It's three days after Thanksgiving, and...

[conuly]

Oh, no, I can't dare conceive of more than one holiday at a time!

*eyeroll*

Well, that was mildly amusing. I shouldn't bother engaging them, I know, but I've been good... more or less... for a few months (I think), so... yeah.

You'll note that she's probably right - I've never once really heard anybody get offended at being told "Merry Christmas". Even the most die-hard non-Christians I know usually just roll their eyes and accept the greeting in the spirit in which it was given. As that's the case, why the heck can't these twits do the same thing?

Save your indignation for things that really matter, guys. Oh, hey, did you know that there's, like, a war or ten going on right now? There are people starving to death, and going hungry in this very country. There really are Christians in this world who are being persecuted, if that's what matters to you - though not many of them happen to live in this country. For that matter, there are honestly people in this world who really have never heard of Jesus - not many of them live in the US either. And what with the usual outbreaks of war, famine, pestilence, and death all over everywhere, why don't you do the rest of us a favor and go shove that Christian love and charity at somebody who could really use the help. I can name a few places.

Of course, here I am being all hypocritical and all, but man, this sort of stuff irritates me no end! All I want for Christmas is the right to greet people in the manner I see fit, preferably without starting the next world war. And I'm thinking that shouldn't be too much to ask.

Maybe it's just me, I don't know, but was it really worth that whole thread (not to mention this entire pointless entry)?

I didn't think so.

Comments

[rho]

I used to get offended by people wishing me a merry christmas. I've mellowed now, though, mercifully.

[leora.livejournal.com]

She really offended me... I replied twice.

I don't get offended, but I get sad and hurt. It stings. It's mean and thoughtless and I don't like it at all. I don't like having religion shoved on me. I don't like other people making assumptions about me... and they do it all the *@!(*#@( time. And so often their assumptions don't fit me. And it just blends in with all the other assumptions people make and adds to them. Stop assuming everyone is like you. Stop thinking that you can just take a little cookie cutter pattern and have it work on everyone. See me as a person and find out who I am. But no, no you just won't do that will you? Well, merry christmas and have a nice day.

[neurotica0.livejournal.com]

I don't even see why she had to bring that up???? I don't see the news post using the OH SO OFFENSIVE "Happy Holidays" phrase or anything.

The way I feel about it is that what most americans will be celebrating on the 25th is, in fact, a fully secularized gift-giving event that has nothing to do with christ, so you'd think christians wouldn't want that being confused with their sacred day. But whatever. It must be so hard to be in the religious majority in a country.

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

I'm saying this here so as to not say this there. I try and live by a policy of not joining a dogpile on a dead-horse discussion. My ulcers thank me for it.

I'd like to know why Christmas is a holiday, but Thanksgiving and New Year's are not.

Eid, Channukah, Kwanzaa, Yule, and the eleven days that are not Christmas for the Twelve Days I can see someone not wanting to acknowledge on religious grounds. I don't have to agree with your religious objections, you don't have to agree with mine, life goes on.

Thanksgiving and New Year's don't require religion to be practiced. Just a certain cultural background, and a recognition that some businesses will be closed.

[failstoexist.livejournal.com]

well, that was mildly amusing. OK, sometimes if I get a "merry christmas" I respond with "and a happy hanukah to you!" or something like that. just to be silly, because really, I celebrate both, and I accept that I'm going to be wished a merry christmas about a million times in the next month. people who get their panties in a twist about it are silly...I think if you're working in a shop, "happy holidays" is best/most inclusive, because hey, there might be a holiday today you don't know about, and wouldn't it be nice if that were covered as well? but if it's a christmas tree shop, or a judaica store, or anything else specific like that, a little specific holday greeting is nearly always appropriate.

[amarafox.livejournal.com]

One poster was bothered that non Christians celebrate Christmas too.

http://www.christmasarchives.com/decorations.html

I told her she should probably take her decorations down as they don't have christian roots ;) But I was more polite about it than I am here :D

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

My ex used to say, "Happy generic solstice celebration," because he figured it covered everything that might be celebrated at this time of year.

If someone wished him a merry Christmas, he would respond, "And a happy harmonica to you, too," which really confused people.

