Happy Holidays

Hello, and Season's Greetings. This is the time of year when the retail and advertising industries do their very best to pretend that Jews don't exist. Companies put Santa Claus in their ad campaigns and stores put Christmas trees in their display windows. Christmas music is piped into malls and office buildings. The message is clear: Americans are Christian.
Here in Los Angeles, a billboard for a local radio station shows Santa proudly announcing a solid month of "Holiday music". Los Angeles is home to over a million people who aren't Christian. I hope those people have enough sense to boycott the sponsors of that radio station. Sponsors who think it's acceptable to alienate a section of their audience for a month.
The euphemism "Holiday" is especially insulting when delivered by Santa himself. Advertisers should just say Christmas when they mean Christmas. The implied inclusiveness of "Happy Holidays" is inadequate and insincere. It's a cop-out to make Jews and other non-Christians feel as if they're not being discriminated against. Christianity is not the only religion in America. It's not even the largest in the world. American advertisers need to realize that a Christmas ad campaign is the worst kind of insensitivity. To the non-Christian consumer it says "We don't need your money. You're not our market."

And then there are those idiotic American Christians who think they ARE being discriminated against by the phrase "Happy Holidays".  See, because not having total dominance means you're being persecuted.

I'm Jewish. I have no problem with people wishing me a Merry Christmas, because I understand that (a) they don't know me, so they don't know I don't celebrate Christmas, and (b) I accept it as a wish for the season.

On the other hand, I agree with Ryan. Bill O'Reilly and his buddies are totally overreacting with this "war on Christmas" crap. It's not a war on Christmas; it's an attempt to not exclude anyone. There's a huge difference.

And I also get pissed that certain pop radio stations switch to ALL Christmas, 24/7 for the month before Christmas and, in one case, SIX WEEKS. That's before Thanksgiving! Interspersing Christmas music is on thing, but to totally alienate people who don't want to hear it every minute of every day for six weeks?  I let my local radio station know that I was unhappy. After Christmas was over, the manager emailed me to let me know that they were back to playing their usual music, and they would welcome me back. I told him that I'd found another station that DIDN'T leave me high-and-dry for six weeks, and thanks, but no thanks.

And each year, there are more and more products introduced into stores for my holidays. The Passover displays are much larger than usual this year.  It makes me feel wonderful, and I really do appreciate it.

FaithSF wrote: I'm Jewish. I have no problem with people wishing me a Merry Christmas, because I understand that (a) they don't know me, so they don't know I don't celebrate Christmas, and (b) I accept it as a wish for the season. On the other hand, I agree with Ryan. Bill O'Reilly and his buddies are totally overreacting with this "war on Christmas" crap. It's not a war on Christmas; it's an attempt to not exclude anyone. There's a huge difference. And I also get pissed that certain pop radio stations switch to ALL Christmas, 24/7 for the month before Christmas and, in one case, SIX WEEKS. That's before Thanksgiving! Interspersing Christmas music is on thing, but to totally alienate people who don't want to hear it every minute of every day for six weeks?  I let my local radio station know that I was unhappy. After Christmas was over, the manager emailed me to let me know that they were back to playing their usual music, and they would welcome me back. I told him that I'd found another station that DIDN'T leave me high-and-dry for six weeks, and thanks, but no thanks. And each year, there are more and more products introduced into stores for my holidays. The Passover displays are much larger than usual this year.  It makes me feel wonderful, and I really do appreciate it.

NathanAlexander wrote: I say give the Christians their Christmas back and give me my radio back.

A-men!

Thor wrote: I sometimes send out Hannukah and Kwanzaa cards to my Christian friends and family for Christmas.  My Jewish friends often get the most uber-evangelical Christian cards I can find.  For people who wouldn't necessarily appreciate my sense of humor, I send traditional Christmas or Hannukah cards.

I always send Hanukkah cards to my Jewish friends and family, and either Christmas or Seasons Greetings to my Christian friends.  I always have to buy two different kinds of cards, unless I find something funny and appropriate for all.  But I never just buy Hanukkah cards, because I'm always afraid someone will be offended by a Hanukkah card if they are Christian. To me, as I've said, I don't get insulted by Christmas cards. I guess growing up in a world before there WERE Hanukkah cards got me used to it.

Yes, they've had those for a while now. Sometimes I buy those cards as well. It all keeps the card companies in business, especially if they keep up with the times!

Welcome, Gracie!!!And Happy Pesach to you!

A fellow Northwesterner!  Welcome, Gracie! 

I say Merry Christmas. Only 5% of the population is offended by it, whereas 33% is offended by Happy Holidays (source USA Today, December 2006, Gallup had the same number for MC, and 47% for HH). To me, the odds are in favor of Merry Christmas, so I'll play it safe.

Skibibbles wrote: I say Merry Christmas. Only 5% of the population is offended by it, whereas 33% is offended by Happy Holidays (source USA Today, December 2006, Gallup had the same number for MC, and 47% for HH). To me, the odds are in favor of Merry Christmas, so I'll play it safe.   Since almost everybody celebrates Christmas anyway, I figure it doesn't matter.

I've always been partial to "Merry Kissmyass".  99% offensive. 

I say happy holidays.  If somebody wishes me a merry Christmas, I'll Christmas them back.  I don't see the big deal in saying "Happy Holidays".

This bullsh*t has been going on for a long time. Wal-Mart called them "holiday gifts" back in 1982, the same year Woolco had a "holiday" GOB sale.