"Merry Christmas" vs. "Happy Holidays"

[huKSer]

I very well might and I would expect him to turn around and say happy Hanukkah.

 

It would make more sense than telling him happy Hanukkah since in not Jewish.

 

You see, I view it as an expression of love and happiness coming from the one saying it not me trying to act like something I'm not.

 

Him saying happy Hanukkah would mean more to me than him saying merry christmas.

Btw its Chanukah

[Moiraine]

So, what is the difference between me saying merry Christmas to a Jewish person and the poster above being invited to a Hanukkah dinner when he isn't Jewish?

 

I don't think it's a good comparison. You have to at the very least be a close acquaintance with someone to invite them to a holiday dinner, and more likely a friend.

[HuskermanMike]

 

 

I went to a Hanukah dinner last night with my girlfriend. According to some posters logic on here, I should have wished them all a Merry Christmas...

Who is saying that?

 

Well for one, the guy above who said I wish people a Merry Xmas no matter what they look like in the USA

 

I was referring to random people I didn't know. Of course if I were ever invited to a party like that I would say Happy Hanukah. As Streetnovel stated he wished his friends Merry Xmas and no offense was taken, obviously I did not take it as people I knew. It was mostly as a reply to Moraine's post and I was slightly being snarky with the USA stuff.... Again I was referring to random people I didn't know and I was never asked about people I knew/being invited to parties.....

[BigRedBuster]

 

So, what is the difference between me saying merry Christmas to a Jewish person and the poster above being invited to a Hanukkah dinner when he isn't Jewish?

I don't think it's a good comparison. You have to at the very least be a close acquaintance with someone to invite them to a holiday dinner, and more likely a friend.

You mean like what I mentioned when someone went off the deep end?

 

Hmmmm

[Moiraine]

 

 

So, what is the difference between me saying merry Christmas to a Jewish person and the poster above being invited to a Hanukkah dinner when he isn't Jewish?

I don't think it's a good comparison. You have to at the very least be a close acquaintance with someone to invite them to a holiday dinner, and more likely a friend.

You mean like what I mentioned when someone went off the deep end?

 

Hmmmm

 

Yes... which is why I said it's not a good comparison. Again, this topic is not about what you say to your friends. So why would we argue over whether inviting someone to a holiday party is the same as wishing a stranger or casual acquaintance Merry Christmas (or whatever)? Most people don't ask strangers or casual acquaintances to come to their religious holiday party.

 

Presumably if you're friends with someone this topic isn't relavant at all. You know how to interact with them well enough that they haven't shunned you.

[Enhance]

That said it could be totally different if I lived in a country where one of those were the predominant religion. Maybe that's the most important variable here.

I believe it is - we are a nation with no official religion but we place a substantial amount of priority on Christianity. I would argue many American Jews, Hindus, Muslims, etc., are so used to people telling them 'Merry Christmas' that they probably brush it off to some degree.

 

I think you could look at it as both being polite and subtly reinforcing Christianity all in the same moment. Merry Christmas literally means the celebration of the birth of Christ but has morphed into a saying of good will and fortune around the celebration.

 

That's why I tend to say Happy Holidays unless I know for certain the person I'm speaking to is Christian. I don't personally believe a non-Christian should be 'offended' if someone tells them Merry Christmas, but I think the football example given above is an excellent reason for saying Happy Holidays instead.

[QMany]

I don't believe in God. But I was raised in a Christian family and we celebrated Christmas. Christmas to many now, including me, has instead become a season of giving, being thankful, and getting to spend time with loved ones.

 

I don't say Merry Christmas because: a) I don't believe in God or the birth of Jesus Christ, and b) I don't know if the person I would be saying it to is Christian. I have just become accustomed to saying Happy Holidays and feel it also encapsulates New Years. But I would never be offended if someone said Merry Christmas to me.

[Ratt Mhule]

So, what is the difference between me saying merry Christmas to a Jewish person and the poster above being invited to a Hanukkah dinner when he isn't Jewish?

My girlfriend is jewish and her jewish coworker had the dinner. Her husband is lutheran so when we walked in he wished her happy hanukah and me merry christmas. This was her first time in 25 years celebrating christmas with my family so yeah it would be kind of weird for someone to wish her merry christmas before she met me and it became an inter faith relationship.

[Ratt Mhule]

It all comes back to what zoogies said. Happy Holidays covers everything. Merry Christmas does not.

