Are you Offended by the word CHRISTmas?

Contributor: woodsdragon woodsdragon
While it is never my intention to offend someone...I generally do say Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays. At work I try to be careful though!
11/06/2012
Contributor: Supervixen Supervixen
I'm Jewish, and this is so not an issue to me, and I think, excluding some extreme cases of people being ultra PC and going way too far with trying to be "inclusive," is a media made "conflict." In the States, if someone wishes me a Merry Christmas, I respond with "Merry Christmas." I'm not offended by someone's well wishes, even if it's for a holiday that's not mine. I lived in Jerusalem for a year and was wished merry Christmas by the non-Jewish minority, and it was still not an issue. I went to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve and went to a church for the first time on Christmas after spending the day in the Old City to observe the Christian celebrations, just to see what it was like. It was interesting for me, and I didn't burst into flames!

Also, if someone says, "happy holidays," I respond in kind. It is so not important to me. I think if everyone just chilled out and stopped trying to remove every label, lump everything together (guess what? Chanukah is not the Jewish Christmas just because it falls around the same time of year!), and not offend anyone, including people who should toughen the hell up and accept that we don't live in a colorless, religionless, genderless, nationless world, but are actually all unique individuals and our differences are not a bad thing that we need to eradicate, but something that we should embrace about one another and learn to accept, then we'd all be a lot happier.

Political correctness is a plague, is false "cultural sensitivity," and I honestly believe that people who are so strict about being PC, just need something to get on a soap box about, something to make themselves feel superior, something to be on a self-righteous crusade about. I don't need you to tell me "Happy Chanukah." I just want you to treat me with human decency and respect, and when the cashier at the mall in December wishes me a merry Christmas as I leave the store, I feel like I'm getting that treatment, because the sentiment is not intended to be hurtful or to exclude me...it's intended as a nice gesture, and people's intentions are what is important to me.
11/06/2012
Contributor: S&Gangel S&Gangel
Although i completely understand the side of many other religions I wouldnt expect a jewish person to refrain from sayin...Happy Honicka (yes I know its probably not spelt like that... sorry!)

If somone said happy hanukkah (hehe i just googled the spelling!) to me I would be flattered that they thought me someone they respect enough to.. wish me greetings in this way. I wouldnt say "Oi im christian, im offended you said that"
In believing that i want to be treated as I treat others, i would also hope that if i said Merry Christmas to a non christian person they would feel the same way and return greeting in which ever way they feel fit!

11/06/2012
Contributor: Darling Jen Darling Jen
Quote:
Originally posted by Tessa Taboo
For me, the answer to that question can be summed up here. ... more
I love this post and I will be saving it to share on my facebook.

Saying "Merry Christmas" doesn't offend me because I celebrate it as a secular holiday. But I do prefer to actually say "Happy Holidays" to everyone else because so many of my friends are non-christian. It's not fair to exclude everyone who doesn't celebrate it that I love. And I wish them ALL happy tidings, for the entire season!
11/06/2012
Contributor: TheirPet TheirPet
I'm not offended by the word but I use Holidays because I know a lot of Jewish people and people who don't celebrate Christmas. I like how holiday includes the New Year as well.
11/06/2012
Contributor: HannahPanda HannahPanda
I feel everyone's good with what they think/feel about the holiday no matter what its purpose or standing in their certain religion, however..

Today, Christmas is a very general term to describe all holiday cheer surrounding the holiday for most people. They don't sell Kwanza candy in big bags in Walmart, just Christmas candy. It's holiday themed everything versus just being about one thing, I believe. That, is because of commercialism and consumerism. I don't think it serves one meaning anymore. "Merry Christmas!" is kind of what people say even weeks before Christmas arrives. It's kind of like how Happy Halloween is said weeks before Halloween, even though there's a celebration after called Hallow's End or Day of the Dead or other holidays from other cultures in the same week of Halloween or following it.

Christmas got its name from Christ's birthday, no doubt, and the holiday was formed for the celebration of that given reason. BUT Christmas is also a variation of Yule and because Christmas borrowed all these aspects of Yule, I feel "Happy Holidays" is just as good as anything else. I don't think it's PC to say either one, because Christ wasn't born on Christmas at all and there are other holidays around the time of Christmas, but at the end of the day, Christmas = Christ's birthday celebration and it shouldn't offend many to hear it. It's just what it is.
11/06/2012
Contributor: angel42539 angel42539
Quote:
Originally posted by Jaimes
I'm not religious, but I would rather hear Christmas than holidays. I am not a fan of this politically correct horsedung. I generally believe people get too offended too easily. Get some thicker skin, folks, and learn to laugh instead of pout ... more
i agree
11/06/2012
Contributor: Zandrock Zandrock
I think it is not offensive.
11/06/2012
Contributor: gsfanatic gsfanatic
Doesn't bother me, since I respect the ideas behind it (both pagan and Christian)
11/06/2012
Contributor: Alyona Alyona
I am not Christian and I have no problems with the word Christmas
11/07/2012
Contributor: travelnurse travelnurse
Quote:
Originally posted by Tessa Taboo
For me, the answer to that question can be summed up here. ... more
I like that Tessa Taboo!
11/07/2012
Contributor: rosythorn rosythorn
I say Merry Christmas on the day of! And say other holidays on their day of. Happy Holidays is good for every holiday!
11/07/2012
Contributor: apryls apryls
Quote:
Originally posted by bayosgirl
I have noticed lately that often, when the word Christmas is used, the speaker will be corrected by someone to use the word "holiday." I don't understand why this is a big deal. Even people who are not Christians celebrate the holiday, ... more
I just say Xmas
11/07/2012
Contributor: malantha malantha
Quote:
Originally posted by Tessa Taboo
For me, the answer to that question can be summed up here. ... more
*claps*
11/07/2012
Contributor: ViVix ViVix
Quote:
Originally posted by bayosgirl
I have noticed lately that often, when the word Christmas is used, the speaker will be corrected by someone to use the word "holiday." I don't understand why this is a big deal. Even people who are not Christians celebrate the holiday, ... more
I'm not Christian, and the word doesn't bother me. However, I think you worded this a bit offensively. Why fight about something so trivial? I'm an atheist, and Christmas has nothing to do with Christ for me...that shouldn't matter to anyone except for me.
11/07/2012
Contributor: ViVix ViVix
Quote:
Originally posted by Errant Venture
Haha!

