For me I prefer Merry Christmas. for He is the reason for the season.
But....I really just want to say....................to all of the wonderful people here at Yorkie Talk (and your families and furkids)
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Holidays and a very Healthy, Happy New Year.:xmastree1:
May you all be abundantly blessed in the New Year!

okay for the uneducated person in me. what is the difference between Hanakuh and Chanakuh (sorry about the spelling). and Kwanza?? i'm confused and just want to learn more about them. thanks :D

Well, my humble opinion may be controversial but here goes nonetheless,

All this politically incorrect stuff really bugs me. People are so into what should be right and not into the point that people are just genuinely being themselves and not trying to offend anyone. If someone says Merry Christmas, at least that person took the time to acknowledge you and offer a pleasantry to you.

I may sound dumb for saying this but I can't say that I look at someone and then try to determine their heritage before speaking to them any other time of the year, so why should it be different at the holiday season? And yes, I did say holiday season instead of Christmastime because to me it encompasses Thanksgiving thru New Year's. I am Asian so it obvious what I am as well as seeing a Black or Hispanic person, but I can't say I can tell if someone is Jewish and sometimes I can't tell if someone is Italian. And who is to say that just because you can see what race they may be that they are not Jehovah's Witness? I offered a Merry Christmas to a sales lady that I had shopped with and she informed me that she did not celebrate Christmas because she was Jehovah's Witness. I was not embarrassed nor was she offended. I learned something about her and she appreciated the sentiment.

I guess what I am trying to say is that since I celebrate Christmas, what is wrong with exchanging a pleasantry with a total stranger? If the person with whom I exchange this with happens to be of a different religious affiliation, then they can wish me what they wish be it Happy Chanukah or Happy Kwanza. Issue solved and no hurt feelings from either party.

So to all Merry Christmas!

Happy Festivus!

Its Merry Christmas for me.

lol good one!

Well, to have all the decorations and such and not use the term to be politically correct makes no sense to me. If it's a Christmas pride or something... Honestly though like a store greeter, I think the population is too diverse to use holiday terms at all. It just isn't necessary.

I'm a non-denom Christian (although I don't like how the term is used now-a-days) and I don't celebrate Christmas, nor do I even use the phrase Merry Christmas even if I know someone else is celebrating it (not going to go into why b/c the thread would turn religious). I don't wish anybody a happy holiday no matter what holiday it is except for Thanksgiving or birthdays because those are the ones I celebrate. If they were going to go celebrate and have a nice time, then I'd say have a good time...

However, if somebody sends a card or something for whatever holiday, I am happy that they thought of me. :) If somebody says Happy (insert holiday here), I either just don't say anything or say thank you. If somebody was close to me and knew darn well that I didn't celebrate and why and still kept saying Happy (insert holiday here), then I might start to get irritated.

I would rather not use Merry Christmas (myself), so I'll generally use Happy Holidays, if I use anything. I don't mind the Xmas thing, bc I don't think it's intended as an insult, nor does it have an origin solely based in convenience (like Nancy explained). Though I do love convenience :)!

The 'holiday' season (as seen here in the U.S....from Tgiving thru New Years) is not a happy (or celebratory, for various reasons) time for everyone. It can be a 'season' of increased sadness, stress, memories, ...what have you. That's not to say everyone should go about thinking "oooo, I wonder if I should not say anything just IN CASE so-and-so doesn't like the holidays". I'm just mentioning it, that's all....bc happy and merry is sometimes the last thing someone might be feeling.

Still, I don't mind hearing the "Merry Christmas" thing, as long as people are just as accepting regarding other religions' holidays and sayings. I'm not sure at times if we fully realize just how diverse the world's religions are...and that doesn't always feel right to me.

*Shrugs*...at the end of the day, I can see why some people truly want to celebrate the holidays to the fullest. I can also understand why it makes people of other religions feel a bit sensitive (bc I feel sensitive for them, even from the outside).