[zoogs]

I think you could look at it as both being polite and subtly reinforcing Christianity all in the same moment.

 

Merry Christmas literally means the celebration of the birth of Christ but has morphed into a saying of good will and fortune around the celebration.

Very much so to the highlighted.

 

It's still sometimes a mystery to me why I, a nonreligious person, would wish the celebration of the birth of Christ to others. I don't mean it in that sense, but you phrased it so well. It's absolutely a consequence of the degree to which Christianity has been subtly reinforced in these highly visible aspects of American life.

 

There is a not so insignificant segment of the population, I think, that needs this to be the case. And so when the means traditionally used to deploy this reinforcement begin to recede -- companies adding in some neutral holiday-themed coffee cups to go along with their still massive assortment of Christmas fare; public schools that stay away from religious language by policy; people that choose to say "Happy Holidays" instead -- it actually feels quite threatening to that ideal, and they'll fight back.

[JJ Husker]

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to a Hanukah dinner last night with my girlfriend. According to some posters logic on here, I should have wished them all a Merry Christmas...

Who is saying that?

HuskermanMike, basically. Although to be fair he's saying it's what he does, 'cause I asked the Muslim/Jewish question.

Not the way I took his comments. There obviously is certain stirrings it wouldn't be said.

But, I have no problem telling a Jewish friends merry Christmas and he would turn around and say happy Hanukkah.

And, it's nothing like saying GBR yo an Alabama fan.

Oh so this thread is about what we would say to our friends now? I thought it was about what we would say to random people on the street. My bad. If were talking about what we would say to our friends I like to say merry christmas ya filthy animal. Now go f#*k yourself.

Obviously we would say things to our friends we might not say to someone we dont know and they wouldnt mind as much

Oh good lord.

It was one example.

Would you honestly tell a stranger in a yamulke Merry Christmas? How about a client in a yamulke?

So now we need to assume what religion a person is based on their skin color, their attire and what they look like, and then wish them well for whatever holiday we assume they celebrate?

 

This is why I do not feel it is strange to wish them well in whatever you feel comfortable with. Sure, if you know they are Jewish and that they celebrate Hannakuh, then wish them happy Hannakuh. That would cover known friends and the obvious yamulka wearing stranger. But I also don't feel it is out of line or weird to wish them Merry Christmas. We would always wish my cousin's Jewish husband Merry Christmas and he would wish us Happy Hannakuh. It wasn't weird and nobody took offense either way.

 

What could be offensive is assuming a person was Muslim or Jewish or whatever, based on their appearance, and then getting it wrong. I figure I'm a Christian and celebrate Christmas so I should say Merry Christmas in virtually every circumstance. Since I would never be offended by someone wishing me well from any other religion, I expect people to likewise not be offended if they happen to be non-Christian. If they are offended by me saying Merry Christmas, well then F me, I guess I tried being nice.

[zoogs]

So now we need to assume what religion a person is based on their skin color, their attire and what they look like, and then wish them well for whatever holiday we assume they celebrate?

Or you could say "Happy Holidays".

[Moiraine]

 

So now we need to assume what religion a person is based on their skin color, their attire and what they look like, and then wish them well for whatever holiday we assume they celebrate?

Or you could say "Happy Holidays".

This ^

 

And JJ, I don't see why that would be your reply after reading my post. Nowhere did I say anyone should say Happy Hanakkuh to a stranger they think is Jewish. In fact - see the Kwanzaa example I used earlier.

 

I said telling someone who's clearly Jewish (because they're wearing a yamulke) Merry Christmas is a little weird. I didn't say anything about telling them Happy Hanakkuh. I did say some people of other religions have told me Merry Christmas.

 

Also, it bears repeating that we're talking about strangers. Not your cousin. It also bears repeating I'm not saying anyone should be offended by any of this. Mostly what I'm thinking about with my comments is there is nothing wrong with schools or businesses instructing their employees to say Happy Holidays.

 

I just don't think many normal people in a situation to wish someone well would say Merry Christmas to someone in a yamulke or tell someone wearing a cross to enjoy Diwali. Therefore it's not wrong for employers to give instructions to their employees.

 

As I said in an earlier post, some customers flip out over even less. Better to err on the side of caution. It doesn't mean these companies are attacking Christmas. Which is the idea that seems to ruffle people's feathers.

[JJ Husker]

 

 

So now we need to assume what religion a person is based on their skin color, their attire and what they look like, and then wish them well for whatever holiday we assume they celebrate?