[mayhemwench.livejournal.com]

See, this is the reason I was so anti-Christian for so long (and now am a good little practicing Catholodiscordian). Because of people like her and Ann Coulter.

My favorite was the dude who was all like, "Hey, if you're not Christian, you should be! I will pray for you! Here are the Ten Commandments! *lists six* ...and I forget the rest. Uh, Merry Christmas!"

[zannechaos.livejournal.com]

...

And this is why I completely just don't fuckin' bother to extend any kind of holiday spirit to anyone anymore unless I'm damned certain they'll extend me the same courtesy I've always extended everyone else -- accepting whatever holiday greeting I'm given in the spirit which it was intended to be received in.

To the fucktards who get their ass in a twitch over hearing 'Merry Christmas' and ream a new one in the poor person who more like than not isn't a total asswit about religion, thanks bunches. This used to be my favorite time of year, now I just get sick to my stomach and want to hit people instead of smiling.

To the goddamn lackwitted fuckfaced morons who throw a shitfit over someone saying something other than 'Merry Christmas', go die now. You helped contribute to killing any kind of joy over a holiday that's about peace and making people you care about smile and happy, so I disavow any knowledge of your kind as human.

This bitterness comes from being jumped on by a total stranger on Christmas Eve in a friend's journal because my default icon at the time was an elegant star with lyrics from an old religious carol, for "pushing my religion" down this stranger's throat by way of an icon. It comes from smiling cheerfully while doing my shopping and bidding "Merry Christmas" - nothing more, nothing less, and without any haughty bitchy pointedness - and getting told "Fuck you". It comes from all the people who don't celebrate the holiday and are bound and determined to make certain that _everyone_ they see smiling during December gets bitched at.

Yeah. Fuck everybody. I don't give a damn about peace or making people smile anymore. At any time of the year. Nobody else does and I give up. I'm tired of giving tolerance and getting a slap in the face in return.

Sorry for ranting in your journal -- I didn't click the link, but goddamn, I had to fight to keep from replying and returning the favor to several people commenting here. I'm all for destroying people's happiness in December now since that seems to be the "in thing".

[ser-kai.livejournal.com]

I get by with an eyeroll nowadays. Mostly, I'm just thankful that my major holiday is at the end of June so I don't have to deal with the general nightmare of shopping for gifts at xmas.

My son, James, gets a bit silly over it but he's 12 and learning. Whenever I see him being overly militant, I gently give him a way to be polite but not overly submissive. For example, saying Season's Greetings isn't really any skin off our noses, if you think about it. Unfortunately, a grade one child is getting 'Happy Summer Solstice' because I wasn't able to mediate that one. *sigh*

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

Wishing people "happy holidays" is persecuting Christians????

That's actually what someone said. They're tired of being persecuted by people who talk about "the holidays" instead of "Christmas"!

That is just ... just ... =dissolves into frustrated sputtering=

[rho]

I used to get offended by people wishing me a merry christmas. I've mellowed now, though, mercifully.

[leora.livejournal.com]

She really offended me... I replied twice.

I don't get offended, but I get sad and hurt. It stings. It's mean and thoughtless and I don't like it at all. I don't like having religion shoved on me. I don't like other people making assumptions about me... and they do it all the *@!(*#@( time. And so often their assumptions don't fit me. And it just blends in with all the other assumptions people make and adds to them. Stop assuming everyone is like you. Stop thinking that you can just take a little cookie cutter pattern and have it work on everyone. See me as a person and find out who I am. But no, no you just won't do that will you? Well, merry christmas and have a nice day.

[neurotica0.livejournal.com]

I don't even see why she had to bring that up???? I don't see the news post using the OH SO OFFENSIVE "Happy Holidays" phrase or anything.

The way I feel about it is that what most americans will be celebrating on the 25th is, in fact, a fully secularized gift-giving event that has nothing to do with christ, so you'd think christians wouldn't want that being confused with their sacred day. But whatever. It must be so hard to be in the religious majority in a country.

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

I'm saying this here so as to not say this there. I try and live by a policy of not joining a dogpile on a dead-horse discussion. My ulcers thank me for it.

I'd like to know why Christmas is a holiday, but Thanksgiving and New Year's are not.

