Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays
There wasn't a gender gap in the answers: Both men and women like seeing "Merry Christmas" in store windows, according to Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, an independent polling company. But from a political perspective, there was a sleighful of difference: 88 percent of Republicans wanted to see "Merry Christmas," while just 57 percent of Democrats favored it. ...
The Rasmussen survey of 1,000 adults, taken in mid-November, found that 57 percent said they will attend a Christian religious service on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day this year. Fewer than a third (30 percent) said they wouldn't be going to a special service. Women are more likely to attend a Christmas service than men.
Source: The Washington Times (via: Carpetbagger)
The political difference is quite striking — and very much in line with other poll differences that I've seen over the past few years. It's not a surprise that people who identify as Republican would prefer to see the Christian seasonal holiday singled out for special recognition while other religious and secular holidays are ignored. It's become integral to Republican political fortunes that being a Republican is associated with being a Christian — or at least pretending that Christianity deserves special treatment in America.
By the same token, it's heartening to see that far fewer Democrats support such special treatment for Christianity, though to be honest it's a shame that 57% of Democrats continue to think like Republicans. I guess it will be a while before a majority of Democrats realize that when a number of holidays occur around the same time of year, there's no justification for singling out the Christian one for special privileges or recognition. I fear that we'll never see the day when a majority of Republicans come to this realization.
Scott Krugman, a spokesman for the National Retail Federation, said the "Merry Christmas" versus "Happy Holidays" issue has been around for a few years. "I don't think it's a new issue" for the industry, Mr. Krugman said yesterday.
It's been around for quite a lot longer than a "few years," though the Christian Nationalists have made a much bigger deal about it these past few years. It's nice to see someone stating publicly that for at least some people, this isn't and shouldn't be a big deal. Hopefully over the course of time, more and more people will realize that the future of Christianity doesn't rest on, and won't even be affected by, whether they hear "Merry Christmas" rather than "Happy Holidays" from random strangers and larger international retail conglomerates. Or is that just wishful thinking on my part?
Comments
This is all getting so sad. The religious right is hate mongering and so many others are following suit.
I have a Christmas Tree because it is festive. It is not a tree for Christ’s Mass. But it is called a Christmas Tree, just like Friday no longer refers to the Norris godess Frigg.
I say both Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. To me they terms referring to the secular Holiday season.
By the way, if we are splitting hairs on definitions – didn’t Holiday originally mean Holy Day. So was is tht offensive to the religious right but not other groups.
It is simply getting so silly.
ee:
That’s the point. Exactly what you said. Things only mean whatever meaning you give them.
Xians don’t see it that way, however. And this sets off a chain reaction that ends up like Seuss’s Sneeches.
I’m having a holiday party at my house. It’s a Winter Fest theme. I’ve invited theists and atheists. One person was someone I’d never met. He RSVP’ed that he was looking forward to celebrating a godless holiday.
When I read his reply, I recognized two things right away:
1. He was assuming it was a atheist party–and I was assuming he’d not assume that!
and
2. I was mortified at what some of my other guests might think when they read the RSVP…”Is there something Tracie neglected to tell me about this party?”
I e-mailed him immediately to correct the mistake. And I explained that unlike the Solstice Party sponsored by our local atheist association–my party was not going to be 100 percent Christ free. I am having Christmas music and songs about Christ–”Oh Holy Night,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlement,” Etc. AND we will have Christmas DVDs playing…”A Christmas Story,” “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer,” “Charlie Brown Christmas,” and so on.
Those things are part of my upbringing that I have no problem with. However, I know and respect that some atheists do have issues–becuase of the Christian promotion to hijack the holiday for Jesus.
I understand their concerns and points. I just don’t share them. And I needed to warn my friend, whom I had never met, that in case he is one of those atheists who is four-square against Christmas, he might want to change his RSVP.
His reply was, “Oh, big deal!, I have Rudolph on DVD, too!”
-th
***
I should clarify, when I said, “Xians don’t see it that way…” I should have qualified that. SOME Xians don’t see it that way, mainly the one’s Austin is addressing in these many seasonal articles.
It is amazing how much stuff people can get from milking a rat.
Xmas is no longer a pleasure. I used to love the lights and decorations and the merriment, but have come to hate the way some of my friends, normally very nice people, feel Xmas is being hijacked by the politically correct. Being lucky enough to live in a very diverse area, I can safely say it is ONLY the Christians who are vocal and angry. And about nothing too! Xmas is obviously still everywhere. The worst thing I’ve heard from a non-Christian is that they can’t stop humming Xmas carols. I’m just no longer interested in the whole double-standard and would rather hibernate. By the way, I prefer Happy Holidays, but that also has made many hopping made around here. It’s Merry Xmas or nothing, so I no longer say anything.
What is it that makes people reject god? What makes the public reject they’re giver, their creator, their provider America’s founder and foundation? But yet they say it will offend nonbelievers, well that decision offends Christians!! Why don’t they think of that? What is wrong with god? But yet they are taking more and more away from us and giving more freedom to other people, I thought this was a free country. I thought we could express our beliefs freely without fear, but yet we can’t say merry Christmas or if teachers witness to others than they will be arrested, and we can’t bring bibles to public school, and instead of BC and AD (before Christ and after death) now it’s BCE and CE (before current era and current era) so now they are forbidding the Christian faith from the public. Do you see anything wrong with that?
That’s like asking “what makes people reject elves?” If you don’t see any good reasons to believe in any gods, then there is nothing to reject.
Strange, but I seem to remember America’s actual founders relying on the people, not any gods.
My atheism offends you? I think you need to grow thicker skin, then. You can’t be very confident or secure in your beliefs if you’re offended by disagreement.
What is wrong with elves?
