Christmas Vs Happy Holidays

This should be my rant.. But here goes. My views on christmas and holidays

First I have a lot of friends who do not celebrate christmas. I respect them for that. They do have other holidays that they celebrate throughout the year I love learning about their own holidays. By learning from them, it gives me such a greater understanding of peoples beliefs.

But my biggest pet peeve- is the how our society is treating christmas. Let me explain. It is not politically correct to say Merry Christmas. Why.. Why cant I celebrate my holiday if others can celebrate their holiday. I dont believe everyone should celebrate xmas when they do not believe in it. But that is their choice. But why should I be shamed into saying Happy Holidays

I dont get this. Happy Holidays. Why say this. Because it doesnt change the fact you replace the word holiday and christmas. For those that do not celebrate christmas. How does changing out those 2 words affect that day . To THem it is still a day. Doesnt matter if you put holiday or christmas. They do not celebrate it.

If you want to be politically correct then al beliefs, all holidays should be banned. Then we can live in a society controlled by the government.


My 2nd rant is the school system. I do love our school. But I know my nieces school. Their HOLIDAY seasons are cancelled because it is not multicultural. However, they have to celebrate chineese new year. See this is what I dont get about multicultural society

I am white, I am a woman, and yes I am a christian. So because I am these things. I should be shamed and surpressed for my beliefs. But I need to be spoon fed.. Other cultures in order to live in this multicultural enviroment. I should applaud.. praise and accept all cultures in our society but my own. My own culture and beliefs are not politically correct and should be abolished.

This is the part I dont get. I agree with a multicultural society. I agree Canada should be one. Where people have the freedom to celebrate their own cultures traditions. Where we need to learn and accept everyone. This is what Canada should be about. BUt saying that. My culture and my ability to celebrate my own beliefs should also be accepted. I should have the right to say MERRY CHRISTMAS. I should feel proud to celebrate the holidays I believe in. I shouldnt be shamed into saying Happy HOlidays because I dont want to offend other people. If People dont celebrate this holiday. Great. BUt why shouldnt I

Mini wrote:

This should be my rant.. But here goes. My views on christmas and holidays

First I have a lot of friends who do not celebrate christmas. I respect them for that. They do have other holidays that they celebrate throughout the year I love learning about their own holidays. By learning from them, it gives me such a greater understanding of peoples beliefs.

But my biggest pet peeve- is the how our society is treating christmas. Let me explain. It is not politically correct to say Merry Christmas. Why.. Why cant I celebrate my holiday if others can celebrate their holiday. I dont believe everyone should celebrate xmas when they do not believe in it. But that is their choice. But why should I be shamed into saying Happy Holidays

I dont get this. Happy Holidays. Why say this. Because it doesnt change the fact you replace the word holiday and christmas. For those that do not celebrate christmas. How does changing out those 2 words affect that day . To THem it is still a day. Doesnt matter if you put holiday or christmas. They do not celebrate it.

If you want to be politically correct then al beliefs, all holidays should be banned. Then we can live in a society controlled by the government.


My 2nd rant is the school system. I do love our school. But I know my nieces school. Their HOLIDAY seasons are cancelled because it is not multicultural. However, they have to celebrate chineese new year. See this is what I dont get about multicultural society

I am white, I am a woman, and yes I am a christian. So because I am these things. I should be shamed and surpressed for my beliefs. But I need to be spoon fed.. Other cultures in order to live in this multicultural enviroment. I should applaud.. praise and accept all cultures in our society but my own. My own culture and beliefs are not politically correct and should be abolished.

This is the part I dont get. I agree with a multicultural society. I agree Canada should be one. Where people have the freedom to celebrate their own cultures traditions. Where we need to learn and accept everyone. This is what Canada should be about. BUt saying that. My culture and my ability to celebrate my own beliefs should also be accepted. I should have the right to say MERRY CHRISTMAS. I should feel proud to celebrate the holidays I believe in. I shouldnt be shamed into saying Happy HOlidays because I dont want to offend other people. If People dont celebrate this holiday. Great. BUt why shouldnt I

I think you should be able to say Merry Christmas any time you like and fully celebrate the holiday you obviously love, lol I can see you doing so to everyone you meet to prove your point. With like minded people as yourself the greeting will be appreciated and accepted as this is the tradition for christians for centuries. I always thought Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays mean't the same thing. What do you mean the school cancelled the holday because it is not multicultural, it's been around forever, I can see why you feel discriminated against if chinese new year is acknowledged.

