Podcast discussion: Happy Holidays

[roomthreeseventeen]

Hope this doesn’t get me into trouble, but the discussion on the podcast bothered me only because Pete said that 99.9% of people celebrate Christmas. According to this, 20% (and growing) of Americans are unaffiliated with any religion. Takeaway the people who celebrate Chanukah, Kwanzaa, solstice or something completely different, the percentage of people celebrating Christmas is much smaller than the big box stores would have you believe. Happy Holidays is the best expression here.

 

[BayouMickey]

I disagree, I am an athiest, and to me Christmas has gone far beyond the Christian belief. It's about love and sharing, who cares where it originated because actually Christians stole the traditions from pagans. Our problem these days is that we are overly politically correct. Just let it go and have a merry Christmas.

 

[mytripsandraces]

But the phrase isn't about the person saying it, is it? It's about the person they're speaking to. I haven't heard the podcast yet, but I've heard people say that because they celebrate Christmas, they're going to say Merry Christmas. If I'm wishing someone a happy birthday, I say it to them on their birthday, not mine. If I'm speaking to a Jewish person and I say Happy Chanukah or Happy Holidays, it's because that's what I wish for them, not me. I would say Happy Holidays if I didn't know which holiday they celebrate, but I would most certainly say Happy Chanukah if that's what I knew they were celebrating. I believe most of my friends know that I celebrate Christmas and say Merry Christmas, but I wouldn't be offended if they said Happy Holidays. I'd be happy that they were sending me good will.

 

[Allison]

Being unaffiliated with a religion doesn't mean you don't celebrate Christmas.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Being unaffiliated with a religion doesn't mean you don't celebrate Christmas.

Sure, but it doesn't mean 99.9% of Americans celebrate Christmas!

 

[AndyPok1]

Sure, but it doesn't mean 99.9% of Americans celebrate Christmas!

That would be hyperbole in action.

But as others have said, many many people celebrate Christmas. Whether it is celebrated as a time to celebrate family, charity, gift-giving, or the birth of Jesus is irrelevant.

Is it closer to 75 or 80 or 85% than 99.9, probably. But that is still a supermajority. And either way, I believe the point was more of a, "I'm saying this because it what I believe. If I'm going out of my way to wish you a seasonal greeting, I'm going to wish you the one I follow. I'd expect you to do the same to me. We shouldn't have to be mindreaders."

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Pete rants about this every year. I think people take offensive too easily today.

The Christmas season is surrounded by other holidays. While I take no offense in Merry Christmas I find Happy Holidays to be the more respectful greeting. 99% of Americans are NOT Christian. A greeting is meant for the receiver, not the greeter. I wish someone a Happy Birthday. I don't wish myself a Happy Birthday.



I get a kick out this war on Christmas. Commercialism and materialism have destroyed the Christian message. Not people wishing others a Happy Holidays!

 

[tjevans]

99% of Americans are NOT Christian.

I'm not sure if that came out right. Did you mean to infer only 1 percent of Americans are Christians or that not 99% of Americans are Christians?

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[roomthreeseventeen]

I'm not sure if that came out right. Did you mean to infer only 1 percent of Americans are Christians or that not 99% of Americans are Christians?

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The latter. It's about 73% overall and closer to 50% of young adults.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Yes, terrible sentence, but you get the picture. This nation was founded on religious freedom. The majority of Americans are Christian, but that is changing. We need to respect different views.

 

[tjevans]

Yes, terrible sentence, but you get the picture. This nation was founded on religious freedom. The majority of Americans are Christian, but that is changing. We need to respect different views.

Yes, but Christmas is both a religious holiday and a secular holiday. The federal government has Christmas as a holiday.

If I say merry Christmas,it isn't because I'm trying to force my views on others or exclude others from my well wishes. it's because this is Christmas season to me.

I'm not offended if you say happy holidays to me, nor would I be offended if you were to wish me a happy Hannakah or happy Kwanza. Its the thought that counts.

I just think if you get offended by a person's choice of holiday greeting, you're going around looking for things at which to be offended.

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[WaltD4Me]

Last year I said "Have a Merry Christmas" to clerk at Macy's who was wearing a red dress and green jingle bell earrings and she gave me a dirtiest look, shoved my bag at me and very curtly said "Happy Holidays." like she was correcting me. Really? People hardly even bother to say "thank you" anymore and you are giving me grief when you look like an elf and I wish you a merry christmas? If someone is wishing you a happy or merry anything, just accept it and move on. Sheesh.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I brought this up with my husband last night and he completely disagreed with me, and then went over to the piano and played medley of Christmas music but replaced the word Christmas with holiday. It was pretty funny.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Totally agree that the Christmas season means different things to people, but the people who are angry over this debate tend to be the ones who are religious. I just don't understand how anyone would be angered by Happy Holidays. It's all good to me.

 

[disneydreamgirl]

I brought this up with my husband last night and he completely disagreed with me, and then went over to the piano and played medley of Christmas music but replaced the word Christmas with holiday. It was pretty funny.

I like your husband's style!

 

[collins316]

If we go to what is traditional- no one used to say anything till the day of,,, maybe Christmas Eve. Nothing started a month and a half early. If people weren’t bombarded with the greeting for that long, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.
To those that are offended by the Merry Christmas greeting- No one means any offence by it, they are trying to be polite. (but I have had someone get mad that I said God Bless you when they sneezed)
I do agree that it is more than just the strictly religious salutation. It is a work holiday for most non-essential employees. I've never had anyone want to come in to work that day because they weren’t Christian.

 

[JVL1018]

I did a quick google search, and saw that the last numbers I found (Gallup poll from 2008 or 2010) were about 93% of Americans celebrate Christmas, so it is the vast majority.

People who celebrate Kwanzaa can celebrate Christmas, too..

That said, I wouldn't say Merry Christmas to my friends who I know are Jewish..but I don't think any of them would get offended if someone who did not know them said it in passing.

You can say Happy Hanukkah to me, it doesn't hurt me.

 

[kgibbler20]

I work for a company run by a Jewish man who encourages us to say Merry Christmas. He wears a bell when he visits stores to mark the time of year. If it is obvious someone is Jewish I'm not gonna walk up and say Merry Christmas, I would say Happy Hanukkah, but I celebrate Christmas and that's what I'll say. In 15+ years in retail the most complaints I have heard are over the generic Happy Holidays and I get a cheery response when I say Merry Christmas.

 

[topolino]

I don't want to speak for Pete, and I haven't heard the rant, but usually when someone uses the expression, "99.9%", they are engaging in hyperbole, that is, exaggerating to make a point. My guess is that Pete knows that the figure is significantly less than 99.9%

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I don't want to speak for Pete, and I haven't heard the rant, but usually when someone uses the expression, "99.9%", they are engaging in hyperbole, that is, exaggerating to make a point. My guess is that Pete knows that the figure is significantly less than 99.9%

Yeah, I realized. =)