The Observation Deck

As I was paying for some Christmas gifts I wished the cashier a Merry Christmas. She looked at me for a second and said "How do you know I am not offended by Merry Christmas?"

She caught me off guard so my response may not have been appropriate.
I said sarcastically, "How do you know I'm not offended by Happy Holidays?"

Was my response appropriate?

As I am writing this I started thinking about an experience I had a few years ago while walking down a street in Cleveland Heights. A women was walking towards me with her two small children. As I walked by one of the children looked up, smiled and said "Good Sabbath". I simply said "Good Sabbath".

I guess the question here is that since I am not Jewish should I have said
"How do you know I am not offended by Good Sabbath?"

I am sure you had good intenions in wishing a Merry Christmas, but possibly it could be that this person took issue with the fact that everyone seems to ASSUME Christianity, which is of course not the case. Also, there are the fundies that are whining about the taking out of Christ from Christmas with the Happy Holidays, when I believe it is all about consideration and inclusion for all the other peoples of this secular nation.

Chrsitian or not, Christmas is a national holiday. Wishing someone a "Merry Christmas" shouldn't be offensive to anyone since it's become so secular anyway.

I think this is just another symptom of the rampant extreme political correctness in today's society. There's always a reason to be respectful of other views, but there's also a point where it becomes ridiculous.

I also would be willing to bet that those that might act offended by it are certainly happy to get that day off from work.

Having grown up in a Jewish neighborhood, I am very sensitive to this issue. I am always careful to buy both religious and non religious holiday cards. I also wish people if I don't know their religion a Happy Holiday.

However, I can't imagine any of my friends being insulted by a Merry Christmas. They realize that it is meant nice.

I tend to agree with Lynn....But, when I wish someone a Merry Christmas, its not because I'm proselytizing, merely passing on greetings of the season. If they choose not to celebrate, so be it, but I'm only sharing my good feelings this time of year.

A short story along these lines:

Probably 20 years ago, we had an employee whose religion prohibited exchange of Christmas gifts. Before the office closed for Christmas, my father handed out employee Christmas presents....cash. As everyone else was saying their thank yous before heading home, she approached my father and told him she could not accept a "Christmas Gift", but would happily accept a year-end bonus, as she handed back her package. I'm sure she expected he would "repackage" his gift as a year-end bonus, but instead, said,"Well, I respect your beliefs, but it is a Christmas present, we've never handed out bonuses"....and she left empty handed.

Jeff

you are a thoughtful woman, lynn.

the phrase "merry christmas" has yet to get me in politically incorrect trouble. however, i have come across a few scowls upon uttering the phrase. interestingly enough though, i get more people offended when they learn that my children never believed in santa claus. all of my young children are aware that the heavy set, red suit wearing dude is a myth. they know because i told them. and you wouldn't believe how many people get pissed about it. "how could you rob them of that?" is the usual response. rob them of what? believing that some fake guy is responsible for the booty under the tree? why should he get the credit when it is my husband working overtime in the last months of the year to finace said booty? it's bad enough they think that the atm just passes out money to whomever pulls up to it (isn't that nice of the bank to just give away money!) let alone have them believing in some oversized old man doling out presents once a year. people can be offended by the christian aspect of the holiday all they want, hey, it's america, land of the offended. but know also that people get just as offended (sometimes more) when the secular saint, santa claus, gets the brush off too.

kate (I'M SANTA, DAMNIT) parker

I enjoy receiving "Happy Winter Solstice" cards every year! But seriously, we do owe Christianity a debt for creating Christmas. What sends the message of Christ more strongly than buying things?

Yawn--nice to see the GOP talking points from Fox make it onto the Observation Deck.

This entire non-issue has been manufactured by John Gibson over at Fox to sell some books. Even though people have been saying "Happy Holidays" for over 30 years, he and the neanderthals at FNC are joyfully propagating the notion that there is a war against Christmas being conducted by the venomous, all-powerful secular liberal elites. As all good conservatives know, Christians are not safe to practice their religion in our country. Perhaps someday we will live in nation where Christian churches are free to operate in towns like Lakewood. Heck, maybe someday we will have churches right here on Madison or Detroit Avenues...

Well, for the GOP it sure beats talking about trivial issues like Iraq, job losses, gas prices, heating bills, Katrina, the trade deficit, 40 million without health care, political corruption (take your pick....Scooter, Frist, The Hammer, the Duke etc.)

After all, you can't talk about Natalee all 24 hours of the day....

Odd isn't it. From as long as I can remember, (LHS class of '68 you do the math no one crabbed about "Merry Christmas". My dad's Jewish friends said it to us, and gave us gifts. We reciprocated with THEIR holiday terminology and gave THEM gifts. Some of their kids celebrated both, and really made out. No one made any issues.

BUT....this is the time for political attack and "I'm going to make MY point - screw YOUR belief" era. ie: The ACLU forced each state to spend OUR money for OUR Attnys General to defend against it's 50 state suit to try to get the courts to disallow registration and/or public listing of sex offenders. They lost, but it still cost each state OUR money, just to cite just one example.

