidays. "It is ok to say Merry Christmas." I bit my tongue so I wouldn't offend the customer, but I did tell the girl at the phone that it was a choice not a requirement.

Kwanzaa was created by this Berkely prof as a response to the commercialization of Christmas. His contention was that poor blacks couldn't afford all of the toys etc. of Christmas. I guess he felt that there needed to be a more spiriual holiday or something. Kwanzaa is supp. to be the combination of several African Harvest festivals. When I first heard of Kwanza my response was the same as yours Devil Woman. But, people actually do celebrate Kwanza. It has a bunch of peace and love ideas to it. I've seen things in the store for it. In fact, the irony is the more popular it becomes,the more commercialized it becomes and thus it's true reason for being created becomes less evident. I mean, I've actually seen Kwanza decorations.

My daughter and I celebrate Christmas, but my husband and his family are Jewish and even my husband's boss would always send him a Christmas card which I thought was tacky of him. Yes, I think that Happy Holidays covers all religions well.

Happy Holidays to all! Its the spirit, not the words. Brotherhood, thankfullness, that warm fuzzy feeling, too much egg nog......
Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful time, no matter where you are.

I always, well most always do the happy holidays greeting to people, unless I know for a fact that Christmas celebrations is a part of thier festivities during the holidays.

Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings covers just about everyone because it includes New Year, too. Though Chinese and Japanese New Year are not on January 1, so that idea doesn't work there.

I use Merry Christmas for those who celebrate Christmas (or, are a Christian faith, practiciing or non) Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings for everybody else.

The Muslim Ramadan is sometimes in January, sometimes earlier. Not up on what dictates the date of this holiday and not sure if gifts are involved at all. Just know that fasting is involved.

I think it is OK for stores to use Merry Christmas because they have Christmas displays. I think retail can use both MC and HH to make everybody happy. Greeting card companies COULD come out with MORE cards that do not have Christmas trees, Santa stuff, or other distinctly Christmas stuff. Where I work, the cards are ALL related to Christmas or Santa in some way EXCEPT the ONE Penguin card.

Even the cards that say HH or Seasons Greetings, they ALL have something related to Christmas or Santa, which some customers DID NOT LIKE.

So they bought the Penguin card. Maybe Penguins are the ONLY non-Holly, non-Santa cookies, Tree, Stocking, or other card generally availalbe. But winter scene cards are all purpose, too and card companies should make more of those.

It is just the fact that Christmas has been a holiday for so many years and some say that it is bad.

It goes far past the surface here, I think. Christmas is a very tough time for the organizations that exist on their faithfuls contributions. The war on Christmas fills those coffers, so that these organizations can fight the good fight against seditious forces trying to take your Christmas away from you. There is no war on Christmas, just companies trying to make more money by including more people in the commercial orgasm that is Christmas. This idea though, has allowed religiously extreme organizations to weather the holidays in fat cat status. Merry whatever the hell you celebrate, folks.

I think it's important to be sensitive. Wishing a non-Christian a Merry Christmas is just plain ignorant. Happy Holidays is more appropriate for stores but these people have had an agenda for several years to have it changed to Merry Christmas. It looks like their strong arm tactics are working. I think that non-Christians should just not shop during this time of year. Everything will be on sale after Christmas anyway.

the last place I worked they had a end of the year party. I liked that, even if you were not religious you could not deny it was the end of the year.

Hmmm Carol....... I thought someone had a New Year that wasn't the same as ours.

Joe - I don't think people who wish someone a Merry Christmas without thinking are ignorant. I find it ugly to use words like ignorant about anyone. I think it's the use of ugly words that puts more people on the defensive than the idea of Happy Holidays.

Smart people celebrate Christmas with families at least two days after Christmas - giving them time to buy gifts at the After Christmas sales.

The sad thing is that every body is worried about the "political correctness police" jumping down their throat. If it weren't for that, we could all relax and just give everybody our best wishes.

Well since some people had nothing better it was decided that saying "Merry Christmas" was politically incorrect and to that I say ,"Give me a freakin break alright." The stores don't have an "AGENDA" to say "Merry Christmas"THAT"S THE WAY IT ALWAYS WAS until the people mentioned above decided it was incorrect.It is not ignorant to wish people(any people) a "Merry Christmas"Unless said "people" are tehones (again) mentioned above. Some "people" just like to complain.I used to have a man jump down my throat when I worked at the grocery store because I'd tell him to have a nice day.He'd say,"Dont tell me what to do!" Soooooooooo I made sure to tell him to have a nice day EVERY time I waited on him:)
So,who misses out on Christmas fun? Well our kids in public schools no longer celebrate Christmas because it's politically incorrect. HMMMMMM I wonder how many kids were damaged back in the day because they had to look at Santa at school?(SARCASM).I know I'm not damaged because some kids missed school for Hannuka and GASP they got presents too. Adults have once again managed to screw up the fun for the kids.

I think this is America. If stores refuse to use the term Merry Christmas, Christians have the right to make noise and boycott them. Its a play pulled from the old liberal playbook. Walmart was hurt and now they brought it back. If you dont care big whoop. Some people do. Most stores who refused to say merry Christmas paid a price and reacted accordingly. Power to the people!

Well, I say

to everyone in every religion.

Merry Chistmas!!

Happy Holidays Jeff

sorry Shel, I just learned how to do the pictures....practicing...lol

I want to learn how to do that:(

Sorry. I do not shop at stores that don't use the word Christmas in the ads or displays or which prohibit the use of Christmas by their employees. 97% of the people in this country celebrate Christmas so just get over it. So I will shop at Walmart and Sears but I will not shop at Best Buy and the Gap or any other store that I walk into and see an absence of Christmas verbiage.

