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[Doc]

This might be one of those cultural things, ain't no one assumes you go to church around here and Christmas is a fairly secular sort of thing, so maybe that's why it doesn't strike me as much. But then I'm a white male who came up Catholic so I guess if I'm wrong I wouldn't be bothered anyway?

I say happy Holidays or merry Christmas or happy Agnostica or whatever the hell I feel like saying that day because I'm wishing the person I'm saying it to a good time during a time of year that lots of people are celebrating stuff. I think the wish that people enjoy themselves is the important thing is what I'm trying to get at here. If when you say happy holidays you're more concerned with getting across a point about inclusiveness than just wishing someone well I think you may as well not say anything at all or you may as well be up front and say 'remember there are other cultural holidays this time of year' just like the christian dude emphasising the 'CHRISTmas' should say 'your holiday doesn't count as much as mine because mine is the one true solstice festival'.

I just want to wish people well without it being a Thing is all and I hate people finding something to fight about during a time of year when we're all meant to get together and be happy the winter hasn't killed us yet.

The fact that you say happy holidays to make sure as many people will appreciate it as possible puts you firmly in the not-a-dick camp, but we already knew that.

[pmcd9]

I say Merry Christmas because that is what I am celebrating and I wish to extend my holiday cheer to you. 

So anyway, I'm out at a thing tonight, it's our annual reenactment of the bombing of Pearl Harbor dressed as Santa, and one of my friends was saying that she says Merry Christmas when she puts on the Santa suit.  It puts her in a Christmas mood.  I know she's not a Christian.  Her and her boyfriend, he's the dude with the Jesus Christ Monkey Car, have a solstice party every year.  They're pagans or whatever. 

So later on someone said they were repping for Jesus and somebody else said they were repping for the Jews and I said I was repping for the Atheist... Hail Satan.  They told me that if I was an atheist I didn't believe in the devil either.  Crap!

[pmcd9]

Oh yeah, and we had a Krampus and somebody celebrating Hogswatch.  Holidays for all!

[AugustWest]

I try to avoid anger, especially in response to (almost always innocuous) greetings from random strangers.

[Carlos del Vaca]

When someone wishes me a Merry Christmas, I say "maaaaaaaaan, FUCK you" really loud, right in their face.

My mom, in particular, took exception to this.

[Doc]

Merry can-mas Mayor. Or happy Hannucan, whichever you prefer.

[greenkoolayd]

you forgot Can-za

[side_show]

So is this basically all about white guilt?  Being brownish, I tend to be on the receiving end of the uncertainly/tension in these circumstances, while even though I'm an atheist (and sometimes aboriginal spiritual) person, I celebrate Christmas as a secular thing and really love it.  I really have a lot of trouble thinking there is anything but a small minority of non-Christians who give two shakes about people wishing each other well.  I really believe that the majority of people don't want each other to feel like shit, so it's time to sort of walk away from the guilt about this and give out more fuckin' Candy Canes.

[theinevitable]

nope, not really about white guilt. Mostly about having a ton of jewish friends who say that it kind of bums them out when every person says "Merry Christmas" to them.

[wombat]

If you get the day off from work on Christmas I think you should be merry about it no matter your religion. I mean, you don't worship George Washington either but it's nice to get his birthday off, right?

[littlefallsmets]

Honestly, I don't think that parsing out the Merry/Happy split is a gut reaction for anyone.

I think that we let ourselves get played into it by people playing identity politics and... busting it out when they want to divide us if it profits them.

On all sides. This is not one of those things where it is just the religious or the Christian right are absurd about it, though they're certainly the vast majority.

There's people all over the spectrum being herded into this one for the benefit of one identity-politician or another.

[theinevitable]

LFM, you are stupid if you think that. How is it not the case that when someone says "merry Christmas" to my roommate, he notes that he does not celebrate christmas?? Do you think he would forget if it weren't for some grumpy jerks who invented identity politics?

[littlefallsmets]

No, I mean, I get the idea of some negative reaction.

I'm just...

Hm, it's hard to explain. I'm just saying that people wouldn't be so fuck*ng frothed up about this shit, on all sides, if they weren't getting manipulated into it. They'd be mildly weirded out and then move on quickly.

It's like when someone with a smile says "How are you?" I reserve the right to not being false about it.

I reserve the right to say "Ah, I am not having the best day, really, but I appreciate the exchanged pleasantry. I'm glad you seem to be enjoying things."

[wombat]

Hm, it's hard to explain. I'm just saying that people wouldn't be so fuck*ng frothed up about this shit, on all sides, if they weren't getting manipulated into it.

You might find this of interest.
http://atheistoasis.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/an-open-letter-to-christians-merry-christmas-from-an-atheist/

[theinevitable]

I like that article.

True story: a guy yelled at my coworker for saying "happy holidays." She was wearing a santa hat, standing under a row of green and red christmas lights. There is big santa statue next to the service desk, and A GIANT CRUCIFIX over the service desk.