If Christmas has no religious significance

[hisno1girl]

to you, are you really and truly offended if someone says Merry Christmas to you?

I keep seeing all of these annoying memes that proclaim I SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS, not happy holidays.

Those are annoying AF to me. Right along with "Jesus is the reason for the season". What about non Christians? No Christmas for them?

I'm a friend of Jesus but I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate the sanctimonious tone some of his followers use.

I'm a little buzzed do this may not even make sense.

[JLV]

I'm not religious at all and Christmas is not a religious holiday for me. I don't care if someone says Merry Christmas because that's the holiday I grew up celebrating (it was Santa-based growing up but I also went to catholic school). I also don't mind saying Happy Holidays to people because I don't know what they may or may not celebrate.

I cannot stand people who get pissy about saying Happy Holidays. I think it's better to be all inclusive than to assume.

[vicky]

No, never.

[miso]

I don't care what people say.

But maybe I would if I weren't an atheist (i.e., believed in a religion other than Christianity).

I don't understand the insistence on Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays is all-inclusive. Might as well embrace the spirit of the season and wish everyone the best.

[isabel]

I'm Christian in name only. I don't go to church, pray, etc., but I do believe in God. DH is agnostic. Neither of us are offended by people saying Merry Christmas. I am equally unoffended by people saying Happy Holidays, Happy Kwanzaa, or whatever else they celebrate or want to wish upon me. It's the sentiment behind the words that matters, not the words themselves.

Maybe I'm hypocritical though. My company sent out Christmas cards that say Merry Christmas. My boss and our CEO both wanted Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays, and I think it's fucking ridiculous that they refuse to be inclusive of everyone.

eta: I try to say "Happy Holidays" to people in stores and what not, just in an effort to be inclusive.

[pantsparty]

People need something to be offended about. Get some real problems.

[stephm0188]

I'm religious and don't really care what people say. I appreciate the sentiment behind it.

[circa1978]

I'm an atheist and say Merry Christmas, except for when I feel fancy, when I say Joyeux Noël.

[mcmel]

My H and I are both atheists and celebrate Christmas. We say Merry Christmas and happy holidays. When people say Merry Christmas just to be an asshole it makes me weep for humanity.

[toepick]

I am not religious at all. And my dad is Jewish. I'm not at all offended by Merry Christmas. But I am offended that people are offended by Happy Holidays!

[Captain Catnip]

I'm not offended by any, but I say happy holidays because it's not JUST Christmas, there is also Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

[jezebel]

I don't care at all.

[hisno1girl]

Dec 11, 2016 15:17:40 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

Dec 11, 2016 15:05:01 GMT -5 hisno1girl said:

I'm confused. Are you saying people should or should not say "Merry Christmas" broadly?

People can say whatever they want.
I don't care if someone says happy holidays, its the sentiment behind the greeting.

[Que?]

Dec 11, 2016 15:28:49 GMT -5 jezebel said:

I don't care at all.

I don't either. I'm also confused. Who are all of these people running around with seasonal greetings all willy nilly? Other than cards and written statements, where simply knowing and respecting your audience should be enough, how is this even an issue?

[pandorica]

Dec 11, 2016 15:08:35 GMT -5 JLV said:

I'm not religious at all and Christmas is not a religious holiday for me. I don't care if someone says Merry Christmas because that's the holiday I grew up celebrating (it was Santa-based growing up but I also went to catholic school). I also don't mind saying Happy Holidays to people because I don't know what they may or may not celebrate.

I cannot stand people who get pissy about saying Happy Holidays. I think it's better to be all inclusive than to assume.

Pretty much this.
I hate people who are offended by Happy Holidays.

[cmeon]

I'm an atheist. I wish others Merry Christmas when I know someone celebrates it, I say Happy Holidays (or some other "non-offensive" phrase) if they don't. I let people bless me, tell me Jesus loves me, ask me to pray, and all the other things that fall out of assuming mouths- and none of it offends me. I am offended when someone takes it upon themselves to be offended by casual niceties, and I absolutely abhor the "Christmas is only for CHRISTIANS!!" sludge that shows up occasionally.

[milosh]

I'm not religious but I believe in the spirit of Christmas. It's a time for celebrating with the loved ones in my life and the spirit of giving.

[turnipthebeet]

I'm an atheist surrounded by like 99% of people who believe the same religion. I say Merry Christmas most of the time.

DH'a family is catholic and mine is predominantly Lutheran, and we put Happy Holidays on our cards, partially to be obnoxious. But in reality I do not care at all what people say to us.

We don't really know anyone personally who celebrates Hanukkah or Kwanzaa.

[underwaterrhymes]

We say and are teaching the boys to say Happy Holidays to strangers and the appropriate holiday to people we know.

I am not offended if someone tells me Merry Christmas.

