Posted on 11/22/2005 3:18:10 PM PST by churchillbuff
Merry Christmas to All.
"I'm feeling the same way; I wish we had a list of who IS supporting Christmas."
I know Tru-Value does but that is all I have noticed thus far!
Everyone is, Howlin. Take a look around in the month to come, and be cheered by nice, well meant greetings of cheer.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings, I wish for you, all of them :~D
Now, tell me. How many Hanukkahites and Kwanzaites are going to buy Holiday trees, Holiday Tree Toppers and Holiday ornaments? They could probably get away with giving each other Holiday cards.
Sorry, it doesn't have anything to do with a greeting. It has to do with they've finally gotten to the point where political correctness has driven the retailers to hide Christmas because they are afraid of offending someone. Not because they want to be inclusive (barf). But they continue to expect us to continue to layout cash just because of the time of year it is.
Screw 'em.
"Perhaps they are not trying to avoid a religious reference when saying Happy Holidays, but are acknowledging the fact more than one religion is celebrating a holy day at this time of year."
I will give you that....for some people, but not the many secular fundamentalists that I have encountered.
You might find occasional instances of silliness, but jeepers.... take it for what it is. It's not meant to offend, it's retailers and other public places being absolutely terrified of being sued or boycotted by every Tom Dick and Harry with an opinion on this. Cut them some slack. It's a damn crabby impossible to please country and they're just doing the best they can.
Now that they've gotten this far, the next step is trying to do away with Christmas all together.
"I have to admit, I don't get the big deal about an ecumenical greeting. I work in retail in a heavily multicultural area, and I routinely say "Have a happy holiday!". People generally smile, and respond, "You too!". I don't see how "Happy Holidays" discriminates solely against Christians--as all three major monotheistic religions have festivals around this time, I see it as a nice way to include everyone--not Disclude someone, as I would be by wishing "Merry Christmas", "Happy Hanukkah", or a "Have a Tip Top Tet!"."
How much money does the retailer make on Kwanzaa, Ramadan, or Hanukkah gifts COMBINED? How much money does the retailer make on Christmas presents? Personally, as a consumer, I want my holiday (Christmas) and my purchasing power acknowledged--not lumped in with all the others (somehow diminishing the power of the Christmas season). Of course, this addresses only the secular reasons; the religious reasons are obvious and go without saying.
'A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!' cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge's nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.
'Bah!' said Scrooge, 'Humbug!'
He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge's, that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again.
'Christmas a humbug, uncle!' said Scrooge's nephew. 'You don't mean that, I am sure?'
'I do,' said Scrooge. 'Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough.'
'Come, then,' returned the nephew gaily. 'What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You're rich enough.'
Scrooge having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment, said, 'Bah!' again; and followed it up with 'Humbug!'
'Don't be cross, uncle.' said the nephew.
'What else can I be,' returned the uncle, 'when I live in such a world of fools as this? Merry Christmas! Out upon merry Christmas. What's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books and having every item in them through a round dozen of months presented dead against you? If I could work my will,' said Scrooge indignantly,'every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!'
'Uncle!' pleaded the nephew.
'Nephew!' returned the uncle, sternly, 'keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine.'
'Keep it!' repeated Scrooge's nephew. 'But you don't keep it.'
'Let me leave it alone, then,' said Scrooge. 'Much good may it do you! Much good it has ever done you!'
'There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,' returned the nephew. 'Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round -apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that-as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!'
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year.
Good tidings we bring
to you and your kin;
Good tidings for Christmas
and a Happy New Year.
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding
and a cup of good cheer
We won't go until we get some;
We won't go until we get some;
We won't go until we get some,
so bring some out here
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year.
*<[;o)
Oh yes, I'm sure the retailers will attempt "to do away with Christmas."
Have yourself a merry little Sunday...
There's waaay too much money to be made catering to ALL denominations whether they are Christian's who celebrate Christmas or not and what it comes down to on a business level is Christmas is being exploited for profit and not being celebrated for what it's true meaning is.
When "Merry Christmas" is negated from the season, it is being said that Christmas is irrelevant and the season made popular because of Christmas is lost and it will become a season of commerce generated by the lost memory of the birth of Christ.
It's a popular and financially lucrative time of the year because of the birth of Christ, not because it is an expected and required financial spike to the economy.
I say this pragmatically, not in a religious way.
"Wal-mart is one of many stores asking its employees to replace Christmas with "Happy Holidays". The company says its trying not to offend anyone, by catering to one kind of celebration"
I heard a local news story on this last week where the store manager said "they didn't want to offend Jewish or Islamic customers by mentioning Christmas" (in the south, mind you). My BS meter went off immediately. They don't want to offend the ATHEISTS. They are the only group that complains about everything Christian. The largest segment of of the Atheist contrares,appears to be (guess who), the gay movement.I make it a point to say Merry Christmas to anyone who gives one of these phony sounding holiday greetings. The workers in the stores seem to appreciate it, as they seem to always smile in agreement.
I think those of us who feel strongly about this should politely let the managers of those stores who would rather eliminate Christmas from public utterance that we will be chosing to purchase our Christmas gifts from those stores that do not find us offensive.
Gee, ya mean there's a controversy about the use of Holidays versus Christmas? Guess we need another thread on that, then.
"2005: "It's appalling how these stores refuse to commercialize the birth of Jesus."
"Its a federal holiday so eventually they will blame Bush"
And it's the only religion based federal holiday to boot. They won't blame Bush, that's too much of a stretch even for atheists. They'll want to keep the holiday but rename it winter break as they have in the schools. I wonder when they will petition to outlaw the term "holiday" because of it's religious conotations? Are you out there lurking Mr Nudow?
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