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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 16812
[Religious]
Date Posted:
12/11/2006
8:22:42 am EST
Wvox Stats
Views: 8,952
RSS: 22,243
Comments: 11
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Where's The 'Merry Christmas'?
Author: Beth LaMontagne Source: Portsmouth Herald (NH)
Title: WHERE'S THE 'MERRY CHRISTMAS'?
When wishing a stranger holiday cheer, do you say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays"?
In recent years, these once-interchangeable greetings have been transformed into loaded phrases indicating where you stand on the political correctness spectrum.
Because of Fox News' "War on Christmas" campaign and the grassroots petitioning of corporate stores to recognize arguably the biggest Christian holiday of the year, retailers across the country are now challenged to make a choice: Choose to say "Merry Christmas" and possibly alienate people of another faith or stick with "Happy Holidays" and risk losing a giant demographic during the busiest shopping season of the year.
Taking a stroll through downtown Portsmouth, there's no doubt the Christmas season is upon us. Ornate wreathes, lights and stockings hang from shop windows, but as of this past week not one was displaying either the words "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" outside a store.
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Community Thoughts: There are 11 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Ah! Oh Well... | Dec 12th. at 5:15:38 am EST
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Bramble rose (Estacada, Oregon) - Email Me
I used to not care, as it is the thought that counts. They are wishing you well, whatever the religion! Now everytime someone wishes me Merry Christmas, I want to console them. "Are you being forced to say that? You poor dear!" Where is it we are headed anyway?
So Blessed Yule!
and Mostly Happy Holidays!
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| Remember | Dec 12th. at 4:49:26 am EST
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Son of Pan (Huntington Beach, California) - Email Me
'Rob Marley said it's not so much the saying, but the fact that the "holiday season" is replacing Christmas altogether.'
Let's not forget what Christmas did, Rob. This season was a holiday season LONG before Christmas! remember that!
Merry Yule/ Happy Holidays and blessings be to all!
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| Bah. | Dec 11th. at 5:31:04 pm EST
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Sam (Merrick, New York) - Email Me
Clearly Christmas will loose it's meaning if it isn't everywhere. I mean that whole peace on earth and family stuff doesn't mean quite as much as what the woman with the purfume says to you at Macy's....
I honestly don't see what the big deal is, no other group complains this much.
I feel bad for the Athiests/Muslims/Buddists and other people with out a holiday during December that have to hear about this every year, it gets old very fast.
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| Big Whoop. | Dec 11th. at 4:49:01 pm EST
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Lora (Leominster, Massachusetts) - Email Me
There aren't any signs that say, "Merry Christmas" on my Christian neighbors' lawns, either. They do have plenty of little white lights on their shrubbery and walkways, though. The reason they do not have a giant blinking red-and-green "Merry Christmas" sign on their lawn has nothing to do with their feelings of inclusiveness of other religions and everything to do with their aesthetic tastes--here in the Kennedy State, it is rather felt that outside of Roxbury, Lawrence, and Fall River, blinking signs are inappropriately fugly.
There is not a War On Christmas in Massachusetts. A War On Tacky Decorations, maybe.
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| Most Attacked Holiday? | Dec 11th. at 3:10:37 pm EST
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alkhemy (Sunland, California) - Email Me
Funny, I thought Halloween was the most attacked holiday, judging by the tons of Fundie propoganda about how evil it is to go trick or treating...
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| (none) | Dec 11th. at 12:23:33 pm EST
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Llunmere (Germantown Hills, Illinois) - Email Me
Peace is about negotiation. If there is a war on Christmas, then don't take part. Just keep on doing what you were doing. This season is about light, love, and peace, most of all.
Yes I get offended too, but that doesn't mean that I have to jerk my knee and fall for the trap. I really don't see the problem with Happy Holidays because for every faith that has a winter holiday, there is that day (s) and then there's still New Years anyway, so why should anyone get upset in the first place?
The Christian identity was not ever meant to be what it is today anyway, so I also don't understand why people feel so strongly about this. The only thing that has really changed is that people who once hid in their closets have chosen to walk proudly amongst everyone with their secret not emblazoned across their chest, but merely in view.
What a great victory that is, that people feel like they can be themselves a little more. Why this is considered an attack, I don't know, but I'm going to at least talk calmly about it before the shouting starts. The season is about learning to get along because we're all the same, and simultaneously all different.
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| It's Amazing | Dec 11th. at 11:16:18 am EST
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me
How complicated and absurd that this is becoming. Frankly, I'm glad some stores choose not to go the PC route.
As for me, it matters not how I am greeted. I still accept "have a nice day." No matter what day it is.
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