It's Christmas Day

[thismaz]

It's Christmas Day and I want to send everybody on my flist my very best wishes. And that made me pause, because...

A while ago I saw a post made by someone in America that included the line - The winter holidays are rapidly approaching (my family celebrate Christmas, so if y'all catch me saying "Christmas season" please gently nudge me to cut it out) - and I was struck by this apparent assumption that 'Christmas' is a bad word to use in the US.

The most common theory I have heard for this is that it is avoided to prevent offence to non-Christians, but that doesn't make sense to me. I know that the UK is a highly secular country, especially by comparison with the US, but I honestly don't understand why being wished a 'Happy Christmas' would cause offence.

So I have a theory.

My theory is that this line about offence is a very clever way of trying to separate Christmas, the religious festival, from the commercial razzmatazz that has grown up around it.

Asking people not to mix the two has had no effect. But telling them that wishing non-Christians a Merry Christmas would cause offence, works, because no one really wants to cause offence in the middle of a celebration.

I remember seeing Rich Hall talking on QI about Christmas advertising in the Southern States of the US. I am absolutely certain he was exaggerating (he is a stand-up comedian, after all) but the example he quoted was something like, "KLG, the spark plug Jesus would have used". Now if that isn't a gratuitous and unwarranted (and potentially offensive) commercialisation of religion, I don't know what is.

If trying to get rid of that is the reason why it is now considered a social faux pas to wish someone a Merry Christmas in the US, I can totally understand the desire to use whatever means are necessary to make it socially unacceptable. However, it does create a need for potentially awkward work-arounds (Happy Holidays just doesn't sound right to me).

And anyway, is that the reason?

I'm not a Christian, but I grew up in a country that has a Christian past and heritage. Christmas is the time when people who have family that they get on with, or friends they love, try their best to get together and celebrate that friendship and love.

I therefore wish my flist a Very Merry Christmas. And (with due respect and solemnity) a very happy (belated) Solstice, best (belated) wishes for Bodhi Day, early good wishes for Makar Sankranti, belated good wishes for Hanukkah and Ashura, early best wishes to Rastafarians and to Orthodox Christians for Christmas, early good wishes for Oshogatsu and for the Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh, an early happy new year, and to everybody, the best wishes of the season to you all!

Comments

[kazzy-cee.livejournal.com]

Interesting post - I know what you mean about 'happy holidays' which I personally find a bit strange. I do see what the concept behind it is as we should be considerate to others feelings, however Mr Cee works for a multinational company and often gets wished a Happy Christmas by people of different faiths who just assume he has a Christian background.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Yeah, just me speculating - trying to find a logical explanation for something I don't know enough about to understand *g*
I think I'll continue to stick with Merry Christmas. - Merry Christmas to all the Cees.

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

And a very Merry christmas to you and yours. I hope you get to see everyone you would wish and that everything you desire is on your feast table. :)

As to the Christmas controversy in the US. It's all a bit of a mountain out of a molehill thing. People did complain. Mostly people of no faith rather than a different faith but offense was taken and retailers, not wishing to offend petential customers, started swapping to Happy Holidays. This created a completely over the top counter offensive from the religious right declaring there was an "Attack on Christmas" and the whole thing has become a huge mess. Now some Christians don't want to say Merry Christmas because they don't want to be associated with the rabid religious right people. It's actually very sad.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

And a very Merry Christmas to you, too. It's been a lovely day, so far. I hope your day is equally peaceful and happy.

Ah, so both simpler and sort of sadder than I had imagined. Thank you for the explanation.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I fear that if people don't want me to wish them a Happy Christmas then they have the option of assuming it I just mean for other people... celebrating is not compulsory after all.

But I'm sure you won't mind if I wish you a Very Merry Christmas - have a good day.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Merry Christmas to you, too. That's a good philosophy; I might adopt it. *g*

[tabaqui]

Happy Yule and merry New Year! :)

What texanfan said, mostly. Some people really are being very carefully pc but i, as an atheist, don't care if you wish me Merry Christmas. It's the thought that counts, honestly. Only if someone is being really *militant* about it, like saying 'Merry Christmas' and i say 'Merry Yule' back and they get all snarly will i become a bit waspish, but otherwise - say what you like!

I think playing 'guess the religion' is a lot more offensive than a heart-felt 'Merry Christmas' - i certainly wouldn't be offended at a 'Happy Hanukkah' or anything.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Happy Boxing Day.
I don't like being shouted at, so I was ridiculously nervous about posting this (Not that I though any of my flist would shout, but *shrugs* LJ is an open forum) but I was also honestly puzzled and really wanted to know. I agree with a lot of PC adaptations to the way we speak, but when it is action taken for a pre-emptive fear of offence, then it is annoying because it becomes patronising in itself.
Happy New Year to you and your family, when it arrives.