I know I am included in you circle of friends that do not celebrate as you know. This was my statement below, I wrote yesterday on a thread Izzy started in CWC, and it explains what we are about. That said, if someone says Merry Christmas to me at the checkout at a store or the like I always smile and wish them a very happy holiday, and I mean it, very much the same as birthday wishes. I never have made issue with it to any one's face because it's not that important to me to make trouble. I do point out to those that aren't aware the roots of the holiday because so many don't know of the nasty side of it. Not sure if you read it so ...do I get a present for being the brave one to post to your topic first. Funny thing is in school I remember loving the arts and crafts for the season and never gave it a second thought about mentioning anything deeper. Was whoohoo, time off school, at that time it was a great holiday no matter what they labeled it as.


My family is rooted well into the pagan traditions for centuries and as you mentioned the pagan holidays have been replaced by other religions holidays. "Converting" is a gentle word because the process was a bullying system by the church very similar to the means used in North America far later to wipe out pagan beliefs and xtianise all.

The church tried to divide and conquer and came in with force to negotiate with the multiple Clan kings offering church perks and wealth to encourage the destruction of the prextian beliefs and practises. Nature based religions have a history worldwide. The process of Christianization has at times been relatively peaceful and at times has been a very violent process, ranging from political conversions to adopt Christianity to military campaigns to force conversion onto native populaces.

Christianization was effected only partly through laws against indigenous religious practices, official conversions of temples to Christian churches and the placement of Christian churches over ancient religious sites. It was effected also by the demonization of indigenous pagan gods, traditional practices into witchcraft and the partial Christianization to outright banning of existing rites under threat of torture and death.

My family never celebrated this holiday for generations previous. Yule has rarely been even acknowledged as we are not in the homeland any longer where the weather is more pleasant and not bitter cold as it is here on the prairies. I have a different view of Merry Christmas and how every year it comes up as a topic.

A tad "off the wall" but hundreds of years of genocide against my like minded does not make me merry. Similar to Happy Holocaust...but some say that never happened either and I highly doubt that would be accepted either. JMO.

I was raised to say Merry Christmas. I don't believe it had anything to do with anything religious or faith. It's just how it was. I am still this way. I question religion, but not to the point I lose sleep over it. I say everything from Happy Holidays to Merry Christmas to Seasons Greetings. I change my words in emails, Christmas cards, notes, etc...just to be different, but certainly not with the thought of offending anyone. When I was growing up, Christmas parties was the norm in school. A girl a few years older than me was a Jehovah Witness. When it was Christmas party day she just didn't go to school. Her father was a business man and in later years he frequented a place I worked at. A well liked gentleman and he acknowledged people when they wished him a Merry Christmas. He would just say "you too" or something of the sort. He knew his beliefs as we did and we all respected one another. I don't understand why society is now saying we shouldn't say Merry Christmas. I will always say it, write it and celebrate it. I really just don't see why there is now an issue. They don't have to acknowledge it and certainly nobody is telling them to change.

Pooper what is your religion ?
Maybe you could start a new thread and share some of the traditions you and your family celebrate.
I think religion of all kinds helps people cope with the stress of every day life .

Mini, I too was raised in a Christian home and Merry Christmas was and IS what I say. At my last job we were informed (no, ordered) to wish customers Happy Holidays............luckily I was never overheard by those 'above' as I stuck by what I learned and felt appropriate.

I fully respect all religions, even though I don't really follow any. If a Jewish friend was to wish me Happy Hannukah I would respond with the same. Even though it has no personal meaning to me it does to them and it is my way of expressing my belief that all should be able to celebrate their religious occasions without suppression. To tell me that I cannot speak words that express my celebration of religion/beliefs/tradition is nothing short of tyranny. That is not to say I would walk into a room of say Muslims, wish them Merry Christmas and expect a fully enthusiastic response. I do believe that I have the right to wish a person joy in the celebration or season.......regardless of it's origin.

As for the whole school issue.......I'm constantly grateful my kids have long passed the school age as most of the 'rules and regulations' that seem to hold more importance than education itself are nothing but pure, unadulterated Bullshit.


Pooper, I would love to see you start a another thread that would help those of us that don't understand 'pagan' religion. I do know that word tends to connotate anti-religious practices, while in fact (if I am correct) is actually the basis for many of the religious and non religious celebrations of today. Learning about other life beliefs, especially those that include reverence for nature's gifts is something that truly interests me and I'm sure others would benefit by it as well.

Haha, feathers beat me to it!! :lol:

The reason I choose to say happy holidays instead of picking Say Merry Christmas... is because there are so many holidays in that one month span that it truly is a group of holidays...not just one. I feel it covers all the religious holidays and new years so instead of saying just one, I'm covering everything.... multitasking if you will.LOL

I do celebrate Christmas but not as the birth of Christ but as a time for me to get together with my families and love each other and spend time together. I think of this more as the season of giving since I am not religious.

I don't get offended when people say kind words like Merry Christmas, I say those too to my older family members... and I'm sure I'll say them when I finally have a child....