I do not understand why people are offended by others who wish to celebrate their holiday of choice, and why is it offensive to them if someone says "Merry Christmas"? I celebrate Christmas, but would not be offended if I walked in somewhere and saw other types of holiday symbols, like a menorah or kinara. I think that if someone is celebrating something and wants to wish you greetings then you should just accept them and go on. If someone came in our office and said "Happy Hannukah" to me I would not run out offended and throw a fit. I would say "the same to you and a Merry Christmas, too" and go on with my day. And I think that people who celebrate Hannukah and Kwanza probably feel the same way. So, why has it become so offensive to people for all of us to publically celebrate our holidays? And why should the people who chose not to celebrate anything get to dictate where decorations and expressions of these holidays can be displayed? Why does it bother you so much?
2006-12-19 07:27:35 · 13 answers · asked by Tallulah 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Other - Holidays
Actually by "where decorations and expressions of these holidays can be displayed" I was referring to a news report I heard about administrators at an airport who took down Christmas trees because someone threw a fit about them being there. That is what I don't understand. And even though someone is not a Christian does that mean that they cannot wish ME a Merry Christmas since I do celebrate it. If I knew they were celebrating something, I would give them wishes for a happy "whatever it may be". To me it would be the same thing as, if on your birthday your friends decorated your office with Happy Birthday banners and balloons and someone came in and said "You can't put those decorations up because it's not MY birthday....I'm not celebrating anything so you can't either!...Take down those balloons. You are violating me!!" And that was in no way a reference to Christ's birthday, just an expamle. No one is trying to FORCE anyone to celebrate anything, we're just enjoying the season
2006-12-20 02:21:22 · update #1
I agree 100% with what you say here!
I have spoken to people who worship in other ways.. and they are not the ones who get offended... it is either the ones who celebrate nothing or the extreme tree huggers who think we need to be soooooooooo careful to not hurt anyone. No one is hurting anybody.. That is one of the reasons why our country is ... for the freedom of religion. But people forget about that one!
It is unhappy people who need to try to distroy others happiness..
I get a kick out of the fact that our country tries to spend so much time accomidating the feelings of dysfunctional people here!
It will never happen! You can't please them.
2006-12-19 07:36:34 · answer #1 · answered by Esther J 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's offensive to people that are not Christians to have a Christian person intentionally say "Merry Christmas" - yet another way that the Christian holiday is forced upon others. It is extremely unlikely that you would walk into a setting where a Menorah or Kinara was the only holiday decoration, because almost every retail outlet has been screaming Christmas since the day after Halloween. I am betting that your office has decorated for Christmas, and no other holiday, and the likelihood of you entering into a business decorated exclusively for any other holiday is slim.
If "where decorations and expressions of these holidays can be displayed" is a veiled reference to "why can't we have a Nativity Scene on the (insert government building name here) lawn?" consider the Separation of Church and State that is clearly outlined in the United States Constitution.
Just because you celebrate Christmas, that does not mean everyone else does. In fact, there are some people that choose not to celebrate any holidays at all, either because they are atheists or because their own religion deems those types of excessive displays to be against their teachings.
The more confusing people are the ones that deliberately take offense if THEY are not told "Merry Christmas" by people who are just trying to wish them "Happy Holidays" - which last time I checked, included ALL of the holidays, Thanksgiving and New Years as well.
2006-12-19 08:33:55 · answer #2 · answered by SmartAleck 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you actually run into someone personally who was offended by holiday wishes?
This whole issue is just blown out of proportion by fundamentalists who would really just like to force thier own opinion on everyone else and the media likes to pick up on it and help perpetuate it.
If Bill O'Reily is the one you're getting your info from about people being offended I think you should take a broader look.
To clarify the situation at Sea-Tac airport. What happened there is that a rabbi wanted to add a menorah to the display, and sued to be able to. The airport responded first by taking down the Xmas trees. Their explaination was that they felt that if they allowed that then they would have to accomodate any different religious/ethnic group who wanted to add to the display and just didn't have time to deal with that, and decided they would discuss it in full for the next year. The rabbi did not want the trees taken down, he just wanted to add to it. He subsequently withdrew the lawsuit, and the airport put the trees back up. So, the point is... no one said they were offended by the trees or asked them to be taken down, but that is what alot of people are saying. Again, this whole situation got blown out of proportion, and got alot of people PO'd who wouldn't have been it they had paid attention to the actual facts.
Oh, and I do not personally celebrate "Christmas", but wish me a Merry Christmas anytime. I won't be offended. I know you mean well.
Happy Holidays.
2006-12-19 07:38:37 · answer #3 · answered by J 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm with you!! I feel the same way! Though I generally say happy holidays because it is all encompassing, it shouldn't be such a big deal. To Each Their Own right? I guess people feel with all the discrimination they have thrown their way on a daily basis, that this is just another stance they need to make! Anyway, I hope someone that does have a problem with saying Merry Christmas answers, I've often questioned how something so innocent could be misconstrued the way that it is. Christmas is as much of a tradition as is it a belief!!
2006-12-19 07:42:12 · answer #4 · answered by semisweetened 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I completely agree with you, it is getting to the point of being ridiculous, I've heard that Publix employees get written up everytime they say "Merry Christmas". While I agree with the idea of respecting everybody's faith and being inclusive I also think that we should all be tolerant. I would not be offended if I was wished a "Happy Hannukah", people are too into being politically correct.
2006-12-19 07:33:08 · answer #5 · answered by NamGem 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Crazy isn't it ? A woman in the store said "Happy Holidays" to me and in reply I said "Merry Christmas". She then turned to her kids and loudly said "lets go to grandma's to celebrate Hanukkah".. I was like oops but after
realized so what . I would not have been offended if she had said Happy Hanukkah to me. People are so into being PC.
2006-12-19 07:34:31 · answer #6 · answered by realgranola 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm not crazy about Merry Christmas either, it is not so Merry for me. So I choose to use Happy Holidays, that goes for about all Religions.
2006-12-19 07:29:08 · answer #7 · answered by kim_n_orlando 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think we all need to lighten up about it all.
If someone says something other than what you would choose, just smile and accept the spirit of the greeting as it was intended.
2006-12-19 07:29:40 · answer #8 · answered by kent_shakespear 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think you have the right idea. When I was in school my best friend was jewish, I went to her house over hanikah and got presents. That was cool. I wasn't offened. They were cool with it. People are just way to uptight these days.
2006-12-19 07:37:22 · answer #9 · answered by Stand 4 somthing Please! 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Lack of respect for others beliefs is all I can put it down to
.Have a magical Christmas
2006-12-19 07:30:18 · answer #10 · answered by witchfromoz2003 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