Battle troops continue to mass for the War on Christmas. This morning, FOX News ran a poll showing that viewers favored saying "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays" by a margin of something like 60% to 20% (the remaining 20% apparently opting for "go to hell" instead).
As far as I'm concerned, this is much ado about nothing. There's no reason whatsoever that these two greetings need to be mutually exclusive. What the pro-Christmas partisans fail to realize is that there are several holidays in the "holiday season." In fact, I have always taken "Happy Holidays" as shorthand for "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's" (and, around this time, a belated "Happy Thanksgiving," too). People who wish you a Merry Christmas in early December seem to be jumping the gun a bit. (If you want to wish me a happy Advent, go right ahead.) Even worse than jumping the gun, the early MCers are merely buying into the retailers' definition of Christmas: it starts the day after Thanksgiving and ends when your bank account is drained.
So, "Happy Holidays" does not even have to include all the so-called holidays of other religions, the members of which are undoubtedly little other than a heretical stain on our righteous Christian nation. It's just a catch-all for several red-blooded American holidays that happen to bunch together at the end of the year. For those of us who don't hate Jews and Kwanzaa-celebrating African Americans, however, "Happy Holidays" has the added bonus of making us inclusive, and tolerant people—or, as many of the soldiers of Christmas would have it, dirty, God-hating communists. (Come to think of it, when's the last time you saw any of these curmudgeons being "merry" anyway?)
There's really no end in sight, and battle lines are still being drawn in the snow. My only advice is to keep your head down and, whatever you do, don't go shopping. You're just asking for trouble.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Natalie Davis
What about non-African-Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa? Do you like us too? ;)
"...heretical stain on our righteous Christian nation" Priceless! Thanks for the grin.
2 - Nancy
I have a hard enough time getting out general holiday cards, etc. let alone trying to conform to multiple holidays, which is why I have switched to generic "Happy Holidays" messages instead of religious-specifics. As it is, I'll probably be mass-emailing this year. Shame on me.
3 - Michael J. West
I keep having this image of Christian soldiers defending Christmas looking gung-ho and valiant, marching onto the battlefield and discovering that the evil, secular army of Christmas killers hasn't shown up.
I wonder how long they'll keep fighting the war before they discover that the evil, secular army of Christmas killers doesn't exist?
4 - Natalie Davis
Doesn't matter if they really exist. So long as the Christian right continues using them as bogeymen, it will continue to rake in bucks from and publicity with its likeminded and obedient sheep, who will believe its leaders no matter what.
5 - Silas Kain
What ever happened to Season's Greetings? Or is that too generic?
6 - Natalie Davis
I actually like "Seasons Greetings." It's friendly and it communicates peace and goodwill.
7 - diana hartman
as a military wife i'm surrounded by christian conservative americans, many of whom are curiously afraid of christmas going by the wayside...i have yet to find/hear/see evidence for their fears...
i'm agnostic and so into christmas that i've started to seriously look into real estate in rothenburg here in germany...all that is christmas doesn't have a time of year for me, it just has a time of year when it's acceptable for those who celebrate it...
if there were any christmas criminals creeping around, it's safe to say i'd know it...i don't know what the hoopla is about...honestly, it almost seems like they doth protest too much...perhaps it is the christmas cops who are really the underhanded sneaks trying to do away with it, perhaps even getting kickback from merchandisers of hanukkah and kwanzaa as preparations are made for a commercial overthrow of christmas and the entire month of december...
something that crazy makes way more sense than the idea that leftist liberals are so powerful and mind controlling that they can take down an entire holiday just by using a greeting that was already in use...
hallmark shouldn't pass on this opportunity...they could play on the fears and extend the scope of the lunacy by offering "many cheers on your sperm contributor day" and "wishful delights for your egg contributor day"...there could be a "happy 7/4", "happy 1/1", and "congrats on the anniversary of having made it through the birth canal day"...
i think they should just try that...
8 - Victor Lana
I like Season's Greetings too, Silas. It avoids the whole "holiday" thing completely. This is a happy season for all. Seasons Greetings! Makes perfect sense.
Besides, there are three holidays and New Year's to consider. Happy Holidays just makes more sense, but I still like Season's Greetings best.
And, personally,from time spent in the UK, I love "Happy Christmas." I like that most of all within family.
9 - Bennett
Great stuff diana! Happy 1/1! That's funny!
Good post Pete!
10 - -E
My New Years is better than your Christmas. Happy Holidays.
11 - Terry Lowery
Substituting the word holiday for Christmas is political correctness at its worst. I suppose next that everyone will be afraid to say holiday because it actually means holy day. Who are these "pc police" anyway?