Personally, I'm a pagan and I'm not offended by it - though I should point out that Christmas has more of a pagan background, with the early Christians adopting many practices, and so it stands to reason that I'm comfortable ... more
Fantastic!
11/07/2012
Contributor: kmarsico kmarsico
i say christmas, just because its what i grew up with. most of my family is religious but my parents and i are not
11/08/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
I am Christian, and don't care if you tell me "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays," as long as you do it with honest well wishes behind it and NOT out of some false sense of cultural sensitivity. I've actually seen people change their language not so that they include include everyone, but to purposefully exclude Christians. Nope, I'm not exaggerating.

For example, a relative of mine is constantly posting on Facebook about how stupid Christians are, and how their religion is worthless, so on and so forth. However, that same person is very fast to send well wishes to his friends for the holidays of every other religion. If this particular person told me "Happy Holidays," I would know it to be a backhanded insult (because it would be). In general, though, I'm not offended by either statement.

Spirit of inclusion? Fine. Trying to be inclusive by being exclusive? Not OK. Say what you are going to say, but mean it.
11/08/2012
Contributor: CaliGirl CaliGirl
Not at all
11/08/2012
Contributor: Supervixen Supervixen
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
I am Christian, and don't care if you tell me "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays," as long as you do it with honest well wishes behind it and NOT out of some false sense of cultural sensitivity. I've actually seen ... more
I know you're not exaggerating because I know people who do this with my Christian friends. There's such a massive chip on some people's shoulders when it comes to religion, particularly Christianity in American culture because it's the majority religion, that these supposedly liberal, inclusive, and culturally sensitive people think it's perfectly fine to treat Christians like idiots, paint them all the same, deny their humanity and treat them like the enemy. They use other, less mainstream religions to be like, "no look! I'm not prejudiced against people of faith, because I said happy holidays to a Jew!" That's what I hate most about political correctness. It's insincere and manages to exclude more than it includes.

On the flip side, it's hilarious when I catch these types of people let their guard down in a group and hear them start talking about Jews. I like to see how far they'll go (and how much I can stomach) before I let them know that I'm Jewish. You should listen to the backpedaling: "Oh, I didn't meant that ALL Jews control the media! Just, you know...you know the ones I mean, right? No, I d-d-didn't mean that all Jews are racist...just the black hats...what?! Oh, that Holocaust joke was something I heard someone else say...I didn't say it to be funny! Why am I laughing? Um, well..." Seriously. If I had a dollar for every time I caught supposedly open minded, liberal people in the middle of an antisemitic rant, comment or joke, I'd be one of those rich, greedy, money grubbing Jews that I hear them complain so much about.
11/08/2012
Contributor: novanilla novanilla
I don't really care, however I would like to point out that Christmas is actually not entirely from Christian origin. Nowhere is there record of Jesus' birth, and it's unlikely that anyone could have lived outside during late December in Bethlehem. The date was chosen based on a Pagan holiday. In fact, celebrating Christmas used to be banned by Puritans, who are considered the most strict and pure Christians to have ever lived in America, and were in fact some of the first people to settle in New England.
11/08/2012
Contributor: Supervixen Supervixen
Quote:
Originally posted by novanilla
I don't really care, however I would like to point out that Christmas is actually not entirely from Christian origin. Nowhere is there record of Jesus' birth, and it's unlikely that anyone could have lived outside during late December in ... more
This is common knowledge. However, that doesn't make it any less symbolically important for Christians who have long, long ago attached religious significance to it. Same goes for Easter.
11/08/2012
Contributor: VanillaFreeSex VanillaFreeSex
i am not Christian. my involvement in christmas celebrations of friends and family are minimal. however i am not offended by it, i am flattered when i get invites.

i do get annoyed by people assuming i am christian, but that annoyance is not specific to christmas.

i think that even the people who take offense are not offended by the word itself, it's the assumption behind it.

it's also a habit of mine left of from my days in corporate america...it was a big no-no to say merry christmas.

happy holidays, merry christmas, happy hanukka , blessed Yule, etc etc.

but really....Bah-humbug
11/08/2012
Contributor: Allstars316 Allstars316
Nope doesn't bother me either way. I use both words
11/12/2012
Contributor: hyacinthgirl hyacinthgirl
Quote:
Originally posted by apryls
I just say Xmas
You're still saying "Christmas", then. "X" is how we represent "Chi", the first Greek letter in "Christ". It's just an abbreviation.
11/13/2012
Contributor: Sammix3 Sammix3
To each their own.
11/15/2012
Contributor: Lavendar Lavendar
Not offended
11/15/2012