June 2009 Weddings
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Merry Christmas, er Happy Holidays?
Stolen from Politics and Current Events: http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/27453119.aspx
I'm not going to post the entire OP, but essentially, how do you feel about the push in recent years to be politically correct at Christmas? I've worked places before where we were prohibited from saying the word Christmas essentially, and yet where I work now, the office ladies have decorated our entire hallway, including my door. I believe last year a mall had to remove a Christmas tree because it was deemed offensive to non-Christians, etc. So what is your take on the political correctness of "Merry Christmas"?
We have so much time, and so little to do! Strike that, reverse it.
My Bio (wedding pics added 7/6)
My 101
My Bio (wedding pics added 7/6)
My 101
Re: Merry Christmas, er Happy Holidays?
I usually say Merry Christmas, but catch myself because I don't want to alienate my Jewish friends. So I end up switching to Happy Holidays...I have always been curious to know though--how DO Jewish people (and those of other non-Christian) faiths (or no faith at all), feel about "Merry Christmas"???
People love to be offended. Being offended is the new black. Christmas, for the most part, is just a huge consumerist gimmick anyway, but I'd like to think that if I didn't celebrate Christmas, I wouldn't be offended to be wished a Merry Christmas or see a lighted tree (seriously, WTF).
On the flipside of the Keep It PC brigade you have these people:
http://standforchristmas.com/
Lucy Elizabeth 10.27.12
Okay, here is my take. For one thing, this country was founded on the principle of free religion. I don't think that means you hide your religion away inside of you and never let it out. I think that means you're free to exercise your religion in a manner that does not intrude on others' rights to do the same. Decorating for Christmas is not intrusive. It's not telling someone else that they have to conform. It's an expression. Intrusive is handing out pamphlets, or preaching from the street corner, IMO, or much worse.
And another note, perhaps a sad one, is that Christmas for a lot of people has devolved so far from religion that it isn't strictly a "Christian" holiday anymore. It's a gift giving holiday and people from different religions celebrate it to that extent.
And on yet another note, political correctness can get out of hand, and I think it has in a lot of ways. Homeless people are "residentially challenged"?! No, they're homeless. When you coddle something (a society, a person, etc), it starts feeling entitled and selfish (trust me, I know, this is my MIL). People need to lighten up a bit and live and let live sometimes.
My Bio (wedding pics added 7/6)
My 101
Love it!
Angelfire, my last boss was Jewish and his entire family celebrated Christmas, so he certainly wasn't offended by the statement.
My Bio (wedding pics added 7/6)
My 101
I worked in retail as a teenager and I always liked "happy holidays" because I figured it covered Christmas or whatever holiday was celebrated and New Years too. But one year a regular customer told me no, happy holidays only refers to Christmas. I didn't believe him.
I hate the PC version of most things... If I want to say Merry Christmas and put up a Christmas tree I'm going to do it whether I have Jewish (or other non-Christian) friends or not. I'm not going to be offended if they have a menorah (sp?) and no tree so why should they be offended by me?
I agree with Leigha... we coddle people too much by trying not to offend them that they get this entitlement attitude that just pissses me off.
HomemadebyHolman
Follow me on Twitter
Become a Fan on Facebook
Married
Ditto!! I agree 100%
I say Merry Christmas sometimes... If I had a specific friend who I knew was not Christian, or if I was addressing a general audience I'd make an effort to say Happy Holidays. I'm basically an atheist, religion has never really been part of my life, and I have a huge problem with religious solicitation. Youre free to do what you want but don't force me to do the same. I still celebrate Christmas loosely (as in the family and presents part). But if someone said Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah etc to me, I'd be like "yeah, you too". I mean who cares? I'd take it as more of a friendly gesture than "ohh no you're trying to convert me!". I am all for being respectful of each person's individual beliefs, but political correctness has gone too far in my opinion.
According to Jewish law, I am Jewish (because my mother is) and I was raised Jewish (though I did not have a bat mitzvah and I cannot read the torah) so I am a fairly Jewish person. I also love Christmas more than anyone I know: I have more decorations, I put up my tree first, I watch all of my favorite music and there is probably not a Christmas song I don't like.