Or you could say "Happy Holidays".

This ^

And JJ, I don't see why that would be your reply after reading my post. Nowhere did I say anyone should say Happy Hanakkuh to a stranger they think is Jewish. In fact - see the Kwanzaa example I used earlier.

I said telling someone who's clearly Jewish (because they're wearing a yamulke) Merry Christmas is a little weird. I didn't say anything about telling them Happy Hanakkuh. I did say some people of other religions have told me Merry Christmas.

Also, it bears repeating that we're talking about strangers. Not your cousin. It also bears repeating I'm not saying anyone should be offended by any of this. Mostly what I'm thinking about with my comments is there is nothing wrong with schools or businesses instructing their employees to say Happy Holidays.

I just don't think many normal people in a situation to wish someone well would say Merry Christmas to someone in a yamulke or tell someone wearing a cross to enjoy Diwali. Therefore it's not wrong for employers to give instructions to their employees.

As I said in an earlier post, some customers flip out over even less. Better to err on the side of caution. It doesn't mean these companies are attacking Christmas. Which is the idea that seems to ruffle people's feathers.

I wasn't necessarily responding to what you have said. There are some saying that it is insensitive to tell a non-Christian Merry Christmas. I simply don't feel that is the case. And I dont personally see anything wrong, or anything anyone should take offense with, if they are wished a Merry Christmas. I get that some people may disagree with me. I say Merry Christmas and I'm not going to change what I do because it might offend a few people over the course of my lifetime. If a person wants to say happy holidays or Hannakuh or whatever, that's great, I've got no problem with it. I wouldn't expect a non-Christian person to say Merry Christmas. That would be just as strange as me saying something else IMO.

 

I guess I do have a little bit of a problem with the secular Happy Holidays greeting. I mean there are reasons for all these holidays and none of them are secular. It doesn't offend me but I see no reason for me to use that generic greeting. If I was an atheist or didn't practice any religion, then I would probably go that way, but I'm not so I don't.

 

The point I was trying to make was that I think what a person says should have more to do with them than who it is directed at. I think people get a little too concerned about trying not to offend anybody. No matter what you do, somebody somewhere likely will be offended. I'm just not going to worry about things I can't control.

[Enhance]

 

 

 

So now we need to assume what religion a person is based on their skin color, their attire and what they look like, and then wish them well for whatever holiday we assume they celebrate?

Or you could say "Happy Holidays".

This ^

And JJ, I don't see why that would be your reply after reading my post. Nowhere did I say anyone should say Happy Hanakkuh to a stranger they think is Jewish. In fact - see the Kwanzaa example I used earlier.

I said telling someone who's clearly Jewish (because they're wearing a yamulke) Merry Christmas is a little weird. I didn't say anything about telling them Happy Hanakkuh. I did say some people of other religions have told me Merry Christmas.

Also, it bears repeating that we're talking about strangers. Not your cousin. It also bears repeating I'm not saying anyone should be offended by any of this. Mostly what I'm thinking about with my comments is there is nothing wrong with schools or businesses instructing their employees to say Happy Holidays.

I just don't think many normal people in a situation to wish someone well would say Merry Christmas to someone in a yamulke or tell someone wearing a cross to enjoy Diwali. Therefore it's not wrong for employers to give instructions to their employees.

As I said in an earlier post, some customers flip out over even less. Better to err on the side of caution. It doesn't mean these companies are attacking Christmas. Which is the idea that seems to ruffle people's feathers.

I guess I do have a little bit of a problem with the secular Happy Holidays greeting. I mean there are reasons for all these holidays and none of them are secular. It doesn't offend me but I see no reason for me to use that generic greeting. If I was an atheist or didn't practice any religion, then I would probably go that way, but I'm not so I don't.

Honest question - can you explain what you mean by the bolded? I think everybody is on the same page that these holidays have religious foundations. Are you just reinforcing that?

 

I won't try to dissuade you from saying Merry Christmas so long as you see why people might use Happy Holidays instead, which you say you have a little bit of a problem with. Speaking only for myself, I say Happy Holidays because:

 

- I'm Lutheran, but others aren't

- I define saying "Merry Christmas" as the literal meaning of celebrating Jesus' birth while also wishing someone good will. I don't separate those two things

- "Happy Holidays" also encompasses the New Year celebration, which almost everyone celebrates whether they're religious or not

 

For me, it has nothing to do with offending people or not offending people.