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itachi-san

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itachi-san Grand Master

itachi-san

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So, Christmas is approaching and it's always been one of my favorite holidays. When I was in elementary school, like 80's-90's, there was never any question about the greeting. Everyone said: "Merry Christmas" and that was that. Now there seems to be a movement happening (at least in the US) to put an end to this tradition. As you may have read, I am an atheist, so the religious portion of Christmas really isn't important to me personally, but the day has really evolved into just a fun friends and family cheerful day usually accompanied with a few days off and/or a vacation :D .

But now there's this tension: "Don't say Merry Christmas, say 'Happy Holidays'" is the mantra I hear nowadays. Christmas lights are no more, they are now called 'holiday lights'. I think it's really silly to go out of one's way just to call them 'holiday lights'. And there are displays all over the country that bash Christmas and try to basically diminish it into nothing, hoping it will disappear. In Washington State, the atheist group put up a sign about how we should celebrate the Winter Solstice and that Christmas was a sham. I, being an atheist, was surprised at how much I disagreed with those people. Why go so far out of your way to prevent people from having a good time? And what does everyone get out of trying to stop Christmas? Didn't they learn anything from the Grinch? ;)

I just don't get it and was wondering what people thought and what they've seen in this regard, from around the US and all over the world where Christmas is celebrated. Also, I was curious about the younger crowd, those in your teens, and what they do at your schools. Do they condemn Christmas, embrace it or just ignore it?

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peace*out Grand Master

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I celebrate Christmas, and yes, the religious part of it ( i was mary in the last christmas pagent).

I dont think that this is nesicery, but i get why they do it. However, i think that no one is offened by it, and i think we have the option of what we say, and how we say it.

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Well, our school is VERY diverse, and yet, everything is "CHRISTMAS!" Although this year the Christmas Dance became the Snowball Dance...but it's strange, most of our school doesn't celebrate Christmas...o.O Our family is Atheist, but we still call it Christmas, and I, being in choir, sing a lot of religious songs, but it really isn't "against" what I...don't believe in? It doesn't really effect me, and it doesn't matter what it's called, but I constantly say "Happy Holidays" to respect those who don't celebrate Chirstmas.

<(^-^)>

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andromeda Grand Master

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Wow... I had no idea. We say Merry Christmas and Happy Christmas Holidays or just Happy Holidays (with Christmas in mind) I don't understand why would anyone be offended by me telling them Merry Christmas when by that you wish that person all the best really.

Your materialistic society decided to bully out the word Christmas because it's all about family, being humble and content with what you have while the stores want to sell as much junk as they possibly can which is the quite opposite of what Christmas really is. Priests (not just in my country) are doing a good thing when they are telling people not to waste so much money on Christmas because it's not in the spirit of Christmas.

Here in Serbia we have Catholic Christmas and Orthodox Christmas (celebrated on 7th of January) and I don't mind if somebody makes a mistake and congratulates Christmas then :)

I'm not pro God or Bible but I think that Christmas is a wonderful holiday and calling Christmas just a holiday is diminishing.

:)

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I celebrate the solstice because I'm pagan, but the rest of my family and an amount of my friends celebrate christmas, and I'm fine with it. Merry christmas is simply saying, have a good time this christmastime, right? why should it be banned, even if you don't celebrate it? I say happy solstice to my friends and they say happy christmas to me. no big deal.

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Quite right too, why on earth should it offend anyone to call a thing by it's name? Being an atheist (I know, I keep it quiet but it's true), I don't buy into any religious interpretation of Christmas, but Christmas is Christmas. It's always been Christmas to me, I've grown up with it like that and I'll be damned if I'll put aside my cultural heritage just because there's a religious reference in there. When I was a kid I used to love making little nativity scenes with baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph in a little stable (a bit of a catholic tradition, presumably came from my grandparents since the catholicism stops there). This year I made a nativity scene with my little boy. You might think this hypocritical, but the fact is that the nativity story is part of Christmas tradition, and I happen to quite like it. It's a story which tells you about the spirit of giving and being happy with what you have, of honouring new life and going out of your way for other people. The baby Jesus could be any baby for all it matters to me. It's the story that matters, and it bothers me no more than references to Zeus and Hermes within Aesop's fables. I always liked the bit about the three kings too because they were a bit exotic, with their camels and their gold, frankincense and myrrh (our nativity scene also has Father Christmas in it, because I figured it just wouldn't be complete without him). Just because I don't buy into religion doesn't mean I can't take the best of what it has left us with. Our culture is what it is and we will never purge it completely of the vestiges of religion. But why should we? These things can be fun sometimes. To me, this "Happy Holidays" nonsense is like saying that we should knock down every church and cathedral in the world so we can replace them with nice inoffensive shopping malls. What a pity that would be.

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Wow... I had no idea. We say Merry Christmas and Happy Christmas Holidays or just Happy Holidays (with Christmas in mind) I don't understand why would anyone be offended by me telling them Merry Christmas when by that you wish that person all the best really.

Your materialistic society decided to bully out the word Christmas because it's all about family, being humble and content with what you have while the stores want to sell as much junk as they possibly can which is the quite opposite of what Christmas really is. Priests (not just in my country) are doing a good thing when they are telling people not to waste so much money on Christmas because it's not in the spirit of Christmas.

Here in Serbia we have Catholic Christmas and Orthodox Christmas (celebrated on 7th of January) and I don't mind if somebody makes a mistake and congratulates Christmas then :)

I'm not pro God or Bible but I think that Christmas is a wonderful holiday and calling Christmas just a holiday is diminishing.