[tabaqui]

To you, too!

I get tired of people being super-pre-emptive, because not everybody is that touchy and not everybody *cares*, but if you're doing it because of the reaction of a few or of some of the places on lj, well...i don't really blame you. :)

Enjoy your holiday!

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

I guess there will always be people who take offence at anything and people feel the need to take precautions by pre-empting. Personally, I'll celebrate every festival with anyone, hence the variety of good wishes at the end of my post (although some of them are more solemn than others), but Christmas is the one I grew up with and I'll share it as widely as possible.

[sparrow2000.livejournal.com]

I'm not going to wade into the debate, although I have noticed more wishes of 'Happy Holidays' since I came to Canada, but not as many as I suspect you would get in some parts of the US.

All I can say is, much love to you and yours at Christmas and at every other time of the year, my dear. I will look forward to catching up with you tomorrow

s xxx

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Merry Christmas, hon, or (for me, at least) Happy Boxing Day. And to Mr Sparrow, too. *big Christmas hugs*

[smwright.livejournal.com]

Hmm. *waves* You knew you couldn't escape me, right?

I don't actually know what caused all the bah-humbug. Nor do I much care. It may be as texanfan puts it for all I know. I'll say this much: So far as my paltry Christian upbringing - such as it was - allowed, I understand Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus, who whether he was the son of God or not (and as an atheist, I rather go with the 'not'), was still a heavily rockin' dude. I can get behind that sort of celebration. The whole taking care of others bit is something I'd like my children to grow up learning at any rate. So, please, wish me a Merry Christmas all day long, and a very Merry Christmas to you, too, hon.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

You knew you couldn't escape me, right?
And nor would I wish to.

Merry Christmas to you and your family, too.

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

Merry Christmas!

I think it's rooted in political correctness. When I lived in Nottingham, there was a left-wing/feminist/revolutionary bookshop that sold cards at Christmas, and not one of them used the word 'Christmas'. And I found that it really annoyed me, because freedom has to apply to everyone, not to everyone except the former dominant culture, otherwise we're not taking a step forward, just a step sideways.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

And a Merry Christmas and a Happy Boxing Day to you, too. *hugs*
I said to tabaqui that I agree with a lot of the modern PC adaptations to the way we speak, but if they are made from a pre-emptive fear of giving offence, well, that is patronising in itself. In an ideal world there is room for everyone.

[ex_peasant441]

Merry Christmas to you too!

I've never met anyone who personally objects to being wished Merry Christmas, and I've only ever heard of people who object on the theoretical grounds that some other (non-specified) theoretical people might find it offensive. As an atheist who believes in adopting an evidence based approach to life I therefore refuse to believe such people actually exist. In the unlikely situation that they do exist the only sensible response to them would be 'Bah humbug!'

Christmas is a cultural festival celebrated by the overwhelming majority of people in this country in one form or another, with a wide degree of variation in the exact forms and customs celebrated. It therefore strikes me as silly to object to any particular form or custom chosen by other people, whether it is a religious tradition, some social peculiarity, or a commercial bonanza that they happen to celebrate. Choosing to spend Christmas in a massive shopping spree is no more right or wrong than going to church five times, or over eating massivly and slumping in front of the telly all afternoon, or engaging in traditionally silly games while basically marking time to Boxing Day, or anything else.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

And a very happy Boxing Day to you and your family.

I therefore refuse to believe such people actually exist.
*laughs* Oh, I do so agree. I think that was my starting point for this post, too.

Here's to traditional celebration, what ever form it takes and for which ever reason.

[raynejelly.livejournal.com]

I got into the habit of wishing people "Non-Denominational Merriment" this year and I find it works. Granted, I'm an American in one of those irritatingly not-quite-progressive-enough states, but it makes people laugh and doesn't cause offense. I think my favorite recognition of this time of year, however, was from last year's Doctor Who Christmas special [I am slowly becoming a DW Fanatic]:

“On every world, wherever people are, in the deepest part of the winter, at the exact mid-point, everybody stops and turns and hugs. As if to say, 'Well done. Well done, everyone! We're halfway out of the dark.'"

So thank you for the kind wishes, congratulations on being halfway out of the dark, and may your any-denomination merriment last all year long. :-)

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

*laughs* I like "Non-Denominational Merriment" as well. It has a deliberateness that makes it fun.

I haven't seen yesterday's Who, yet, but I hear it is good. Doctor Who is one of those programmes that you have to love, even when it is naff. When it is good, it is really good.

Well done to you, too, on being halfway out of the dark. *g* And best wishes for a very Happy New Year.