Merry Christmas to you, and you...

Wednesday, December 15, 2010
...but not you.
Photobucket

Can anyone enlighten me as to why it's ok to send a big Fuck You to our Jewish, atheist, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and other non-Christian neighbors?

While I respect the Mile High Baptist Church for not being bigots and hypocrites, I am still in awe of this marquee. Is this really what Christmas is all about? Exclusion? Intolerance? Bigotry? And here I was, thinking the true meaning of the holiday was getting your hopes up, buying a bunch of cheap plastic crap from China, eating and drinking too much and then finding yourself slightly suffocated by the anti-climactic and somewhat stagnant air that lingers in the moments between the tearing through of presents and the cleaning up of wrapping paper.

8 comments to Merry Christmas to you, and you...:

Justin Lee said...

In Canada & the UK nearly EVERYONE says "Merry Christmas".

In fact, I found it super annoying to have to capitulate living in DC and being forced to say "Happy Holidays".

And I'm about as far from religious as you can get.

Claudia said...

yea. It's such a monoculture i Denmark that people don't even think of it. Pure Lutheran Christmas. What else is there, anyway?

I don't miss the divisiveness of the religions and their winter solstice-based celebrations (Let's all just go pagan, eh?). I don't miss the ultra PCness and the backlash thereof.

I do, however, miss the diversity. Is there a happy middle ground? Not likely. Alas.

CKE said...

Thank you! This drives me nuts. I say Happy Holidays as a quick version of Merry Christmas & Happy New year or to people who I don't know their religious affiliation or to groups of people so I don't exclude anyone. I think Jesus would think these people were full of BS.

geeks in rome said...

The Italian version is just plain "Auguri" - 'best wishes' I suppose it can mean. You use it for Christmas, birthdays, graduations, marriages... you name it.
Of course there is "Buon Natale" which you see on cards and signs and people only really say on Christmas Day. It literally means "Good Birth!"

Cloud said...

This is an issue that I don't understand people getting so worked up about. I mean, is it really insulting to a Christian to hear "Happy Holidays"? And are non-Christians really offended when they hear "Merry Christmas"? This atheist isn't, but then I celebrate Christmas. Of course, to these folks, I don't do it right since there is zero mention of Christ in our celebrations. And I AM offended by that snarky sign.

@Justin Lee- Who is forcing you to say "Happy Holidays"? Just say "Merry Christmas" and stop worrying about it. I doubt anyone will really care, unless you're addressing someone you know is Jewish. In which case, saying "Merry Christmas" would be a little weird.

hush said...

I'm hard to offend, I guess. I fully expect people to act like self-righteous dickheads, and they usually do! Cracks me up.

caramama said...

To me, unless you know someone celebrates Christmas, it's rude to say Merry Christmas, especially if it's not Christmas Day. I'm in the DC area, and there are just so many different religions celebrated here that don't understand why people wouldn't simply say Happy Holidays!

I just get so tired of the intolerance that usually accompanies the tirade around the "need" to say Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays doesn't exclude Christmas, but Merry Christmas excludes everything but those who are Christians. And that annoys me.

I view it like you do, as "a big Fuck You to our Jewish, atheist, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and other non-Christian neighbors."

SarcastiCarrie said...

I usually just stick with Happy New Year since it's so coincidental and happens at the same time (and mostly I'll be saying it to work people who are all off next week...it works). Of course, with family and whatnot over teh next few days, I will say Merry Christmas.

The checkers at the stores have been saying "Have a happy holiday" which is a very nice way of being inclusive in a non-greeting card kindof way...whatever holiday it is that you celebrate.

This is what I thought Christmas was about anyway:
finding yourself slightly suffocated by the anti-climactic and somewhat stagnant air that lingers

Post a Comment