The war on Christmas

[Farnhamia]

Way to not sound patronizing there old-timer.
I'm 21 myself and there are many people here above the age of 30.

Thank you, I try. It feels good to be acknowledged.

Don't let it go to your head.

[Hurdegaryp]

Thank you, I try. It feels good to be acknowledged.

Don't let it go to your head.

Don't worry, I'm too jaded for that. But thanks for caring. I wish you the very best in return.

[Farnhamia]

Don't let it go to your head.

Don't worry, I'm too jaded for that. But thanks for caring. I wish you the very best in return.

Same to you. Merry Christmas.

[Menassa]

Don't worry, I'm too jaded for that. But thanks for caring. I wish you the very best in return.

Same to you. Merry Happy Christmas.

And a Merry Chanukah to you as well.

[Farnhamia]

Same to you. Merry Happy Christmas.

And a Merry Chanukah to you as well.

And to you, you accursed Christ-killer.

[Menassa]

And a Merry Chanukah to you as well.

And to you, you accursed Christ-killer.

Thank you.
And may you rot in hell..... you heretical son of a bitch.

[Hurdegaryp]

And to you, you accursed Christ-killer.

Thank you.
And may you rot in hell..... you heretical son of a bitch.

Have I told you I love you all? No? Here goes... I love you all. I love you all slow, deep & hard. If you would love me too, that would be awesome!

[Copenhagen Metropolis]

''splashing your greeting'', yeah, it's like an assault isn't it...
Anyway, my point was pretty clear; even though you're not part of someone's ''particular spiritual persuasion'', you've got no reason to get upset about being greeted. If you can turn a greeting into an insult, you've got some serious negativity issues you need to address.

Oddly enough, I never greet people by identifying my religious affiliation or lack thereof...

Neither do I.

[Big Jim P]

I do not wish Christmas to be done away with, I merely wish not to have it inflicted on me.

[Dyakovo]

Oddly enough, I never greet people by identifying my religious affiliation or lack thereof...

Neither do I.

Yes you do.

[The Calldari State]

I usually alternate between Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas. No particular reason why, it's just whatever happens to come out of my mouth.

[Dyakovo]

[Immoren]

(Image)

Happy Hogswatch y'all.

[Copenhagen Metropolis]

Neither do I.

Yes you do.

And how exactly am I identifying my lack of religious affiliation when I wish someone a glædelig jul/Merry Christmas?

[Pacifistic Union]

I think it's a continuation of the Liberal war on tradition and their hatred of it. It's freakin Christmas, and it should be called Christmas! I'm not even a Christian, but I go along with it. It's a good family oriented holiday....oh wait that's probably why the liberals want to kill it.

Yes, because we're all communist babykillers in the liberal side -_-

[The Black Forrest]

I do not wish Christmas to be done away with, I merely wish not to have it inflicted on me.

All that nice stuff give you an ulcer?

[The Black Forrest]

(Image)

Meh. Happy Holidays always sounded lame to me.

Kind of like telling people have a happy sun day.

[South Cvandia]

(Image)

Meh. Happy Holidays always sounded lame to me.

Kind of like telling people have a happy sun day.

Meh. Merry Christmas always sounded ignorant and arrogant to me.

Kind of like telling someone Merry Ramadan in the bible belt.

[Alien Space Bats]

As an old timer, it would be good to remind people of something that jackasses like Bill O'Reilly surely know: "Happy Holidays" is a salutation that predates any possible "War of Christmas".

While it may not be the original source of the salutation, the Irving Berlin song "Happy Holiday", written in 1942 and performed by none other than the late, great Bing Crosby certainly popularized the use of the term. It first appeared in the 1942 movie Holiday Inn, in which is is set as a New Year's Eve song (the ageless Irving Berlin Christmas standard "White Christmas" debuted in the same film; the movie spanned the year and introduced ten other songs pertaining to holidays, such as Valentine's Day, Lincoln's Birthday [this was before President's Day was created], Independence Day, and Thanksgiving).

