Try "Have a bitchin' Festivus" instead.
Anyone else been told not to say "Merry Christmas"?
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As another poster mentioned, the U.S. has a Christian majority, or at least Christian background even if many are no longer practicing. It was founded by Christians and has a history of celebrating Christian holidays.
My company, as I'm sure most do, sees Christmas as a holiday and does not require us to come in to work, regardless of faith. And yes, we have many non-Christians here who have no problem having the day off. I know it's strange, but they even give us Good Friday off. I don't really know if in other countries with other dominant/historical religions they give days off for other religious days or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do. I wouldn't also be surprised if I lived in another one of these countries and was wished Happy Hanukkah or Happy Eid or whatever. I also would not be offended if I was the bearer of these wishes as a Catholic, it's just the tradition of that area.
In America, the tradition is prominently Christian, and as such being wished Merry Christmas should not be a surprise nor offensive. It's just what's been done. If I know someone is Jewish or whatnot I try to give them appropriate holiday wishes. Otherwise I say, "Merry Christmas".
My company, as I'm sure most do, sees Christmas as a holiday and does not require us to come in to work, regardless of faith. And yes, we have many non-Christians here who have no problem having the day off. I know it's strange, but they even give us Good Friday off. I don't really know if in other countries with other dominant/historical religions they give days off for other religious days or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do. I wouldn't also be surprised if I lived in another one of these countries and was wished Happy Hanukkah or Happy Eid or whatever. I also would not be offended if I was the bearer of these wishes as a Catholic, it's just the tradition of that area.
In America, the tradition is prominently Christian, and as such being wished Merry Christmas should not be a surprise nor offensive. It's just what's been done. If I know someone is Jewish or whatnot I try to give them appropriate holiday wishes. Otherwise I say, "Merry Christmas".
Last time I checked, the only person who decided how I speak is me. I say Merry Christmas and mean it with the best intentions. I expect it to be taken that way.
Being Jewish, I've longed learned to get over the many different ways some (but certainly not all) Christians have, with no sense of malice, assume that everyone else couldn't possibly be offended by their actions and that everyone likes to be wished a Merry Christmas.
Newsflash: Many (I would say most, but I haven't run a poll lately) Jews don't like to be wished Merry Christmas or be exposed to religious Xmas songs, images or events but have learned that to survive in a Christian-majority society you need to roll with the punches. Then again, I have no problem with sending Seasons Greeting cards to my Christian friends and they all do the same to me.
Sidenote: I once worked for a very large company and the leader of my department, a born-again Christian, used to lead the departmental "Holiday Party" with readings from the New Testament. I learned to be on conference calls until the egg nog was served.
However, my children (who are schools with a not large but significant Jewish and Muslim population) are very sensitive to school assemblies where religious Xmas songs are still sung and seeing creches on public property. I don't feel very good saying to them, "It's a Christian world, so live with it," but that will be the reality of their lives As they grow older, they will be exposed to a lot worse, when they will be assaulted by evangelists and subject to ignorance and religious bigotry (which is by no means exclusive only to Christians; members all faiths are guilty of it in one way or another).
Now, what still gets me is when people of any faith who have had limited exposure to Jewish people insist that they know everything about the Jewish holidays, particularly Chanukah. So let me offer, as a public service, some tips to counter some common Chankuh-related misconceptions.
1. Giving one gift a night is NOT something all Jews do. Our family never did, and most people we know never did. Some people give all gifts on one night, some do a couple days, some do one a night. And there's no rule that says one gives six little gifts and then a big one, or vice versa.
2. Gift giving is not what Chanukah is all about, nor has it even been. The gift thing is largely a 20th century development and a response to the growing pressure from generations of Jewish children to emulate the gift-giving customers of Xmas.
3. Unlike Xmas, Chanukah is a minor Jewish holiday that was historically of little or no consequence to Jews. Indeed, some Jewish sects don't even celebrate it because it's the only Jewish festival not proscribed in the Torah.
