Happy Annoying Second-Guessing
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Friday, December 21, 2012
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A quick rant: I am annoyed that we have gotten to the point in which I feel like people will assume I am making a political point when I say either “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays.”
This strikes me as something that never needed to be made into some huge ideological marker. The amazing thing is that it is not even a religious/non-religious issue at this point but seems like a partisan choice.
It is all so very ridiculous.
About Steven L. Taylor
Happy Christmas!!! Merry Holidays!!! Super Solstice!!! To All!
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I hate the whole season. So Merry Fwck It All!
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I tried “Cheerful Solstukkahchriswanzaa!”, but I was quickly identified as a practicing smart***.
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@michael reynolds: So you don’t kill a tree for Jesus Birthday? But…the economy!!!
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Just go with “Joyeux Noel.” Then they’ll hate you for being a Cajun and/or a fer’ner instead. ;)
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@John H: Better to be a smartazz than a dumbazz!
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Personally I’m offended that nobody says “Happy Saturnalia.” It is, after all, the reason for the season
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@Doug Mataconis: Actually, there was an attorney at the firm where I worked in college who would wish people “Happy Saturnalia.”
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I’m constantly reminded that in my youth in the 50s in North Dakota it was quite common to see “Happy Holidays” signs. Until the Air Force Bases came in, there might have been a couple hundred Jews, zero Muslims, and damn near zero avowed athiests in the whole state. All we had to discriminate against were Catholics, so no political correctness. It was just to save the bother of changing signs between Christmas and New Years. You don’t want to change outdoor signs at 30 below.
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@Ernieyeball:
Of course I kill a tree for Jesus and buy a bunch of crap that moments after it is unwrapped begins its march from home to garage to trash dump. I have teenagers. Neither is religious but they are greedy, determined and pitiless. So yeah, we celebrate the crap out of Christmas.
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There’s a war on Christmas, son, and you’re unarmed. I mean, aside from Christmas decorations and music everywhere, a massive spike in Christmas-related sales, and the fact that we shut down schools and government agencies for the holiday, you’d barely know it’s Christmas.
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@James Joyner:
Word.
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@gVOR08:
Really, prior to this silly War on Christmas business, I always thought “Happy Holidays” was mostly a contraction of “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” (which some smattering of Happy Hanukkah implied)–especially when said to someone prior to Christmas and that one would not see until after the New Year.
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At one time, saying “Merry Christmas” was not done until a few days before Christmas, and I remember when the first day was Christmas Eve. Saying “Happy Holidays” was done between Thanksgiving and New Years day, but it was more concentrated around the three days.
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Merry Christmas.
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@Doug Mataconis:
I have wished people “Happy Perihelion” this time of year.
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Things would be so much simpler if the English language had a name for this holiday without the word Christ in it, as in French (Noel) or in German (Weihnachten).
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To confuse the War on Christmas crowd, just tell them that Holidays is really Holy Days. It has the advantage of actually being true.
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@scott: Indeed.
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@Murray: Polish has them beat!
Wesołych Świąt
Just saying it correctly makes one feel merry!
Because so much of my life was spent in places where Christians were a minority and it was often hard to tell just who followed what religion, “Happy Holidays” made the most sense as well as the better etiquette.
I just don’t sweat the issue and step back from those who do.
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I didn’t think it was allowed so close to San Francisco!!! You are a true ‘merican and first class parent!
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I’ve noticed it. You can’t even lump Christmas and New Years as “holidays” anymore. It’s anti-Christian to some.
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@John Burgess:
glædelig jul
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@john personna: That’s actually understandable to an English speaker, no matter which Scandinavian or antique version of English is might be.
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Many many years ago….
Parco (large department store in Tokyo) did in fact put together, as an ad for the holidays….
…a crucified Santa Claus.
(This sounds like one of those urban legends, but one of my friends who was a UPI news reporter in Japan, swears that he saw the Parco ad in one of the subways. He says he’s always regretted not filching it.)
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… meh.
Sincerely,
Smug, self-assured, unrepentant atheist.
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(…as they say in the south: All y’all is crazy)
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@john personna: @Murray:
God Jul
jp, Now you have me wishing for some Lutefisk and Lefse,
Murray, you did want something without Christ in the name.
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Merry Yule Tide, everyone.
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@Steven L. Taylor:
“Actually, there was an attorney at the firm where I worked in college who would wish people “Happy Saturnalia.””
Did he encourage people to celebrate it correctly, including public gambling and having the higher tiers of the firm wait on the lower ones?
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Irving Berlin wrote ‘Happy Holiday’ in 1942. It was recorded by Bing Crosby, Perry Como, and many Jewish crooners who, like Berlin, took Anglo names for the music business. It was meant to celebrate the holidays of the season.
Berlin also wrote ‘White Christmas’ in 1942.
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Well, the war on Christmas comes out of DC. In 20 years in government, it wasn’t an issue until I was stationed in DC. Then some morons in Warshington Grove (and yes, I spelled that phonetically in West Virginia conductor) decided to ban Santa Claus from the holiday parade they held in their wide spot along the railroad tracks. Because Santa was a “religious symbol.” I didn’t know commercialism was a recognized religion. Well, they got their wish since the crowd loaded up with Santas. And yes, I know Santa comes from St Nicholas but Santa Claus is definitely not practicing.
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@JKB:
No, it comes from Fox News.
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My new favorite, which I will be shamelessly thieving:
Pleasant Christmahannukwanzivus!
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