The "War on Christmas"
The War on Christmas. Ever heard of it? It's not something that you would see on the news in the morning. Basically what the War on Christmas, according to the groups of people throwing the term around, is the "politically correct purging of Christmas from popular culture". What does that mean. That means that when one goes to a store upon going through the check out isle, one is greeted with "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas".
Now that we have the definition of the War on Christmas, let's take a closer look. As most people who live in the United States of America know, the USA has no official religion. As a matter of fact the USA was founded on religious freedom. Christmas, regardless of all the commercialization, is a religious holiday. Yup, you can check the encyclopedia if you don't believe me. Contrary to popular belief, Christmas is not a day for honoring Santa Clause! There are several other religious holidays that fall around the Christmas season (even more that sometimes fall around the Christmas season).
That being said, if one walked into a store and bought a bunch of Christmas gifts for their friends and family, and walked up to the checkout stand, and before leaving the store the clerk said "Happy Hanukkah" or "Happy Kwanza" or "Happy Ramadan" or "Happy Dilwali" how bothered would that person be? I don't know. Some people take it better than others. The point being that buy using the phrase "Happy Holidays" the stores don't run the risk of offending someone with the wrong Holiday (As it may be hard to tell what someone celebrates just by looking at them).
Do I think one should never say "Merry Christmas"? Absolutely not. There are times when it is perfectly fine to do so. If you happen to know that someone celebrates Christmas, then say it. If you know that some one is Jewish and celebrates Hanukkah, then you would say to that person "Happy Hanukkah". If you don't know what someone celebrates it's appropriate to say "Happy Holidays".
All in all I do not feel that there is a purging of Christianity, just an understanding that not everyone is the same. So if you wish to say "Merry Christmas" to your friends and families that's fine with me. If you wish some one "Happy Holidays" that's fine too. It's all about knowing who your talking to.
Now that we have the definition of the War on Christmas, let's take a closer look. As most people who live in the United States of America know, the USA has no official religion. As a matter of fact the USA was founded on religious freedom. Christmas, regardless of all the commercialization, is a religious holiday. Yup, you can check the encyclopedia if you don't believe me. Contrary to popular belief, Christmas is not a day for honoring Santa Clause! There are several other religious holidays that fall around the Christmas season (even more that sometimes fall around the Christmas season).
That being said, if one walked into a store and bought a bunch of Christmas gifts for their friends and family, and walked up to the checkout stand, and before leaving the store the clerk said "Happy Hanukkah" or "Happy Kwanza" or "Happy Ramadan" or "Happy Dilwali" how bothered would that person be? I don't know. Some people take it better than others. The point being that buy using the phrase "Happy Holidays" the stores don't run the risk of offending someone with the wrong Holiday (As it may be hard to tell what someone celebrates just by looking at them).
Do I think one should never say "Merry Christmas"? Absolutely not. There are times when it is perfectly fine to do so. If you happen to know that someone celebrates Christmas, then say it. If you know that some one is Jewish and celebrates Hanukkah, then you would say to that person "Happy Hanukkah". If you don't know what someone celebrates it's appropriate to say "Happy Holidays".
All in all I do not feel that there is a purging of Christianity, just an understanding that not everyone is the same. So if you wish to say "Merry Christmas" to your friends and families that's fine with me. If you wish some one "Happy Holidays" that's fine too. It's all about knowing who your talking to.
posted by bluesmanjay at 11:21 AM
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