If I am in a jewish neighborhood, I will say Happy Hanukah instead. In Montreal I always said Joyeux Noel. In a spanish Bodega, I would say Feliz Navidad. I would rather make the effort and be wrong, than to secularize the Christmas for the one out of 100 that would be offended. If a jewish person says Happy Hanukah to me, I accept that in the spirit with which it is said. An effort was made. Happy Holidays is a great phrase for those that are too lazy to make an effort and I am too lazy to spend my money at stores that think that way. If you decorate the store full of Christmas decorations to lure shoppers into spending money on Christmas presents, at least have the guts to call it what it is. The federal holiday is Christmas.

Apparently a great many other people think that way too or places like WalMart and Sears wouldn't have capitulated and gone back to Merry Christmas. And no, I would not purposely wish a person of another faith Merry Christmas.

Joe, why is it strong arm tactics for Christians to refuse to shop at stores that don't say Merry Christmas but it is okay for the PC police to strong arm Christians into doing without Christmas in our celebrations? There are a lot more of us than there are of them.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season.
Merry Christmas to all except Happy Hanukah to Charles. Bah, humbug if you are offended.

Jeff, I think it is [img] the link in here with no spaces [/img]

Yes nancy thats the whole point! People of faith want to shop in stores that say Merry Christmas. Atheists get mad and say Christians dont have that right. This is America and who do you really think Walmart should be concerned about? Christians or the liberals that hate Walmart?

Nanci,
It has always been Happy Holidays save the old days when neighborhoods reflected specific communities. It is ignorant to wish a non-Christian a Merry Christmas. It is an act designed to hurt another who isn't a part of the process. It is strong arm tactics to convince Wal-Mart that they should say Merry Christmas. There was nothing wrong with Happy Holidays.

Very good article. I agree, HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

Come on people, don't you have more important things to worry about than whether or not someone says " Merry Christmas " or " Happy Holidays " ?

If I say " Merry Christmas ", that may offend someone.

If I say " Happy Holidays ", that may offend someone.

If I don't say either, that may offend someone.

If I say " That's a nice dress " , that may offend someone.

If I don't say " That's a nice dress ", that may offend someone.

If I say or don't say anything, that may offend someone.

People these days seem to be wearing their feelings on their shoulders for some reason, and they are expecting to be offended by anything you or I say or don't say.

I work in retail management, so let me tell you, I experience this every day.

I had a customer last night who was offended when I made the closing announcement. She said " I would have bought more shit if you wern't in such a rush to go home ". If I had said " shop as long as you want " she would have been offended by that. If I gave her a million bucks, she would have bitched about the denominations of the bills.

This is a great article Shelly.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everybody ! lol

Joe do you think Christians dont have a right to demand stores say Merry Christmas if they want their business? You can call it strong arming but its part of democracy and marketing 101.

Well, Jeff, it looks like Christians have won the day with respect to Wal-Mart. I think it was unnecessary and definitely is a jab against non-Christians.

BTW, If anybody has a problem with Wal-Mart, then stay the hell out of there. That company has become a capitolistic monster that needs to be taken down a few notches. I worked for those bastards for 15 years.

I get so tired of hearing my customers bitch about Wal-Mart, and then I see their cars parked on the Wal-Mart parking lot. WTF ?

I support a nationwide boycott of Wal- Mart regaurdless of whether they say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.

If you have a problem with Wal-Mart for any reason, then stay the hell out of there.

About our democracy - we are run on the principle that the majority rules while the minority rights are always respected.

Right but a store who wants customers must respect the majority. Just like television. None of the major broadcasters have shows that the minority enjoy out of respect during primetime. Supply demand.

That's the beauty of cable. There's more room for individuality. I suppose that Wal-Mart has made a good business decision for themselves.

Agreed Joe good point.

Jeff, go to
http://s126.photobucket.com/
click on a picture you like, click on tags
after br>for example:
br>hope that helps

That obviously didn't work.....
just go to photobucket, it tells you how.
Sorry Jeff

Hehe thanks Dawne:)

LOL Dawne.. I have got to try that. Maybe tomorrow I'll work on figuring it out.

I get a lot of flack at work because I say "good morning" when I pick up the phone. The only problem is I forget to switch to "good afternoon." At least I say something besides "sales department."

I don't care what the clerks say, just show me the lowest price!

Amanda I used to do that too!

"Season's Greetings" makes good business sense while printing greeting cards as it covers all kinds of festivals. Personally I do not think there should be any fuss in saying "Merry Christmas" when the purpose is to convey mutual joy. I respond happily when my Hindu friends wish me "Happy Diwali" or Muslim friends greet me with "Id Mubarak" on their respective festivals. I ignore when rarely some people find loss of words to reciprocate to a greeting of "Merry Christmas".

I'm not a Christian. But I say to my friends" Merry Christmas and Happy New Year".

Nanci B said: "Joe, why is it strong arm tactics for Christians to refuse to shop at stores that don't say Merry Christmas but it is okay for the PC police to strong arm Christians into doing without Christmas in our celebrations? There are a lot more of us than there are of them."

I love it. Nanci B. claims that if stores don't say "Merry Christmas" to her she'll have to do without Christmas in her celebrations. Come on, girl.

By the way, whatever happened to those WWJD bracelets? They were a great way to remind people of the Reason for the Season. How many Merry Christmas's that you hear shouldn't even be a factor.

Actually, the Japanese New Year *IS* on January first. The Japanese don't celebrate Chinese New Year, except for maybe in Chinatown, Yokohama. Other than that, it's pretty much a non-event.