4. The eight days of Chanukah have nothing to do with the myth story of the "menorah lasting eight days on one little vial of oil," which is not even apopcryphal because it doesn't appear in the Apocryphal books of the Maccabees. The eight days refers to the period it took the Jews to clean, sanctify and dedicate the Temple in Jerusalem after they drove the Greeks out of the country, which is really what Chanukah is all about and which, sadly, has been almost totally forgotten in celebrations of the festival.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Jeff in Boston
Newsflash: Many (I would say most, but I haven't run a poll lately) Jews don't like to be wished Merry Christmas or be exposed to religious Xmas songs, images or events but have learned that to survive in a Christian-majority society you need to roll with the punches. Then again, I have no problem with sending Seasons Greeting cards to my Christian friends and they all do the same to me.
Sidenote: I once worked for a very large company and the leader of my department, a born-again Christian, used to lead the departmental "Holiday Party" with readings from the New Testament. I learned to be on conference calls until the egg nog was served.
However, my children (who are schools with a not large but significant Jewish and Muslim population) are very sensitive to school assemblies where religious Xmas songs are still sung and seeing creches on public property. I don't feel very good saying to them, "It's a Christian world, so live with it," but that will be the reality of their lives As they grow older, they will be exposed to a lot worse, when they will be assaulted by evangelists and subject to ignorance and religious bigotry (which is by no means exclusive only to Christians; members all faiths are guilty of it in one way or another).
Now, what still gets me is when people of any faith who have had limited exposure to Jewish people insist that they know everything about the Jewish holidays, particularly Chanukah. So let me offer, as a public service, some tips to counter some common Chankuh-related misconceptions.
1. Giving one gift a night is NOT something all Jews do. Our family never did, and most people we know never did. Some people give all gifts on one night, some do a couple days, some do one a night. And there's no rule that says one gives six little gifts and then a big one, or vice versa.
2. Gift giving is not what Chanukah is all about, nor has it even been. The gift thing is largely a 20th century development and a response to the growing pressure from generations of Jewish children to emulate the gift-giving customers of Xmas.
3. Unlike Xmas, Chanukah is a minor Jewish holiday that was historically of little or no consequence to Jews. Indeed, some Jewish sects don't even celebrate it because it's the only Jewish festival not proscribed in the Torah.
4. The eight days of Chanukah have nothing to do with the myth story of the "menorah lasting eight days on one little vial of oil," which is not even apopcryphal because it doesn't appear in the Apocryphal books of the Maccabees. The eight days refers to the period it took the Jews to clean, sanctify and dedicate the Temple in Jerusalem after they drove the Greeks out of the country, which is really what Chanukah is all about and which, sadly, has been almost totally forgotten in celebrations of the festival.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Jeff in Boston
I'm the odd Christian who celebrates Christmas as nothing more than a secular holiday (zero religious significance to me and my family whatever). We have no earthly idea when Jesus was born, and the only thing in Christianity that we are asked to remember in memorial about him is his life, death, burial, and resurrection.
I don't get offended by people who want to refer to Christmas as X-mas, and when I say "merry Christmas", I do it with the exact same intent and meaning as I say "happy Thanksgiving".
I don't get offended by people who want to refer to Christmas as X-mas, and when I say "merry Christmas", I do it with the exact same intent and meaning as I say "happy Thanksgiving".
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Saying Merry Christmas is part of my culture. Being told I cannot say it denies me part of my own culture and that offends me. Why does noone care if that offends me?
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!
So, as a Christian, if I lived in Israel, I could expect the population to carry out their Jewish holy observances in the confines of their own home so I did not have to see it? I am not trying to upset anyone, but I feel this is wholly unreasonable and selfish to expect.