If you think the political correctness movement is much ado about nothing you are sadly mistaken. It is an attempt to control the way you think and talk and apparantly it is working.
12 - Pete Blackwell
Read the post before you spout off, Terry. People often use Happy Holidays because they are, in fact, talking about multiple freaking holidays, i.e. Christmas, New Year's, maybe Thanksgiving. It's not necessarily PC. And who are you to say what's controlling what I think? Sounds like you got your "pc police" line straight from AM radio...
If you think Christians in America are in any real danger of being marginalized, then you're the one who is sadly mistaken.
13 - Mary K. Williams
Good post Pete -
Some of you might have read my take on the Christmas part of the holiday season. I do love it (hate the stress, but oh well) but I don't feel it has to be started before, or even ON Thanksgiving.
I love this part:
"Even worse than jumping the gun, the early MCers are merely buying into the retailers' definition of Christmas: it starts the day after Thanksgiving and ends when your bank account is drained"
I don't mind "Happy Holidays" as the inclusive greeting the way Pete mentioned - but the PC stuff is for the birds.
Dont' get me wrong, it's great to acknowldege other groups' holidays - (writing from the Christian POV) -
but really, who would be sorely offended if a Jew wished you a sincere "Happy Hanukkah" (If they just assumed you were Jewish or just wanted to say it anyway)? Would you really be upset if someone said, "The Best of Solstice or Saturnalia Greetings to you"? I wouldn't. I'd be be flattered that someone wanted to wish me something pleasant - whether it was 'my holiday' or not.
14 - Terry Lowery
Get your head out of the sand, Pete. It most definately is PC when all of a sudden it is considered inappropriate to wish someone a Merry Christmas.
Holiday gifts, holiday lights, holiday tree are all attempts to take Christ out of Christmas.
And, yes, I did read the post.
15 - Nancy
It matters not what religion you reference, all holiday foods are totally delicious & totally fattening. It's not fair.
16 - GoHah
besides, the name of pagan god Mithra, whose birthday the Christians co-opted, would make for a tongue-twister of a greeting. Try saying Merry Mithramas three times real fast, let alone once.
Merry Christmas! (ah--much better)
17 - Nancy
I find it interesting that most religions, especially the older ones, have some sort of dead-of-winter festivity, when food supplies are getting low, along with the temperatures & the daylight. Some things seem to be universal to the point of almost DNA-generated.
18 - Mary K. Williams
There is a lot of truth to that Nancy.
19 - Silas Kain
Anyone see the "politically correct" version of Silent Night and other Christmas Carols on SNL this weekend? It's hysterical. Another thing I was thinking about this weekend was those little Christmas Carol books that John Hancock Insurance used to give away. I don't think there was a kid anywhere who didn't have one when I was growing up.
20 - Nancy
Politically correct christmas carols? That does sound pretty funny. I got my best immersion in carols when my latin teacher made us pick one & translate it (Adeste Fideles was out, of course). I chose "White Christmas", and boy, was I sorry! Let me tell you, "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer" is a trip in Ceasar's latin.
21 - Sylvain
I say Merry Christmas and always say this no matter what. I also say Christmas Tree not Holiday Tree. Are people going to change the songs that say Christmas in them to Holiday I think not. People should be ashamed of themselves even thinking about calling this holiday something else, it is Christmas and it will stay that way for years to come period.
22 - Ralph Unroe
It is Christ's Birthday and the time we celebrate is at Christmas. The christian does not interfer with other's celebration. Why interfer with paying honor to our Creator.
One day we all will be aware of who He is.
Thank you
23 - Jim
WE all have freedom of our own speech -- to me Merry Christmas is for Christmas - Thing that gets me is seeing stores and places calling Christmas trees "Holiday" trees. C'mon!
This world has gone crazy -- I can hardly wait to see what the next 10 years brings!!!!! "Happy Birthday"??? How dare you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year!
24 - Link
I say, we need to keep with the traditional Merry Christmas greeting, because the majority of United States citizens are Christians. Look at the statistics. Christmas is the most celebrated holy day, this time of year. To force the majority of people (Christians) to rename Christmas to the degraded generic "happy holidays" is simply wrong. And it's wrong to try to change the majority to please the very few in comparison. Merry Christmas!!!!!!!
25 - Shark
"FOX News ran a poll showing that viewers favored saying "Merry Christmas"... "
I wonder where "Please step into the de-lousing chamber" was on their viewers' list of preferences...?
BTW: just for the record, I always say,
"Happy Birthday to Your Theomorphic Mythological Being!"
--- rolls right off the tongue!