In the years that followed, the term came to be used as shorthand for the final days of the year, encompassing not only Christmas (and the inevitable family, social, and company parties that surround it), but the week following Christmas that culminates (as we all know) in New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Thus, wishing a person "Happy Holidays" was a quick and easy way of wishing them "a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year", which had developed a negative cachet due to excessive use by Hallmark and other greeting card companies.

It is this history - and my memory of it - that makes it impossible to take whiny conservative pricks like O'Reilly seriously when they get all worked up over the use of "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". Long before anybody became "politically correct" enough to try and use the term to cover Hannukah (and waaaaaaayyyyy before Kwanzaa was invented), people used "Happy Holidays" as a way of acknowledging that the close proximity of Christmas and New Year's, as well as the extension of Christmas forwards into December, creates an effective "holiday season" - and that it's simply easier to say "Happy Holidays" than to start rattling them all off.

But if self-righteous fundamentalist numbskulls insist that using "Happy Holidays" represents an attack on Christmas, I say we bury them in an avalanche of saccharine.

So, here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hannukah, a Joyous Kwanzaa, a Blessed and Merry Yule, a Happy Solstice, a Happy Festivus, a Well-Deserved Bah! Humbug, and a Happy New Year. And no, you are not allowed to stop me when you've heard just the one you want; you are socially required to hear and acknowledge every single one of those greetings and say "Thank You" to each and every one, or you're an ungrateful prick.

[Dyakovo]

As an old timer, it would be good to remind people of something that jackasses like Bill O'Reilly surely know: "Happy Holidays" is a salutation that predates any possible "War of Christmas".

While it may not be the original source of the salutation, the Irving Berlin song "Happy Holiday", written in 1942 and performed by none other than the late, great Bing Crosby certainly popularized the use of the term. It first appeared in the 1942 movie Holiday Inn, in which is is set as a New Year's Eve song (the ageless Irving Berlin Christmas standard "White Christmas" debuted in the same film; the movie spanned the year and introduced ten other songs pertaining to holidays, such as Valentine's Day, Lincoln's Birthday [this was before President's Day was created], Independence Day, and Thanksgiving).

In the years that followed, the term came to be used as shorthand for the final days of the year, encompassing not only Christmas (and the inevitable family, social, and company parties that surround it), but the week following Christmas that culminates (as we all know) in New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Thus, wishing a person "Happy Holidays" was a quick and easy way of wishing them "a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year", which had developed a negative cachet due to excessive use by Hallmark and other greeting card companies.

It is this history - and my memory of it - that makes it impossible to take whiny conservative pricks like O'Reilly seriously when they get all worked up over the use of "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". Long before anybody became "politically correct" enough to try and use the term to cover Hannukah (and waaaaaaayyyyy before Kwanzaa was invented), people used "Happy Holidays" as a way of acknowledging that the close proximity of Christmas and New Year's, as well as the extension of Christmas forwards into December, creates an effective "holiday season" - and that it's simply easier to say "Happy Holidays" than to start rattling them all off.

But if self-righteous fundamentalist numbskulls insist that using "Happy Holidays" represents an attack on Christmas, I say we bury them in an avalanche of saccharine.

So, here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hannukah, a Joyous Kwanzaa, a Blessed and Merry Yule, a Happy Solstice, a Happy Festivus, a Well-Deserved Bah! Humbug, and a Happy New Year. And no, you are not allowed to stop me when you've heard just the one you want; you are socially required to hear and acknowledge every single one of those greetings and say "Thank You" to each and every one, or you're an ungrateful prick.

*proudly wears the title of "ungrateful prick"*

[Delmok]

there is no "war on Christmas" there is a war on intellectuals!
The Republicans and conservatives hate anyone that doesn't believe in what they do!!!

[Reggae Magmia]

I just watched an episode of Bill O'Riley last night

That was your first mistake.

No, there is no "war on Christmas." It's just political correctness in its stupidest form.

[Umbra Ac Silentium]

I wish there was a war on Christmas.
Maybe it'd lose the war and get pushed back to starting in winter or so.

[Farnhamia]

I wish there was a war on Christmas.
Maybe it'd lose the war and get pushed back to starting in winter or so.

*points* Hemispherist!

[Imsogone]

*Pulls out gun. Shoots Christmas.*. War's over, I win.