When you interpret it that way. For the past few years the Right-wing, with the help of Bill O’ Reilly and other pundits have been waging a “War for Christmas” by trying to force people to say “Merry Christmas” as opposed to “Happy Holidays”.
Personally, I’ve always celebrated Christmas, albeit secularly. I don’t celebrate Hanukah, unless I happen to be invited to a Hanukah party. Not only do people celebrate Christmas, but we also celebrate Thanksgiving at the end of November and New Years. Last I checked, New Years and Thanksgiving didn’t have much to do with Christmas, but most American Christians celebrate them. If you say “Happy Holidays” you can include all 3 of the holidays instead of just one. Therefore the term “happy holidays” just makes more sense. This whole time of year is just a string of holidays where you have to spend time with family and friends, get fat, and drink lots of booze. When I was younger, I celebrated time off of school. In my old age I get paid time off work. This whole time of year is an entire season of holiday.
In addition, by saying “Happy Holidays” you are more inclusive of other people’s possible religious beliefs, such as Hanukah, Kwanza, and Festivus. This is what really bothers the Right-Wing. Last I checked, being respectful of people’s right to think differently, celebrate differently, and live differently was the right thing to do. But not if you’re a crazy Christian - then it’s your way or “get out of my country, immigrant”.
That’s why only the extreme Right cares about this. “Happy Holidays” and “Merry Christmas” are just ways of saying “I bestow positive and festive feelings towards you”. “tow-may-toe”, “tow-mot-toe”, what’s the big deal how somebody says it? I’ll tell you the reason: the extreme Right feels that their cultural hegemony is being threatened.
This is a Christian country and we should celebrate Christian holidays alone! We should all celebrate the birthday of Jesus and if you celebrate other things you will soon be feeling the dancing flames of Hell!
They feel so threatened, they don’t even see that people also use “Holidays” to include Thanksgiving and New Years. They hyperfocus on the foreign, the minority celebrations, Hanukah and Kwanza.
They tend to completely miss the point that even when people say “Merry Christmas” they are thinking much more about a fancy dinner and presents than they are the birthday of Jesus. If Christians truly believe that Christmas has any religious sanctity remaining and is not merely a commercial holiday, then perhaps they should not hemmorrhage money on gifts this year. Instead they should provide their family and friends with gifts of kindness, as Jesus would intend. Why don’t the crazy Christians just admit that the secularists already won years ago, without even trying. Christmas has been about friends, family, and gifts for years now. You know you’ve already lost the Christmas battle if your goal is to get JC Penny to advertise “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays”.
Happy Holidays to all of you, especially you crazy Christians.
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