Here's my view (which I know everyone's been eagerly awaiting 
). As a Jewish person, I don't get offended if someone wishes me a Merry Christmas, particularly if it's someone I don't know or who doesn't know I'm Jewish. I may even say it back. There is a line, which I can't articulate well at the moment, beyond which the imposition of the religious aspects of Christmas into the lives of non-Christians is inappropriate, but in my opinion saying "Merry Christmas" to someone is nowhere near that line. Somewhere between 99 and 100 times out of 100 it's merely an attempt to be friendly, and it's hard to get peeved about that.
Two additional points:
First, I agree that the "war on Christmas" is a fabrication.
Second, has anyone actually ever said "Seasons Greetings" out loud to another person? I like "Happy Holidays," but Seasons Greetings seems like a forced and unnatural greeting card phrase.
). As a Jewish person, I don't get offended if someone wishes me a Merry Christmas, particularly if it's someone I don't know or who doesn't know I'm Jewish. I may even say it back. There is a line, which I can't articulate well at the moment, beyond which the imposition of the religious aspects of Christmas into the lives of non-Christians is inappropriate, but in my opinion saying "Merry Christmas" to someone is nowhere near that line. Somewhere between 99 and 100 times out of 100 it's merely an attempt to be friendly, and it's hard to get peeved about that. Two additional points:
First, I agree that the "war on Christmas" is a fabrication.
Second, has anyone actually ever said "Seasons Greetings" out loud to another person? I like "Happy Holidays," but Seasons Greetings seems like a forced and unnatural greeting card phrase.
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I don't think that wishing a non-Christian a Merry Christmas is 'offensive', but it certainly is 'exclusive'. Unless you're just parroting the words mindlessly, it would make more sense to phrase your best wishes to others in a way that isn't meaningless to them.
As a Phillies fan, I wouldn't be offended if someone called out "good luck to the Mets this weekend", and I would understand that to a Mets fan the upcoming games are an important occasion but that greeting wouldn't personalized to me. It's about as relevant to me as your aunt's birthday.
As a Phillies fan, I wouldn't be offended if someone called out "good luck to the Mets this weekend", and I would understand that to a Mets fan the upcoming games are an important occasion but that greeting wouldn't personalized to me. It's about as relevant to me as your aunt's birthday.
I don't think anyone is suggesting that the majority of Americans (or Europeans or Australians, etc.) should refrain from celebrating Christmas outside of their homes. Having your boss read from the New Testament or from a rabbinical text detailing sabbath-observance rules, as part of a work-related party or meeting, is different. Using tax dollars to have similar observances by public officials seems to be different, as well.
When I was in elementary school, Christmas songs, including clearly religious ones, were performed in school assemblies even though the large majority of students singing them and listening to them were Jewish. Teachers, some of whom were Jewish, read Christian prayers to start the school day. I think most people who are younger than I am can see that this doesn't seem quite right. My parents just told me to deal with it, and I did; no problem.
Listening to Christmas music in every store from Halloween until New Year's Day is just a part of living in the US. Seeing Christmas decorations everywhere you go is part of it, too. It's not going to change. Being exposed to the majority's religious beliefs is just something the minorities have to deal with, whether they live in Rome, Tel Aviv, or Tokyo. Every American Jew I know has made peace with this reality.
I have never heard of a mainstream organization from a religious minority suggest that Christmas celebrations on private property in the US should be restricted. But I've heard lots of complaints that this is happening.
I don't think anyone is suggesting that the majority of Americans (or Europeans or Australians, etc.) should refrain from celebrating Christmas outside of their homes. Having your boss read from the New Testament or from a rabbinical text detailing sabbath-observance rules, as part of a work-related party or meeting, is different. Using tax dollars to have similar observances by public officials seems to be different, as well.
When I was in elementary school, Christmas songs, including clearly religious ones, were performed in school assemblies even though the large majority of students singing them and listening to them were Jewish. Teachers, some of whom were Jewish, read Christian prayers to start the school day. I think most people who are younger than I am can see that this doesn't seem quite right. My parents just told me to deal with it, and I did; no problem.