I am offended by people who are offended by Happy Holidays, however. If someone wishes you (the general you) a joyous season, and you're mad they don't mention Jesus or Christianity, then you don't fully understand the message Jesus spread.

[RoxMonster]

I am not religious at all and "Merry Christmas" doesn't bother me or offend me at all. Our Christmas cards we send out say "Merry Christmas" because all of our friends/family celebrate Christmas (or if they are also not religious, they still say "Christmas").

At school, to be inclusive, I always wish my students a "good holiday season." But many of them will say "Merry Christmas" to me and I'll say it back in that situation.

[Deleted]

I'm (not a practicing) Catholic for the record and yes, I celebrate Christmas.  To be completely honest, it's really the "commercialized Christmas" that I celebrate and I think there are lots of people out there that are similar.  I believe it's a season of giving and being kind to others.

That being said, as long as someone wishes me well...I don't give a shit what they say...happy holidays, merry christmas, happy festivus..whatever!  If I know someone celebrates Christmas I say Merry Christmas, if I know it's Chanukah I say Happy Chanukah--sometimes it's both!!

If I'm unsure...Have a good holiday!!  I'm sure in my younger years I have unintentionally wished someone a Merry Christmas that did not celebrate it.  And honestly...it came from a good place from a perhaps naive kid that attended Catholic school.  It happens.

[cabbagecabbage]

I'm a self-described agnostic and I agree that the only greeting I don't care for is a sanctimonious one.

[yourmother]

I say Happy Holidays to the general public to be all inclusive and Merry Christmas to those that I know for a fact who celebrate Christmas.

I do roll my eyes at people on FB who post stupid memes and shit about not abbreviating Christmas to Xmas and complain about not being able to say Merry Christmas freely. Actually, I will hide or unfriend those people.

[iamgrace]

I hate this times one million.



Edit - and by "this" I mean the people I know who get all weird about "bringing Christ back to Christmas" (newsflash- he didn't leave) or doing away with Xmas (another newsflash- it's actually not "x-ing" out Christ dummies).

People need things to bitch and moan and feel sanctimonious about. This is one of those things.

[lilybug]

I get what you're saying. Like why the big "I only say MERRY CHRISTMAS!!1!" if no one is actually telling them they can't.

To me, when people make grand declarations like that, they're basically saying that they only care about people similar to themselves, and/or want to make "other" people feel uncomfortable.

That said, I don't think there are many people who are offended. More just eye-rolly. When given the choice, why not be inclusive?

[iamgrace]

Dec 11, 2016 16:01:08 GMT -5 lilybug said:

I get what you're saying. Like why the big "I only say MERRY CHRISTMAS!!1!" if no one is actually telling them they can't.

To me, when people make grand declarations like that, they're basically saying that they only care about people similar to themselves, and/or want to make "other" people feel uncomfortable.

That said, I don't think there are many people who are offended. More just eye-rolly. When given the choice, why not be inclusive?

and yes. Apparently you can't be American or Canadian and have a holiday that's OMG NOT CHRISTMAS.

[gibbinator]

I'm basically atheist. The reason I celebrate Christmas is mainly just tradition. It's just a fun holiday! Plus all the national paid holidays are Christian so it's sort of the social thing to do too.

But no, not offended. I also wouldn't be offended if someone said happy Hanukkah to me. You want to wish me a nice day according to your religious holiday, I will say thank you.

In my opinion, "Happy holidays" is a way for organizations and government to simply show they are inclusive of the various intersecting December holidays, not to eliminate Christmas. If individuals want to say "merry Christmas" power to them. Religious freedom and all that jazz.

[Deleted]

Dec 11, 2016 15:41:02 GMT -5 mofongo said:

I just run around telling people to go fuck themselves, covers everything.

Tis the reason for the season!

[redheadk]

Dec 11, 2016 15:05:01 GMT -5 hisno1girl said:

I'm a friend of Jesus but I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate the sanctimonious tone some of his followers use.

I think this about a lot of stuff Protestant Christians pull. SaveSave

[alexis]

Dec 11, 2016 16:01:08 GMT -5 lilybug said:

I get what you're saying. Like why the big "I only say MERRY CHRISTMAS!!1!" if no one is actually telling them they can't.

Yeah, people are so weird about insisting on saying merry Christmas. There's no law forbidding it. There's not even any real societal pressure not to say it. Businesses sometimes require employees to use happy holidays. Heaven forbid a business would have guidelines about employee customer interaction and try to be inclusive.

It particularly irks me when people get upset about winter parties at schools instead of Christmas parties. Religious holidays shouldn't be celebrated in public schools. You know all these people would freak out if a school celebrated a Muslim holiday.

I remember as a kid when the Jehovah's Witness kids would have to leave and do something else while we had our Christmas party and even then I thought that sucked. If having a winter party instead of a Christmas party allows more kids to participate and feel welcome, that's a pretty Christian thing to do.