Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Carlos del Vaca]

I'm kinda with Jough on this one.  I don't consider myself a Christian, but I celebrate the pagan Chistmas, complete with tree and presents.  If you want to post the Ten Commandments or have the Lord's Prayer in my vicinity, I'll get all up ons, but if someone says "Merry Christmas" I'm fine with that.

[Nabubrush]

I'd probably like Christmas more if it wasn't so co-opted, but at least it's getting more honest about it. Now that we've removed most all religious significance and made it clearly about propping up our economy through the winter doldrums, I can more easily just ignore it.

I'm starting to dislike holidays more and more. Damn I'm crotchety! I was thinking about Thanksgiving this year, too - but I think we beat that to death in another thread, as I recall.

[AlohaDawg]

Speaking as someone who is frequently a Token Jew, my opinion: if you say "Merry Christmas", I take it in the spirit it's intended, which is generally "I have a holiday that makes me happy and I want you to be happy" but is sometimes (very rarely) "Burn in hell you unsaved bastard".

No, that's what we mean when we tell Jews "Happy Easter".  

j/k I totally don't get the whole 'Christ-killer' thing. Senseless.

So, Merry Christmas to you in the spirit of love and hope, which is what Christmas is about. I enjoy Christmas Eve probably more than I enjoy Christmas Day.  Silent Night and darkness and then a single candle that lights everyone's candles...it's actually pretty wonderful if you believe in the promise of Christmas and what that single candle represents.

[CortJstr]

I'd probably like Christmas more if it wasn't so co-opted, but at least it's getting more honest about it. Now that we've removed most all religious significance and made it clearly about propping up our economy through the winter doldrums, I can more easily just ignore it.

From what I understand Jesus was most likely born in the spring, but Christmas was placed in late December to purposely overshadow everything else. If that's true then it's serving its purpose quite well.

There was actually a piece in Slate this week about people (read: Fox News) saying "merry christmas" in the standofgiraffe way to try and "take back the holiday."

[miles]

From what I understand Jesus was most likely born in the spring, but Christmas was placed in late December to purposely overshadow everything else. If that's true then it's serving its purpose quite well.

There was actually a piece in Slate this week about people (read: Fox News) saying "merry christmas" in the standofgiraffe way to try and "take back the holiday."

I was also under the impression that Jesus was born in the Spring or at least some other time of the year.  I believe Christmas is observed in December to coincide with winter solstice, which was celebrated in pagan Rome as Christianity was starting to take over.  Or I could be pulling this out of my ass?  But that's just what I heard.

That was a really funny article in Slate.

I often say "Happy Holiday" or sometimes "Merry Whatever" because I have no particular investment in Christmas and Hanukkah isn't really a very important holiday.

I've heard this a lot, and that it was made important so Jewish kids felt less left out (or maybe it's a bit more complicated than that)?  But I think holidays are like this anyway.  No where in the New Testament does it say to celebrate or hold sacred Jesus' birth (at least that I can remember).  Holidays' meanings are injected by those who celebrate them.  This is why Christmas can still be a meaningful holiday for someone who isn't Christian.  Personally, I'm a Thanksgiving type of guy.  Nothing beats Thanksgiving.

Holidays or not, enjoy your time off from work/school, everyone!

[arkabee]

Why I Say "Happy Holidays" Instead of "Merry Christmas" On Occassion:

Christmas, to me, encompasses christmas eve and christmas day, along with the couple of weeks precding it.

New years, to me, encompasses new years eve and new years day, and the long, possibly, weekend along with it.

given the close proximity of the two events, rather than say "merry christmas and happy new year" (although, on occassion (but rarely), i do use that phrase) i will say "happy holidays" because i am lazy.

also, given that to the people i am saying this to i will ikely not see them between christmas and new years, i want to make sure that they have a happy entirety of their holiday season.

i'd hate for them to think i hope they have a sad new years because i wished them a merry christmas only.

bill oreily can kiss my ass with a falafal, however.  the disingenuity of attacking the jewish anti-defamation league for RATINGS while espousing that he is somehow standing up for christianity makes me naseous.

if someone doesn't want to say "merry christmas", for WHATEVER reasons, i doubt jesus would condone a ninja-like retributive strike from santa on silent night for the "offender".

that being said, if i say "merry christmas" to someone, and they get pissed, then they have bigger issues because they just got pissed at me for me wanting them to be "well" and "happy" and "merry" and etc.

[CortJstr]

No where in the New Testament does it say to celebrate or hold sacred Jesus' birth (at least that I can remember).  Holidays' meanings are injected by those who celebrate them.  This is why Christmas can still be a meaningful holiday for someone who isn't Christian.  Personally, I'm a Thanksgiving type of guy.  Nothing beats Thanksgiving.

Holidays or not, enjoy your time off from work/school, everyone!

I heard this as well. In fact the version I heard was that the very early Church was against celebrating his birthday. Because at the time it was common for the king's b-day to be a holiday and they didn't want Jesus associated with regular peon earth-kings. But again, just stuff I heard nothing I researched.

Christmas, to me, encompasses christmas eve and christmas day, along with the couple of weeks precding it.

I believe in Spain they don't even exchange gifts until the Day of the Magi so for them Christmas lasts until Jan 6

[PinkStainlessTail]

I've taken to just yelling "EDGAR BERGEN" at people. Seems to sidestep the whole issue. And gives me more time to myself, as well.

(seriously though, Happy Chrimble to you all.)

[Gimpson]

Happy Kwanzaa everybody.  I'm off to Wisconsin via Chicago when I fly out at the ungodly hour of 7:15 tomorrow morning.  Three days at the lake house without access to the internet is just enough for me to relax without starting to get antsy.  

I hope everybody has a pleasant weekend.

[Nabubrush]

My flight back to work was delayed 1.5 hours - it arrived at 2:30 am. 1.5 hours of sleep on the plane and 3 hours of sleep at my brother's house later, I am back at work for whatever holidays show up this time of year. The cab driver said "Happy New Year" to me.

[pmcd9]

I've recieved several e-mails this season from right wingers wishing me a merry CHRISTmas.

Takin' back the holiday brutha.

Anyway, happy CHRISTmas to you all, especially you godless heathens.  

~Paul

It's turkey salad for lunch today, yay!!!

[Nabubrush]

Hey Paul - thanks and happy holidays to you and yours (NO[f]X for me!).

[slink]

Well. Quick stop in to moderate and say, Happy utterly irrelevant date and all that!
I'm trying to sort out a proxy that will only alter my ip to view here. It's a bitch so far, but I refuse to proxy everything.

[V-Adore]

I hope that everyone had a joyous Decemberween. I know that I did.

Of course, now I get to gear up for the big one, Isaac Asimov's Birthday...

(Re: the whole "taking back the holiday" thing -- I was rather fond of Anna Quindlen's comment on the whole thing, which was basically "for the love of God, at this time when we are supposed to celebrate joy and peace and, theoretically, the birth of the Prince of Peace, can you just not be dicks? How hard can it possibly be not to be a dick in Jesus's name?")