Is it really THAT big a deal?

[Stella_Omega]

In those few chains of department stores that were mentioned to start this thread.

Is this the message anyone else gets? Please come to our store, get your trees, lights, ornaments, cards, wrapping paper candles and other miscellaneous supplies. Please, while you are here shop around, we have gifts for the whole family. this is, after all, our biggest month of the year profits wise and we hope you can find everything on you rlist. Just don't expect us to wish you a merry christmas.

No sweetie, I don't get that message, honestly. They will wish you "Happy Holidays" and they will wsih me "Happy Holidays" too- or they would, if I had any money whatsoever to go shopping with and so have a reason to be there at all
*hums; "I can't give you anything but love baby..."*

 

[LadyCibelle]

In those few chains of department stores that were mentioned to start this thread.

Is this the message anyone else gets? Please come to our store, get your trees, lights, ornaments, cards, wrapping paper candles and other miscellaneous supplies. Please, while you are here shop around, we have gifts for the whole family. this is, after all, our biggest month of the year profits wise and we hope you can find everything on you rlist. Just don't expect us to wish you a merry christmas.

That's exactly the message I get also. "You're good enough to us to spend your money here but don't expect us to respect you enough to with you Merry Christmas." Seems to me it's onesided here.

 

[entitled]

That's exactly the message I get also. "You're good enough to us to spend your money here but don't expect us to respect you enough to with you Merry Christmas." Seems to me it's onesided here.

(just using yours because it's stated clearly)

However, in the same light, it's ok for other stores to sell holiday things and take your money, but absolutely exclude the hundreds of other religions by saying Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays. That's also lacking respect.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

(just using yours because it's stated clearly)

However, in the same light, it's ok for other stores to sell holiday things and take your money, but absolutely exclude the hundreds of other religions by saying Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays. That's also lacking respect.

I would be willing to bet, if said stores were faced with those who shop for Christmas simply going elsewhere to do their holiday shopping, that all of those adherents of those hundereds of other religions wouldn't come close to making up the sales figures.

For a retailer to conciously remove christmas greetings seems hypocritical in the extreme to me. They, more than most other industry DEPEND on the sales figures from people buying christmas presents to make or break their year.

I am sure some Jews buy extravagant presents for Hannuka. I have no doubt some african americans buy just as heavily for Kwanza as others do for Christmas. I don't doubt that others, be they buddist, Muslim, or whatever other religion, purchase presents for their kids as well, simply because parents love thier kids and most don't want them feeling excluded. But I would be willing to bet they don't, taken in toto, produce sales figures that come close to those of people purchasing Christmas presents.

If you are going to depend on the Christmas sales boost to pad your books it seems reasonable that you would not be anti-christmas. If you choose to be anti-christmas, I don't think you have any grounds for bitching if people boycott you on that holiday.

maybe I'm just wrong, but it seems logical to me *shrug*

 

[cloudy]

I think it's just another example of PC gone mad.

I'm not christian, and don't celebrate the religious aspect of the holiday at all, yet I'm not in the least bit offended to hear "Merry Christmas!" anywhere I go, and I'd bet that most non-christians aren't offended, either.

I would object to a purely religious take on it taught in public school, but Santa and his reindeer will always have a home with us.

as an aside: I dropped money in the bellringer's bucket today, and wasn't offended in the least to hear "God bless you" in return.

c'mon, folks.

 

[entitled]

Colly - If people from those other religions were made to feel welcome, they very well could make up those sales numbers. The fact is, they're not.

Nowhere did i say that these stores were anti-Christmas. In fact, i thought i made it pretty clear that instead of getting rid of their Christmas stuff, they simply added things for alternate winter holidays.

Sorry if it offends, but it seems hypocritical to me to say that it's wrong to deny people Christmas due to changing a greeting - then turn around and say it's ok to deny all the non-christians their holiday because one person would rather see Christmas stuff than anything else.

cloudy - i'm with you.

What set this whole thread off was the fact that one person evidently went through the phone book, calling everybody, telling them that they should boycott these couple of stores because they were trying to get rid of Christmas.

If somebody gives you a hearty Merry Christmas and means it - they're not just saying it because it's the 'thing to do' or whatever - it's a good thing. Even better is if they know what religion a person follows and gives them a greeting geared toward their particular holiday. Then i personally give them a 'merry Christmas' right back, even though i'm not christian. It's just wishing them a good holiday in the way they see fit to celebrate.

 

[oggbashan]

Revolting Councillors

Last year our Christmas lights were renewed.

Our old lights said 'Merry Christmas' in a banner across the High Street.

The new lights say 'Season's Greetings'.

The local councillors objected long and loud. They wanted to wish people a 'Happy Christmas', not a PC 'Season's Greetings'.

So now we have both signs in our lights. You are met by 'Season's Greetings' AND 'Happy Christmas'.

When the 'Season's Greetings' lights need to be replaced, the new ones will say 'Happy Christmas'.

When the lights were turned on, apart from the minor celebrity and the town's Carnival Queen, a church's choir sang real Christian carols.

I think Christmas is safe with us.

Og

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Last year our Christmas lights were renewed.

Our old lights said 'Merry Christmas' in a banner across the High Street.

The new lights say 'Season's Greetings'.

The local councillors objected long and loud. They wanted to wish people a 'Happy Christmas', not a PC 'Season's Greetings'.

So now we have both signs in our lights. You are met by 'Season's Greetings' AND 'Happy Christmas'.

When the 'Season's Greetings' lights need to be replaced, the new ones will say 'Happy Christmas'.

When the lights were turned on, apart from the minor celebrity and the town's Carnival Queen, a church's choir sang real Christian carols.

I think Christmas is safe with us.

Og

Good to know it's safe with you guys ogs

The way things are going over here, it will either be safe as can be or outlawed.

 

[R. Richard]

I think Christmas is safe with us.

Og

I play kung-fu. As a result I know a lot of people from China and the East. In many cases the people are not Christians. However, their small children ALL know about Santa Claus and PRESENTS! Christmas may be a religious holiday to some, but small children, regardless of faith or no faith, seem to celebrate it in the same way.

JMHO.

 

[sweetnpetite]

But why should anyone be offended by a Happy Christmas greeting in the first place? Not celebrating the season is one thing; it doesn't follow that someone means you ill will by mentioning it, so why object?

That's the thing. I don't think that too many people are offended. I think that the media and other groups are making a big deal about people saying "happy holiday" and claiming it's because someone is offended by Merry Christmas. I'd hate to be Walmart or Target or Sears or anybody these days, having to go through and make sure that they say "Merry Christmas" enough times to convince these 'watchdog groups' that they aren't afraid of using the C-word (christmas) In fact, if the media wasn't telling us all of this about "Christmas being banned" I doubt very highly that anyone would even notice a change.

I don't think "Happy Holidays" is bland. I think it is another greeting. Many poeple like to use both because it adds variety. "Merry Christmas" "Happy Holidays" it's like "oohh" and "aahh." These days, if you say happy holidays you get accused of being a christmas hater.

Lets see how the Christian Fundamentalists feel when the pagans stop saying a polite "Happy Holidays" (a nice simple greeting that doesn't put my minority relgious beliefs in your face) and just come out and say, "Happy Yule" and "Merry Solstice" and "Joyous Saternalia." My guess is that they won't be as keen on that.