Listening to Christmas music in every store from Halloween until New Year's Day is just a part of living in the US. Seeing Christmas decorations everywhere you go is part of it, too. It's not going to change. Being exposed to the majority's religious beliefs is just something the minorities have to deal with, whether they live in Rome, Tel Aviv, or Tokyo. Every American Jew I know has made peace with this reality.
I have never heard of a mainstream organization from a religious minority suggest that Christmas celebrations on private property in the US should be restricted. But I've heard lots of complaints that this is happening.
I have never celebrated Christmas. I agree, it sucks to be the outcast. Especially in school. Work is awkward too. What Ireally hate is teachers trying to trick kids into participating. I have a friend whose kid was told, "It's not a Christmas tree. It is a holiday tree." They then pressured him into making a candy cane to hang on the tree. This definitely crosses the line. If they know your belief, they should respect it.
to be fair, the Christmas Tree really has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus.
Then again, neither does December 25.
Then again, neither does December 25.
My point exactly. It's a totally secular holiday in my eyes... if people want to make more of it than that, that's there business
Of course not. Israel is a theocratic state founded in the shadow of the Holocaust by Jews for the purpose of providing a sanctuary for the Jewish people to live by Jewish traditions in the land where Biblical events were believed to have occurred. Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable to expect public displays of Jewish holidays and practices and that non-Jews be subject to the expression of practices relating to Jewish holidays. Yet, even in this theocratic society, Israel recognizes and facilitates access to all of the Christian and Muslim holy site and doesn't forbid the peaceful practice of Christianity or Islam. In fact, Israeli goes out of its way to cultivate Christian tourism, and why the hell not? It's great for business.
Likewise, if a Jew or Christian were brave enough to travel to just about any Muslim state they would know better than to even think of publicly expressing their religion. When in Rome or Ridyah, you do as the rulers do.
Now, contrast Israel or Saudi Arabia to the the United States, which is not, in any legal sense, a "Christian" or any other "denomination" (pun very much intended). There is not a single word in the U.S. Constitution or Bill of Rights that states that the U.S. is a Christian nation. Indeed, there is not even a single reference to a deity of any kind in either document.
This is not an omission by the product of serious, calculated intent by the Founding Fathers, many of whom were students of the Enlightenment and deists, not to include such language because of the oppressive theocracies, many of them or their ancestors had fled from in Europe and in response to the oppressive theocratic nature of many state governments (including and especially Massachusetts) at the time. It's why the separation of church and state clause of the Bill of Rights, which many seem to forget also forbids restrictions on religous practices--was most vigorously supported by the "anti-federal government" Virginians such as Madison and Jefferson.
Of course, that doesn't mean that, demographically, the U.S. isn't or never was a Christian nation. Of course it always has been. Even the FF's considered themselves Christians even some of them didn't necessarily believe organized religion or even the divinity of Jesus (Jefferson, Madison and Adams certainly didn't).
But if, at some point in the future, most people convert to Islam or Hinduism or Scientology, then we''ll say America is a Hindu/Muslim/Scientologist nation and we'll be debating whether we should be be celebrating Ramadan or L. Ron Hubbard's birthday in public places. Let's just hope that if this happens they leave the Constitution the hell alone.
Jeff in Boston
Agreed.
I'm not religious at all, but I am cultural Catholic. So to me (and my family) Christmas has always been an important holiday, just not a holy day.
Slate.com has an interesting little overview of the whole 'war on Christmas' debate.
http://www.slate.com/id/2238994/
http://www.slate.com/id/2238994/
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This is why I say happy holidays. Unless it is my family or if the person says merry christmas to me.
Not to mention I would rather not offend people in general. Even if my intentions are good it doesnt mean it okay to go around offending people. To me it feels right to adapt my life to the others around me and their needs to a certain extent.
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