Eid, Channukah, Kwanzaa, Yule, and the eleven days that are not Christmas for the Twelve Days I can see someone not wanting to acknowledge on religious grounds. I don't have to agree with your religious objections, you don't have to agree with mine, life goes on.

Thanksgiving and New Year's don't require religion to be practiced. Just a certain cultural background, and a recognition that some businesses will be closed.

[failstoexist.livejournal.com]

well, that was mildly amusing. OK, sometimes if I get a "merry christmas" I respond with "and a happy hanukah to you!" or something like that. just to be silly, because really, I celebrate both, and I accept that I'm going to be wished a merry christmas about a million times in the next month. people who get their panties in a twist about it are silly...I think if you're working in a shop, "happy holidays" is best/most inclusive, because hey, there might be a holiday today you don't know about, and wouldn't it be nice if that were covered as well? but if it's a christmas tree shop, or a judaica store, or anything else specific like that, a little specific holday greeting is nearly always appropriate.

[amarafox.livejournal.com]

One poster was bothered that non Christians celebrate Christmas too.

http://www.christmasarchives.com/decorations.html

I told her she should probably take her decorations down as they don't have christian roots ;) But I was more polite about it than I am here :D

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

My ex used to say, "Happy generic solstice celebration," because he figured it covered everything that might be celebrated at this time of year.

If someone wished him a merry Christmas, he would respond, "And a happy harmonica to you, too," which really confused people.

[mayhemwench.livejournal.com]

See, this is the reason I was so anti-Christian for so long (and now am a good little practicing Catholodiscordian). Because of people like her and Ann Coulter.

My favorite was the dude who was all like, "Hey, if you're not Christian, you should be! I will pray for you! Here are the Ten Commandments! *lists six* ...and I forget the rest. Uh, Merry Christmas!"

[zannechaos.livejournal.com]

...

And this is why I completely just don't fuckin' bother to extend any kind of holiday spirit to anyone anymore unless I'm damned certain they'll extend me the same courtesy I've always extended everyone else -- accepting whatever holiday greeting I'm given in the spirit which it was intended to be received in.

To the fucktards who get their ass in a twitch over hearing 'Merry Christmas' and ream a new one in the poor person who more like than not isn't a total asswit about religion, thanks bunches. This used to be my favorite time of year, now I just get sick to my stomach and want to hit people instead of smiling.

To the goddamn lackwitted fuckfaced morons who throw a shitfit over someone saying something other than 'Merry Christmas', go die now. You helped contribute to killing any kind of joy over a holiday that's about peace and making people you care about smile and happy, so I disavow any knowledge of your kind as human.

This bitterness comes from being jumped on by a total stranger on Christmas Eve in a friend's journal because my default icon at the time was an elegant star with lyrics from an old religious carol, for "pushing my religion" down this stranger's throat by way of an icon. It comes from smiling cheerfully while doing my shopping and bidding "Merry Christmas" - nothing more, nothing less, and without any haughty bitchy pointedness - and getting told "Fuck you". It comes from all the people who don't celebrate the holiday and are bound and determined to make certain that _everyone_ they see smiling during December gets bitched at.

Yeah. Fuck everybody. I don't give a damn about peace or making people smile anymore. At any time of the year. Nobody else does and I give up. I'm tired of giving tolerance and getting a slap in the face in return.

Sorry for ranting in your journal -- I didn't click the link, but goddamn, I had to fight to keep from replying and returning the favor to several people commenting here. I'm all for destroying people's happiness in December now since that seems to be the "in thing".

[ser-kai.livejournal.com]

I get by with an eyeroll nowadays. Mostly, I'm just thankful that my major holiday is at the end of June so I don't have to deal with the general nightmare of shopping for gifts at xmas.

My son, James, gets a bit silly over it but he's 12 and learning. Whenever I see him being overly militant, I gently give him a way to be polite but not overly submissive. For example, saying Season's Greetings isn't really any skin off our noses, if you think about it. Unfortunately, a grade one child is getting 'Happy Summer Solstice' because I wasn't able to mediate that one. *sigh*

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

Wishing people "happy holidays" is persecuting Christians????

That's actually what someone said. They're tired of being persecuted by people who talk about "the holidays" instead of "Christmas"!

That is just ... just ... =dissolves into frustrated sputtering=