So I realize I am not a great person to ask this question, however, I don't see how anyone wishing you a happy anything could be wrong (except for possibly a happy pregnancy when you're not pregnant). "Happy holidays" covers everything, which is nice, but if the teller means "Merry Christmas" then say that. People who don't celebrate Christmas and get offended when you tell them to have a nice one are just itching for a fight, in my opinion.
ETA: I realized all of the things I said I liked about Christmas are the nonreligious parts, but I have been to a midnight mass before and liked that a lot, too.
<a href="http://www.thenest.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=tickers" title="D
I don't care if someone tells me Merry Christmas. To me, Christmas is the entire month of December: twinkling lights everywhere, hot cocoa, the sound of bells, mall crowds (I like it when stores are crowded... weird, right?), cute Gap commercials, and Rat Pack Christmas songs that sound like they're coming out of a crackly record player.
Obviously, I know that's not what Christmas is supposed to be, but you have to admit that's the way it is now, especially to someone like me on the outside of it all. Maybe if someone said to me, "You're going to hell unless you go to church on December 25th" (which has happened to me, to an extent) then I would be offended. The other day I went to the dentist, and one receptionist told me Merry Christmas. The other one started gesturing wildly and they started whispering, and as I was about to walk out the door, one of them screamed "She means Happy Hanukah!!! Sorry!!! Happy Hanukah!!" It was ridiculous, and a little embarrassing.
Hawkilady, I don't think anyone is suggesting someone might be offended that you have a tree. I think it's more that everyone assumes everyone celebrates Christmas , which I can maaaaaaaaaaaaybe understand someone getting offended with, just not me.
True... I get the symbolism of it. But I agree with you that to most people Christmas has very little to do with religion. It's turned into an entire season.
I always think its hypocritical when we celebrate with DH's family, we go to church for midnight mass on christmas eve. That's the only time of year they go to church. When we went to talk to them about our wedding, they had no idea who DH was. When he said they were members, we go "Oh you must be Christmas and Easter people" - its a little ridiculous.
I'm not saying my family is any better - they just never go to church at all, there have been several times we've ended up at the bar on Christmas Eve, but at least it feels less hypocritical.
HomemadebyHolman
Follow me on Twitter
Become a Fan on Facebook
Married
I had a Jewish roommate for many years, who was also a big fan of the show "The O.C.", so we celebrated Chrismakuh. It was lovely. Also, because of her, I'm very aware of when Hanukah is and remember to tell people such.
I like Santa and candy canes and singing "White Christmas" ironically (hello, it's Southern California) and gingerbread and twinkly lights and all things winter-holiday-y. Besides, most "Christmas" things (aside from the name) come from non-Christian cultures/traditions.
In my classes, I usually end by saying all of them: "Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, Blessed Yule, and have a kick a$s 2010". They all laugh because, in being "P.C." I am mocking the ridiculousness of being "P.C."
Personally, I just think it's nice that for one month out of the year, people are going out of there way to be polite/cheerful to strangers. The words don't matter to me nearly as much as the action.
I find this offensive. Being offended is not a color. Ugh. Racist.
I'm not going to put my two cents in about being PC b/c you all pretty much summed it up for me- I just wanted to say that for me Christmas is still very much a religious holiday and even if I'm now the minority (not saying it's not for any of you ladies- this is directed to the general public)... I feel it's important to let that be known. And although, I love Rat Pack Christmas songs, gift shopping and the smell of Apple Cinnamon candles- I try very much to not let that hinder my view on the real meaning of the holidays.
And I mean this for any holiday that a person celebrates, whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever holiday you choose. I hate thinking we've all become greedy SOB's.
Well now that I've gotten all cheesy... I'm done.
I live in NYC. I say Happy Hanukkah. To everyone. I feel like Merry Christmas has had its fifteen minutes...
I survived the RoLex wedding and all I got was this lousy husband.
One&Only Palmilla - Los Cabos, Mexico
I say Merry Christmas because I celebrate Christmas; and unless I am talking about the general holiday feeling (including New Years and Chanukah (sp?)) then I say Happy Holidays. If someone wants to be offended because I wished them a merry day filled with the things I feel Christmas embodies (and not just the gift giving stuff) but fellowship, giving of love, kindness and joy then they are ridiculous.
I wouldn't be offended to be wished a Happy Chanukah (again sp??) in fact rather welcome those of other faiths and beliefs to worship and celebrate as they feel fit.