:)

My family celebrates both Christmases as well. Thus is the benefit of being 2ng Generation Ukrainian American.....even tough I primarily identify with my Scottish/Irish side more :D

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Ha, I think not calling Christmas lights "Christmas lights" is just a bit... well, silly i suppose. Because they're obviously up because it's Xmas and so pretending they're not or are just there for the "holiday season" is a bit weird imo. And what is "the holiday season" anyway? It's only there because of Christmas (which I think was originally a Pagan thing rather than a Christian one). I mean, Christmas is Christmas, and it doesn't have to be a religious thing. It's just a name for a time of year.. and it seems to have become much more secular now (i guess it's just more to do with tradition, dependent on what country you live in for some people). I, personally, don't celebrate Christmas... but I don't mind engaging in some of the festivities in like a secular kind of way 'cos it is kind of fun I guess. And I wouldn't mind people wishing me a merry Christmas even though I'm not a Christian 'cos it just shows they care, I suppose.

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It would really be a pity to lose the meaning of Christmas, but even if it does happen up there in America, it would take a lot to reach Brazil. I think we are the second biggest catholic population in the world, and it is really rare to see an atheist around here. At least for me, Christmas will always have a very, very special meaning, and wishing "Merry Christmas" around here will still be a tradition for a long time!

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I think it's SLIGHTLY different here in Canada because we have a lot of immagrants, so our non Christian community is larger...you should see my school...lots of people celebrating Eid...

<(^-^)>

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"Seasonal break" is what they call it now - can't even use the word festive.

I will read the 'High Lights' and will also look for the Blinging Xmas lights that are sure to be all over Dagenham - Twon houses using half the national grid power to cheese it up in a realy hammy way

Humbug to no Xmas

Kat - are you native Canandian :lol:

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Kat - are you native Canandian :lol:

Not NATIVE native...but yeah I was born here and so were my parents :wacko: And so were 3 of my four grandparents so I think that qualifies...75% Irish, 25% Paraguayen and 100% Canadian ^_^

Well I say Merry Christmas to people I know, but if I don't...I try and avoid any embaressment and go happy holidays...I don't think it REALLy matters though...:unsure:

<(^-^)>

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Not NATIVE native...but yeah I was born here and so were my parents :wacko: And so were 3 of my four grandparents so I think that qualifies...75% Irish, 25% Paraguayen and 100% Canadian ^_^

Well I say Merry Christmas to people I know, but if I don't...I try and avoid any embaressment and go happy holidays...I don't think it REALLy matters though...:unsure:

<(^-^)>

If I don't know, I say Merry Christmas. I'm a confrontational person by nature, and I'm kind of daring them to question the political correctness of it, so I can rant at them :P

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I see what you guys mean about this. I've never really taken part in the religious aspect of Christmas either, for me it's just been a day to really spend time and have fun with your family. I really don't see why people care about what they call it, it's still Christmas, as it always has been.

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*Nods* Agreed...to me, Christmas is like a second Thanksgiving (I heard that's really big in the US...with 4 AM sales the next day...talk about holiday commercialization :P), where we give each other gifts and eat a huge meal...:D just with snow (It snowed like 10 cms today, supposed to get a whole lot more over the weekend...ugh...it's so...gross/cold/wet/blah)

<(^-^)>

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Whoa, you rant at random people? Daring... :unsure: I know I wouldn't... :P
But they wouldn't be random people if they pre-selected themselves for a rant by pretending to take offence at the use of the word "Christmas". I say pretending to take offence because people who are that pedantic about pointless political correctness are usually doing it out of some misguided sense of consideration for the feelings of some imagined 3rd party. This imagined 3rd party is implicitly believed to be hypersensitive on account of their beliefs, race, culture, sex or whatever. This betrays an underlying prejudice toward the group it seeks to protect, and if we tolerate such madness we are creating a more stupid and prejudicial world (not to mention destroying our own culture).

Often we are ruled by idiots but it doesn't mean we have to join in with the idiocy, in fact we are morally obliged not to.

So say it loud and say it proud:

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

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*Nods* Agreed...to me, Christmas is like a second Thanksgiving (I heard that's really big in the US...with 4 AM sales the next day...talk about holiday commercialization :P), where we give each other gifts and eat a huge meal...:Djust with snow (It snowed like 10 cms today, supposed to get a whole lot more over the weekend...ugh...it's so...gross/cold/wet/blah)

<(^-^)>

Yeah, someone got killed because of those sales...the crowd trampled him trying to get to the sales.

I live in Arizona. I don't have to wear a jacket to school today if I don't want to. :D

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Well I have no idea what Christmas Lights or Holiday Lights or whatever are. In fact, I don't know what Christmas is. We in Jupiter have no festive holidays. Although we visited the Neohm's Canyon in Mercury where they celebrate an event for the new year which I visited in Earth year 1882BC. In fact there's one on every 88 days.

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Well I have no idea what Christmas Lights or Holiday Lights or whatever are. In fact, I don't know what Christmas is. We in Jupiter have no festive holidays. Although we visited the Neohm's Canyon in Mercury where they celebrate an event for the new year which I visited in Earth year 1882BC. In fact there's one on every 88 days.

i see....

I feel sorry for your kind. :(

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I'd like to say that even though I am atheist I celebrate xmas at my church with jews, buddists, atheists, etc. It is a UCC church, christian that is.

I dont care what you all call it. I havent heard anyone every say callit this or that. I only hear the talk jocks complain of people taking the season

hostage etc. What a load of Hooey!!! Shame on Rush, orielly, and the rest of them for trying to divide and put fear and hate into people at this time

of the year and the rest!

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serioulsy, I havent heard anyone say "dont call it by that name." For anything. I hear different greetings and smile.

I dont think anyone has banned certain words or changed names. Cept for Freedom fries..what a load!

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