It may depend on the region you live in. I say Happy Holidays because people around here are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and non-practicing, so I wouldn't be getting very good coverage with Merry Christmas. :) Most religions have a winter holiday, so my feeling is that this IS truly the month of holidays.

Or, to look at it another way, this is the season to love our fellow men, so why not be as inclusive and generous as possible?

I'm not religious at all. Yet I have zero problems with anyone wishing me a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza or anything else. Just because I don't share the same beliefs in them doesn't mean I have to reject their beliefs or be offended by what they say. Honestly, this PC thing has just gotten out of hand.

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Love this :).

I also don't mind the abbreviation of "xmas"... it's just a quicker way of typing something out for me. No disrespect to the Christ in Christmas. Like I said in another thread, I am just not that sensitive of a person or take offense to many things.

Just because somebody else is depressed doesn't mean I'm not going to wish them merry. I was super depressed at one point in time, my little 5 year old brother passed away in the summer of 2006, and the LAST thing I wanted to do was celebrate Christmas w/o him. But in the end, all of our family and close friends ended up going to a restaurant with us on Christmas Eve, and we spent the evening reminiscing, remembering his life, laughing, and ended up having a "merry" time during the worst time in our lives. THAT'S what Christmas, or the holiday season, is all about, imo. My step-dad lost his father and his son one year apart from each other, and 10 years prior lost his brother and his best friend. He still wishes people a Merry Christmas and enjoys the holiday's as much as possible. Just because I'M depressed doesn't mean I want the whole world to acknowledge that, or for them to not wish me a merry Christmas. We have so much to be thankful for even in the worst of times and as hard as it can be for people to see that, it's true.

I say Merry Christmas to most with the exception of those I know who are of another religion as in Happy Chanuka to my dear Jewish friends and they wish me Merry Christmas on my holiday. My 2 best friends are Jewish one sends me a Happy Holiday card that says Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas on the card and my other Jewish friend even puts up a Christmas tree in her own home who is actually Israeli. I just feel if you are genuinly a considerate person what you say shouldn't offend anyone.

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Nice thread (thanks for starting it Brit), and it's interesting to hear everyone's thoughts. I honestly don't think anybody has bad intentions when wishing others a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or Happy anything else, and it's a shame we even have to worry about all the political correctness.

However, I often take the route of "Happy Holidays" just to cover all bases.

But, being in Hawaii, my favorite is MELE KALIKIMAKA :D

Last week, our office was decorated for the "season" and all I can say is nothing says Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy kwanzaa, happy festivis or whatever your fancy like the way we did this year at our office.

A photo of a lion with a dead antelope in its mouth as part of our "seasonal" office decor.:eek:

I am trying to wrap my head around how a fresh kill would signify any holiday, but I'm not going to sweat it if I don't. I just am glad we have a different theme each year because this one was just really out there.

Happy Hunting, I suppose.

Okay so my crazy mom raised me (and my brother and sister) Pagan so as a child i always got very upset by the merry Christmas thing but when someone said happy holidays i thought they wear saying it just so i did not feel left out. it made me feel special.
now that i have custody of my brother and sister I find it rude when the school plays a Christmas movie the day before Thanksgiving break. I had to go to the school and pick my brother up early because they wear doing a Christmas project and the teacher felt it would be too difficullt to change it "fit our faith"
my sister who is in high school was told she could come in during Christmas break to make up a test because "she was not doing anything important".

in general i dont say anything and when the kids want to watch a Christmas movie i always let them and this year for the fist time my brother asked if he could write a letter to santa and i told him yes but when we are out in public i an upset when someone says merry Christmas and i have to see how upset that one comment makes my ten year old. i feel like its really just nicer to say happy holidays

That sounds like a very strange office, to say the least.

I hadn't realized this was such a big deal. Does anyone here watch 30 Rock? They had a really funny spoof on this.