Poll: Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas?

What no festivus?

I knew I liked you.

tomorrow we are getting our Xmas tree-but hopefully there is room for some festivus ornaments-whatever that would be

Pez dispensers. As the Festivus Carol says:

oO Deck the pole with Pez dispensers... Oo

Well I thought of this out of all the brouhaha on the "attack on Christmas" lately in the news. While I think some people/stores/busineses/government organizations/etc go a little too far with their political correctness, I also don't think there's this concerted effort to ban Christmas.

Then again, I don't really understand how people think that wishing people a Merry Christmas is somehow infringing upon their rights.

I have a few Wiccan friends that always wish me a Happy Soltice. I'm Christian, but I don't get offended, I think it's nice they are wishing me happiness. :) That and it's about the only way I can remember when the Soltices happen. :)

i don't think there are many people that are offended by being wished a Merry Christmas.

And when you say, "politically correct," what do you mean?

I think saying "happy holidays" isn't being "pc" but just acknowledging that there's a whole BOATLOAD of holidays this time of year, and lots of people who celebrate different things. it's a way of reaching out to all of them (and getting everyone to buy stuff for their respective holiday)

also . . ? even if you're strictly talking to christians, "happy holidays" usually includes christmas and new years.

Politically correct in the sense that some people seem to think simply saying Merry Christmas is somehow infringing upon someone's rights. Most notably in public schools; or banning Nativity scenes or Christmas trees from public grounds. Or, as happened here in Texas, expelling a kid for handing out candy canes with the history/story of the candy cane attached (the story is religious in nature).

Not saying these instances are the norm, but the media sure does like to play them up. And like the reported story that some Target stores forbid their employees from saying "Merry Christmas". That's just stupid in my mind.

Nativity scenes should be banned from public grounds. They are nothing but religious. The Christmas tree has become secular enough (and wasn't even religious to begin with) that it's fine. But when the government gives the impression of endorsing or establishing religion, that's where it crosses the line.

The kid handing out candy canes is a little more difficult. I think it depends on the wording of the story and whether or not it could have been considered proselytising. Either way, I think expulsion is rather severe. What's wrong with just telling the kid to stop?

I agree with you about the nativity scenes. government grounds should not endorse a specific religion.

but the kid at school is neither a government insitution nor an official. he is not establishing any official religion by handing out candy canes with the jesus story. he's a common citizen, a little kid, who wants to give out candy canes and tell people the religious story behind them. That isn't violating the separation of church and state because the boy is not the state.

I think there's a difference between public/government instutions endorsing one religion, and individuals within those insitutions expressing their religion.

Look at it from another perspective. If a child was handing some gift out with a story from another religion...like an item with a wiccan story attached, or an item with a hindu story attached, etc....would that be a problem? This isn't an argument but an actual question. I am curious if it's OK because it's just OK, or OK because it's just a Jesus/Christmas story.

I personally don't know how I feel. I feel like it should be all or nothing...I dunno. Either it's OK for any person's religion to be handed out around school...or none. I do know Christian folks who would support a child doing this, but would freak out if something was given to their child about, say, witchcraft, you know? Definitely don't think that's everybody's view...it's just the extremes that leave me so confused.

whatever happened to saying, "free candy?� hey, thanks!" and just eating the damn candy cane?� My sorry agnostic arse has seen plenty of those stories on cards attached to candy canes.� I remove the card, look it over, toss it in an appropriate recepticle & then eat the candy if I'm so inclined at the moment.

I mean, seriously, our [the US]�government spies on us without probable cause... and admits it.� We're involved in a war that by most accounts is a complete farce.� We're completely incapable of providing our�fellow Americans�with their basic needs in the face of a natural disaster let alone a man-made one.�

Instead of worrying about those things, we're (as a country)�all pissy because a group of people want to recreate, in a freezing cold public park,�a scene that may or may not have happened over 2000 years ago? �or�a retail rep who makes $6/hr repeats a phrase (unconvincingly, at that) that their management decided would sound courteous & is actually a marketing tool?��

Personally, I think�if your biggest worry this winter is�making sure your winter holiday of choice is represented appropriately, then I want to�switch lives with you for a bit.� You're on much better medication than I am. :-)

Well d'uh.

