Is Christmas a bad word?
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Original Post
I've been amazed at the number of 'holiday ornaments', "holiday cards" and even "holiday oreos", all done up in traditional CHRISTMAS colors and well, promoted FOR the Christmas season.
Do some of ya'll feel you are being offensive if Christmas is used in a title for an item being promoted FOR the Christmas season?
Yes, I KNOW there are more 'holidays' from the fall to early winter...but for items designed specifically FOR Christmas, it just seems odd and too politically correct. I DO like saying Happy Holidays (mainly b/c we used to leave an answering machiine message where the kids all sang Happy Holidays from the Holaways lol)-- but, I have never once left my house saying to the family "I'll be back in a bit, I'm off to buy holiday cards"...... or "Can I call you back? We're decorating our holiday tree and I'm afraid the cat is going to knock off all the holiday ornaments if I don't lock him up for a bit"
can't figure why the two words can't be used anymore, IN their proper, I guess more traditional ways.... like with Happy Holidays (some Christians refuse to say that anymore which also baffles me too-- as sometimes, well, I might say Merry Christmas to someone, Happy Holidays to another)... I DO buy food for 'the holidays" and I often say I gotta get ready to do some holiday decorating... usually THAT is more specific as to WHICH holiday. But to act like we can't say Christmas over a holiday that HAS been celebrated for a few hundred years is rather ridiculous to me. Whose feelings are we sparing? Do we HONESTLY think Jewish people are offended by an accidental Merry Christmas to them (if we don't know they are Jewish)....and come on. Do we HONESTLY think that people who do not believe in Christmas at all, but HAVE businesses that benefits from 'the season' would want to do away with the word Christmas?? I think not!
Well........ I've fully vented myself now. LOL
And for the forum police, I did do a search for the topic, but didn't see anything that was terribly recent. I also couldn't figure out exactly HOW someone might title it either hahaah
Sooooooooooooo from me and mine..... Please have yourself very Merry Christmas AND a happy holiday too!
:o)
Posted at 4:58pm Nov 26, 2008 EST
Responses
I understand your feeling...
It's one thing to try to be polite and use an all encompassing "happy holidays" but when something is SPECIFICALLY for christmas, well, then it seems like overkill.
Posted at 5:00pm Nov 26, 2008 EST
i don't think jewish people care. i am one : )
i think merry christmas is just a nice thing to say.
it's not really religious for most people anyways.
Posted at 5:00pm Nov 26, 2008 EST
How do you know they're designed FOR Christmas? Maybe they're designed by someone who celebrates Yule, which has a lot of the same colors and symbolism?
I think it's smart marketing to encompass everyone with your products.
Posted at 5:01pm Nov 26, 2008 EST
Christmas is Christmas and should be called Christmas.
Posted at 5:01pm Nov 26, 2008 EST
I buy and send holiday cards.
I think 'holidays' is more inclusive. Having been excluded as a non-Christian minority for the better part of my childhood, I try hard to be inclusive, even if it seems like I'm being overly PC in my wording.
That being said, I don't get offended if someone wishes *me* a Merry Christmas.
I do think a company, store or other public entity would do well to realize that not all their customers will celebrate the same holidays, and be sensitive to that.
Posted at 5:01pm Nov 26, 2008 EST
ps- i wish the word offensive could be abolished though. i'm really tired of it!
Posted at 5:01pm Nov 26, 2008 EST
Seeing as Christmas is the only "Holiday" that we celebrate here in glorious summer, it is the only word I use.
Happy Holidays seems odd to me. And I would never think to search for "Holiday" cards, only "Christmas" cards!
Posted at 5:02pm Nov 26, 2008 EST
Hmm... I don't know, I say both, and in my Peppermint Swirls tutu listing I believe I said Christmas.
I don't know about the people being offended by it thing, my old boss was Jewish and it didn't offend him one bit when I said Merry Christmas, nor did I get offended when he said Happy Hanukka.
Posted at 5:03pm Nov 26, 2008 EST
beatgirl77 says:
i don't think jewish people care. i am one : )
i think merry christmas is just a nice thing to say.
it's not really religious for most people anyways.
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So true, that same boss who was Jewish celebrated Christmas with his family, but not in a religious way at all, just so his kids could experience the whole Santa thing.
Posted at 5:05pm Nov 26, 2008 EST