Every year people not only recieve gifts in Dec. but they also recieve words of hate. December, no matter what religon, is a month where people are suppose to be happy and cheerful towards each other, not rude and insensitive. It is said to read an article that a kid who responded "Happy Hanukkah" after being wished a "Merry Christmas" was verbally attacked. When the kid tried to defend his religion, he was punched in the nose. Now is that reall what all these holidays about?
(If you want to know more about the event you can read the article on CNN.com)
This is one my shortest post, but I had to ask everyone to remember that December is not just one religions holiday, but Many.
So:
Merry Christmas
Happy Hanukkah or is it Happy Chanukah
Happy Soltice
Happy New Year
And any Holiday I may have missed.
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I'm not religious, but when somebody wishes me a Merry Christmas, I respond Merry Christmas. If I was wished Happy Hanukah or even Good Afternoon, I would respond to the cheery tiding cheerily. What I wouldn't do is what both parties you decribed in that story did: I wouldn't smuggly turn to the person who wished me Merry Christmas and try to make some kind of point by wishing them a Happy Holiday, that would be an asshole thing to do, equally if I wished somebody a Happy Holiday and they felt the need to make a point by saying something like Merry Christmas, I wouldn't take any offense.
As it stands I wish people a Merry Christmas as a default, despite my Agnosticism. I celebrate a time of year centred around family, friends, gifts and parties, it has no religious connotations for me, but I recognise the fact that most of the people making the biggest deal about Christmas where I live are Christians, and 9 times out of 10, any celebration or gathering I attend during the Christmas period is either organised by Christian friends or family, or is being attended by a majority of Christians who are there because it is a religious holiday for them.
The religious holiday that makes this time of year what it is for me, is Christmas, not anything else. I may celebrate in my own secular, non-religious way, but it is Christmas I am celebrating. If all the Christians I know decided not to celebrate Christmas this year, then Christmas as we know it wouldn't exist this Decemeber. What kind of miserable bastard would want that? I can't imagine Hanukah picking up the slack.
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I am the people my mother warned me about.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tuffgong
TUFFGONG
Senior Executive Administrator™