Actually I tailor my greeting to the listener. While Whee Festivus is my default greeting I say, Merry Christmas, Chappy Chanukkah, and Happy Holidays to people. The idea is to provide maximum pleasure and minimum discomfort to the listener. It actually comes down to

Whee Festivus to friends that I think will understand.
Chappy Chanukkah to people I know are Jewish
Merry Christmas to known Christians
Happy Holidays to everyone else

I don't celebrate Christmas, so it's never been automatic for me to wish people a Merry Christmas, even if I know they celebrate it.

My mom just sent us a Rosh Hashanah card with a Christmas check in it. I got it today. It's kind of sad...she means so well, and yet missed the boat in so many ways. In any case, I already deposited the check.

Maybe it was listening to the Beatles but I like to mix the two for Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas is a Britishism. I use it when I'm addressing Brits or if I when I'm feeling particularly affected.

I just do "have a good evening" at work. If someone says "Merry Christmas" to me, I'll say it back to them. It avoids any automatic arguments over it (although I think some of the "Merry Christmas" folks do seem to be testing me) but in the end, I don't particularly care.

If I'm actually talking to friends and family, I say it related to the day I'm saying it on. If I'm at a Christmas party, I'll say "Merry Christmas", if I'm not (and it's not actually Christmas) I don't see a reason to. It's the same way I don't see a reason to wish someone a "Happy Halloween" on October 15th.

The district where I teach does not have winter break or spring break or a staff holiday party. It has Christmas break, Easter break, and a Christmas party. And a Christmas tree in the main office, and Christmas cards wishing us "blessings throughout the year" in envelopes with "Gloria to God in the Highest" written on them stuck in all the staff members' mailboxes.

So, Merry Christmas it is for me this year.

Despite Texas v. White, I think we should rethink the whole secession thing.

Hey! We'd love to seceed. We've got our own power grid, oil fields, production facilities, and deep water port. And we have four of the largest military bases. :-)

You (the south) also lead the country in states with highest infant mortality and with people living below poverty level. We'll miss you. ;)

Hey, don't forget we're also like 47th in the list of education. Even as a libertarian who doesn't support public education, I think it's just downright stupid when the government can't figure out how to adequately fund something they've set out to do.

I mean, public education is pretty low on my radar, and if we're going to accept it as a function of the government, it should be kinda straightforward how to fund the damn thing.

And regarding the mortality and poverty levels, got a source for that? Not disagreeing, just would be interested in seeing the actual statistics.

I got them here

Wow...Texas is 22nd in Traffic Fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles? Man, the way people drive around here, and the traffic reports every day during rush hour made me think we'd be at least in the top ten.

I'd guess that has more to do with the sheer amount of highway miles to get from point A to point B in Texas. Even if the cities are more dangerous to drive in, there's probably a higher proportion of safe highway miles than there would be in a more compact and urban state.

Although Montana is #1, and they tend to have a lot of highways rather than urban centers, but they also had an 85 mph speed limit until recently...

Actually here in New England, we might like to secede. We pay far more in taxes to the Federal Government then we get back in federal funding. And I don't think republican controlled Washington cares too much about blue states.�

The states entered freely into this union and frankly we should be able to leave it when it no longer represents us..

yeah, but we can only dream.
*sighs*

If only the rest of the country was like new england.

Bah! That would suck. One of the things I like about the country is that you do have different cultures in different areas of the country. All of them bring plusses and minuses to the table. :)

Pff, whatever. We Carolinians are so much better at secession. We're the trendsetters of secession. Well, OK, so that's really just South Carolina, but still. Dang copycat Texans.

Yes, but us Texans do it bigger! :)

I am the zilpha that stole christmas.

I enjoy "Merry Christ"

If christ got any merrier... we'd think he was on crack.