What freedoms, precisely, have been taken away from you?
Agents of the state don’t have the authority to proselytize to children placed in their care.
Sure you can.
That’s what’s used in academic literature.
Indeed: what I see that’s wrong is your claim that the “Christian faith” is being forbidden from anyone. What I do see, however, is that Christian beliefs, traditions, and assumptions are no longer being privileged — and there’s nothing at all wrong with that.
I have never understood the logic behind “Happy Holidays”. Allegedly it is used to be more inclusive of non-Christians. However, other religions do not seem to be rushing to rename their own Holy Days as Holidays. Either all religious festivities are “Holidays” or none. Call me cynical if you like, but I think this is more about including people so they can spend money at the world’s most consumerist “religious” celebration. I am a confirmed agnostic by the way and not remotely right wing.
Holiday is the English word for “a day fixed by law or custom on which ordinary business is suspended in commemoration of some event or in honor of some person.” It is not a proper noun and thus shouldn’t be capitalized. What this means is that most religions’ holy days will, by definition, be holidays. Frankly I can’t think of any holy days that don’t qualify as holidays, but I suppose there might be a few. It thus isn’t necessary for a “religion” a some sort of movement or institution to “rush” to use the term “holiday” — in the English speaking world, that label automatically applies when the definition fits.
I reject the anthropomorphic God because it has a long rap sheet and no great thing could ever be similar to man. I remain intellectually agnostic in regard to an immananent or transcendental God.. Both seem to be very close or very far in a beautiful way. And above all, nobody can speak for it and it does no meddle unless invited.
If there is a ‘GOD’why would he let things happen?
e.g. 9-11,little children dying of cancer,
malnutrition in countries that don’t have a chance.
My question is what is GOD?
Can anybody prove it?
I find it quite amusing that christians don’t know the history of their religion. If they did, they’d know that most of the characters, stories, philosophy, etc. in their bible were “borrowed” from older, so-called “pagan,” religions.
Everything to do with “christmas” is pagan in origin: Jesus, decorated tree, mistletoe, gift giving.
If the pagans haven’t complained about the theft of their traditions, I see no reason why christians can’t be at least as generous by at least acknowledging that others have celebrations at the same times of year.
This is all wrong Christmas is christmas is christmas. Why are people having a hard time with it. if we were in another contry we wouldn’t try to abolish their holiday what ever it may be called. If you don’t like it don’t look, this is our country our tradition our culture… deal with it and stop acting like children pouting,.
And there’s little about modern Christmas that is Christian.
Actually, Christians developed Christmas by abolishing pagan holidays and taking over their traditions.
So, you don’t think non-Christians are “real” Americans?
The main problem that I have with the politically correct Nazis out there is that if I say “Merry Christmas” to a person it is somehow not okay. This is America and one of our fundamental liberties is the freedom of speech. Saying Merry Christmas around the time of this Christian holiday hurts no one. Trying to blend a whole host of other religious holidays into one homogeneous mass seems to reduce the importance of the individual holidays.
To me the religions take a back seat to traditions and history. This homogenization of religious holidays is akin to the removing for example religious monuments on public grounds. It is robbing future generations of the history of our nation. Like it or not Christianity has been a common theme since before the creation of the Union. We shouldn’t try to erase our past.
The bottom line is that I don’t appreciate people trying to censor me. I will continue to say Merry Christmas because 95% of the people take it as I mean it. This includes my Jewish friends, Muslims, and the few Hindu that I know. The only people that are truly troubled by “Merry Christmas” are the atheists. Since the atheists only make up around 15% of the population they might as well get used to the idea that “Merry Christmas” isn’t going anywhere.
# Happy Holidays – Canada, United States
# Buon Natale – Italian for Happy Christmas
# Buone Feste – Italian for Happy Holidays
# Feliz Natal – Portuguese for Happy Christmas
# Boas Festas – Portuguese for Happy Parties
# Bon Nadal – Catalan for Happy Christmas
# Feliz Navidad – Castilian lit. “Happy Nativity”
# Felices Fiestas – Castilian for Happy Parties
# Season’s Greetings – United Kingdom Christmas cards, not usually spoken
# Merry Christmas – United Kingdom, Australia, United States, The phrase is often immediately followed by and a Happy New Year.
# Happy Christmas – United Kingdom
# Merry Xmas – Written English (often informal), referencing the Greek word ???????, for Christ.
# Merry Yuletide, Good Yuletide or Happy Yuletide – English, can generally refer to the period of cultural festivities surrounding Yule, Winter solstice, Christmas and the New Year.
# Merry Midwinter – English greeting, generally for the period of the winter solstice.
# God jul – Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, lit. “Good Yule”
# Hyvää joulua – Finnish
# Prettige Kerstdagen en een gelukkig nieuwjaar – Dutch
# Geseënde Kersfees en ‘n voorspoedige nuwe jaar – Blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year – Afrikaans speaking South Africans
# Glædelig jul – Danish
# Joyous Yule – Usually a Wiccan or Neopagan greeting for the Winter solstice
# Joyeux Noël – France, Quebec, Louisiana, Switzerland
# Frohe Weihnachten/Fröhliche Weihnachten – German for Merry Christmas
# Mele Kalikimaka – Hawaiian, is preferred over the traditional American “Merry Christmas” in the U.S. state of Hawaii
Everyone knows the only way to get everyone to say Merry Christmas all the time is through song… cheerful musical song, like This Guy’s Christmas album…
http://www.thisguysingschristmas.maltesemedia.com/
Well, I’m a Christian and I wrote a blog on what I think about this subject. Feel free to check it out! My feelings are, does it really matter?
http://biblebeating.blogspot.com/2008/12/merry-christmas-vs-happy-holidays-does.html