So, if you know what I look like, if you can't say Merry Christmas to me, I'm asking politely, just say Hi or Hello or something. No Happy Holidays bit for me, thank you.

Btw, Jim, how much would t-shirts cost that would say something to that effect? Maybe the "other side" would like t-shirts to say something they want to say.
(ok do I get a % of this idea )

Mark Allan Crnolatas
"A society or group of people exist soley in it's ability to maintain an atmosphere of peace and civility. It's failure is directly relative to the degree of the lack of these conditions".

How you make the leap from Merry Christmas to sex offenders is remarkable.

Mark Crnolatas wrote:Odd isn't it. From as long as I can remember, (LHS class of '68 you do the math no one crabbed about "Merry Christmas". My dad's Jewish friends said it to us, and gave us gifts. We reciprocated with THEIR holiday terminology and gave THEM gifts. Some of their kids celebrated both, and really made out. No one made any issues.

BUT....this is the time for political attack and "I'm going to make MY point - screw YOUR belief" era. ie: The ACLU forced each state to spend OUR money for OUR Attnys General to defend against it's 50 state suit to try to get the courts to disallow registration and/or public listing of sex offenders. They lost, but it still cost each state OUR money, just to cite just one example.

So, if you know what I look like, if you can't say Merry Christmas to me, I'm asking politely, just say Hi or Hello or something. No Happy Holidays bit for me, thank you.

Btw, Jim, how much would t-shirts cost that would say something to that effect? Maybe the "other side" would like t-shirts to say something they want to say.
(ok do I get a % of this idea )

Mark Allan Crnolatas
"A society or group of people exist soley in it's ability to maintain an atmosphere of peace and civility. It's failure is directly relative to the degree of the lack of these conditions".

Mark


You know my business A Graphic Solution is not just the finest T-Shirt shop in town it is also the most affordable. But as one of my very dear and old friends Daffy Dan(Dan Gray) used to tell me. "Jim, do not worry about my percentage, keep all the profits, I'll give you a fair price for the print job."

As far as what people say to me. Does it really matter? Do I really want to waste energy on words that take seconds and rarely mean what they say? I am a member of a very small sect (Obism) that embraces ALL religions, so I might have a different view than most. But it is always a good idea to take the high road, nod, smile, shake their hand, and a nice little "Back at you times two."

Grace

I am with you. In my decades of working forums and boards. "Merry Christmas to Sex Offenders" was a leap that was dazzling!

So in that vein, as Pee Wee Herman would say, "Shalomo"


.

Jerry Ritcey wrote:I enjoy receiving "Happy Winter Solstice" cards every year! But seriously, we do owe Christianity a debt for creating Christmas. What sends the message of Christ more strongly than buying things?

Maybe giving those things to others?





.

Mike Deneen wrote:Yawn--nice to see the GOP talking points from Fox make it onto the Observation Deck.

This entire non-issue has been manufactured by John Gibson over at Fox to sell some books. Even though people have been saying "Happy Holidays" for over 30 years, he and the neanderthals at FNC are joyfully propagating the notion that there is a war against Christmas being conducted by the venomous, all-powerful secular liberal elites. As all good conservatives know, Christians are not safe to practice their religion in our country. Perhaps someday we will live in nation where Christian churches are free to operate in towns like Lakewood. Heck, maybe someday we will have churches right here on Madison or Detroit Avenues...

Well, for the GOP it sure beats talking about trivial issues like Iraq, job losses, gas prices, heating bills, Katrina, the trade deficit, 40 million without health care, political corruption (take your pick....Scooter, Frist, The Hammer, the Duke etc.)

After all, you can't talk about Natalee all 24 hours of the day....

what the heck are you babbling on about? the initial post in this thread was from a guy who shared a personal story (didn't see the letters fnc anywhere in that post) about the word 'christmas'. this debate has been going on for a few years now. foxnews did not just manufacture this. john gibson is a boob and he belongs no where in this thread. and just so you know, over in the global area of the observation deck, things like iraq, gas prices, katrina, etc, etc are discussed almost daily so screw fox news and msnbc and cnn and all the other talking heads. and i don't even have cable, so all of this book-selling crap by gibson, i wouldn't have even known about until you just spelled it out. i'm sure that rupert murdoch thanks you for the advertising. instead of bringing the idiot media into this thoughtful thread, perhaps, and this is only a suggestion, you could start a thread about the pukehole that is the american media, i'm confident that it could turn into a several pager, haha.

oh, and before i forget, merry christmas.



kate

Jeeeeeeeeez Loueeeeeeeeeeze Kate!!!!!!!!

Chill!!!!!!

Stan

Happy Kwanza

Goodness Kate, weren't you the one who started the thread begging for a "kinder, gentler" forum and asking posters to stop being, in your words,

condescending, pompous, browbeating, nasty, my-opionions-are-better-than-yours, psychiatrist office, uncivil discourse or rude?

Was that a "do as I say, not as I do" moment?