Quoted from Facebook

[yendi]

I just left this comment in a friend's post on FB, but it pretty much sums up my thoughts on the subject:

I don't say "happy holidays" because I'm engaging in the nonexistent War on Christmas. I say it because it gets the paranoid folks with their privileged inability to recognize real bias and prejudice all excited and angry.

(I also say it because it's generally proper and inclusive; unless I know what holiday someone celebrates, why get specific. But reason doesn't work on the people who perceive the war, anyway.)

Comments

[readingthedark.livejournal.com]

I say, "Happy Holidays," because I, personally, am not that into Christmas...but I'm even more motivated to do it because, like you said, it's proper and inclusive. Around age fourteen, I wished a Jewish friend, an adult, "Merry Christmas." She said it back with a strange smile. It took me ten minutes to realize that I was an idiot.

I'm no more comfortable presuming a person's Christian by looking at them than I am presuming they're any other religion. If that bothers someone, it's clearly their problem.

[yendi]

[kk1raven.livejournal.com]

As far as I can tell, even acknowledging that anyone might celebrate anything other than Christmas is taking part in "The War on Christmas" in the minds of some people.

[yendi]

Yup.

[muse0fire.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

[dadandgirl.livejournal.com]

You know, this year I spotted Christmas advertising a week before Halloween. It's invading, and advancing at a steady pace. That's when I realized - it's not a "War on Christmas". It's "The War of Christmas Aggression".

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

Close. It's The War of Christian Aggression.

[radiumhead.livejournal.com]

I just say merry christmas.

I dont see it as a "christian" holiday anymore, its just an excuse to be off work, and eat & drink. Everybody can get behind that.

[elizabear.livejournal.com]

I say "Have a great holiday", which everyone seems to find acceptable.

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

if I'm talking to someone I know slightly (rather than a complete stranger or friend) I say "enjoy YOUR Holiday!" and no one, so far, has seen that as problematic.

[jerel.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's good. I might take that. I usually say "happy holidays," unless I know what a person celebrates.

[masque12.livejournal.com]

I say "HAIL SANTA!", with the horns.

[masque12.livejournal.com]

Usually while wearing the shirt in the icon, although whoever made this icon changed the text font from what appears on the original shirts I made.

[cissa.livejournal.com]

LOL! Esp with the icon!

[jmfunnyface.livejournal.com]

You're a nicer person to me. I always write, "I say "Happy Holidays" because I'm not an inconsiderate douchebag who is only capable of thinking of her own belief system."

[cissa.livejournal.com]

I generally say "Happy Holidays", unless someone is making a Reap Point of saying "Merry CHRISTmas" to me. Then I've usually defaulted to "Welcome Yule!", but I'm contemplating "Io Saturnalia!" as being even more pagan-y.

Mostly I don't run into that, though. The worst time was in a biz setting- I'd gotten WILD recommendations for this one small casing outfit, so I sent him some of my earlier stuff. Which, as you've guessed, is pretty pagan-y- especially some of the prototypes.

He was clearing mightily offended by this. Not, mind you, offended enough to refuse to do it; merely offended enough to both overcharge me and do a piss-poor job, and be VERYVERY CHRISTian in his sigs to his emails. I suppose he thought ripping me off would be a Good Witnessing to me. Or something. So when he did "Merry CHRISTmas!"- yes, just like that- I replied "Happy Yule"... and found another caster.

I'm going to post this on my journal, I think.

[captain18.livejournal.com]

I say some variant of "Happy Holidays to you and your family" when I'm on the phone with customers -- because I don't know what religion the caller subscribes to.

And I love the fact that I have a built-in response when I get the inevitable jackasses who asks whether my employer won't let me say 'Merry Christmas': "No, it's because my family is part Chrstian and part Jewish, thanks."

In 7 years I've only had one person do anything but stop and apologize after that.