I’m tired of the so called “war on Christmas.” Honestly. I don’t even like hearing about it. It’s Thanksgiving and I’m already tired of hearing about it. The whole thing at times just seems so silly to me. But here’s the thing -the part that seems silly to me is that all these retailers want Christmas shoppers business but they don’t want to say “Christmas” or mention the birth of Jesus at all. And when I think about that I get my dander up. Just a little.
I can’t imagine there’s too many people out there who get offended by the word “Christmas” in stores so what’s the problem? But some stores have taken to calling everything “holiday” or some other generic and supposedly unoffensive word. But you know what -when I see “holiday” I notice it.
And I notice when the American Family Association comes out with its list of retailers who recognize Christmas because I’d like to shop at stores that aren’t sooooo politically correct that they are afraid to mention Christmas.
November 26, 2010 at 3:05 am
I use it every year. And stores are responsive! This year I notice several stores that were in the "unfriendly" category a few years ago that I distinctly remember going into, pulling the manager aside and saying "I'm returning these items because you are ashamed to say "Christmas" but still want me to buy Christmas gifts in your store." Apparently a lot of other people did the same thing. I'm glad they are not "friendly" and I will return to shop there now.
November 26, 2010 at 3:06 am
That should have saud "I'm glad they are noW "friendly" and I will return to shop there now
November 26, 2010 at 4:31 am
I take a little comfort in the word holiday- it means holy day- so they can't get away from truth!
November 26, 2010 at 11:34 am
Hanukkah this year is December 1-9, and retailers are aiming to sell to Jewish people and to people of other faiths, too. So "Happy Holidays" seems appropriate to get the widest possible market of customers. Maybe after the 9th stores could explicitly say "Christmas" in their advertising? That might be a workable compromise.
November 26, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Oh Matt… don't you understand? The people behind this site aren't about compromise, aren't about working with other people. When I saw the title of this, I actually hoped tha5t common sense would potentially rule, but no…
The Archibalds are about pushing their own particular brand of cafeteria Catholicism. Everything on this site is cynically based on that.
November 28, 2010 at 12:44 am
Matt,
Jews constitute at most 2% of the U.S. population. That's 2%. Logically, it makes no sense to insult the majority of your customers (at least 85% of the U.S. population claim to be Christian)in order to gain the business of no more than 2% of the population, now does it? Without people spending on CHRISTMAS there would be no "Holiday" shopping season, and most retailers would be out of business. That is why the American Family Association's list is effective: retailers know darn well that people are spending all that $ this time of year on CHRISTMAS gifts, not Kwanza gifts, not Hanukkah gifts, not Ramadan gifts – CHRISTMAS gifts. Furthermore, Hanukkah is a very minor holiday on the Jewish calendar and only became more commercialized with more gift-giving in response to the Christmas gift-giving frenzy. Still, as I've already noted, none of the these other religious celebrations come anywhere close to keeping retailers afloat. Christians have a right to insist that CHRISTMAS be acknowledged as the reason for the season if retailers expect to profit from it.
– Ann
November 29, 2010 at 12:55 am
Christmas is a Catholic Holy Day, not observed by reformed Protestants until the last century.
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/xmas/celeb.htm
so I say we give it back to the Catholics and be done with it.
November 30, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Target is good to go!
Last year, my sister spent the time responding to folks wishing her "Merry Christmas!" by saying "due to company policy I can't express that I reciprocate your expressed wishes."
This year, they called them all together at the start of November and said that they were NOT IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM restricted from wishing folks a joyful Christmas!
November 30, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Anon of NOVEMBER 28, 2010 7:55 PM-
Christmas isn't pagan, and the Puritans TRIED to block Christmas– it didn't work so well. Amazing, try to destroy every bit of joy from the dead of winter, and it doesn't work. Hm.
December 2, 2010 at 11:57 am
Foxfire,
Do the research.
December 2, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Anon-
did the research. Even linked it for you.
December 2, 2010 at 3:15 pm
(For those wondering: the two supposedly "stolen" celebrations were Saturnalia- which never ran to the 25th– and Natalis Invicti, which came after Christians were doing the Christmas thing.)
December 9, 2010 at 12:49 am
I'm simply suggesting that Catholics keep it a holy day, and every one else just be honest and rename it something like "gifting day". LOL The battle over keeping Christ in the holy day will be up to the Catholic Church. Everyone else can do whatever they want. The whole thing is bizarre.
December 9, 2010 at 9:16 pm
Last comment…
Maybe the Whos in Who-ville had a better understanding of this than you or me. Their Christmas came without all the gobbledygook. I challenge you all to just celebrate the day without the tree and the nativity scenes, and the gifts and the cookies and the new Christmas outfits, etc, etc, etc. Celebrate it like the angels and shepherds did in wonder and exaltation and fear and trembling. Ponder the meaning of God manifested in the form of a baby. Perhaps the merchants won't like it, but maybe, just maybe the LORD will.
Happy Gifting Day to All and to All a Good Night.
December 9, 2010 at 9:38 pm
Christ is present in the Mass, even when it's conducted on a make-shift altar on the hood of a Jeep in the middle of a war zone.
That is no argument against giving God a lovely house, a proper altar.