Actually Brannon, not even everyone in the Bible belt is a Christian – shocking, I know, but not only is it true now – it has ALWAYS been true since the beginning of this nation. Sure its the majority religion, but its still not everyone’s chosen religion.

How would you feel if there was prayer in school, but it was prayers to Allah or Shiva?

If we allow prayers in the schools you can bet that there would be some ‘crazy’ non-Christians who will want their own religions also represented – truly, it would be the ‘save Christmas’-type Christians who would be the most unhappy with the results if we ever did go back to having prayer in schools…because people like me (yep, one of those ‘crazies’) would make sure that more than just Christianity was represented.

I say the the ‘save Christmas’-type Christians because there are actually many Christians who do recognize that not everyone believes like they do and don’t have a problem with that (some of them are even friends of mine and don’t feel the need to try to convert me anymore than I do them, lol). Like any group, its the loud intolerant ones within it that are making them all look bad.

Store clerk says it to me, I’ll probably just smile back and say happy holidays just in case they (or more likely their employer) are caught up in the war on Christmas.

One reason I prefer happy holidays is that is all inclusive. Jews must feel terribly alienated this time of year and it’s a tough one to call. Just because someone has a Jewish last name doesn’t necessarily mean they celebrate Hannukah and don’t celebrate Christmas. My daughter and I decided way back when she still believed in Santa Claus that it was Happy Winter based on some school artwork she did for Easter that she labelled happy spring. I thought that worked all around. Since, unless you know the person well enough to know what they actually practice, you don’t really know what the heck they celebrate, it’s just politer to say happy holiday and celebrate life with all our fellow humans.

Aren’t they always proclaiming peace on earth this time of year? Well, what promotes peace on earth, good will to all, more than being all inclusive?

So, yep, I’ll stick with Happy Holidays. I’m tempted to say happy winter but since that even rarer than Merry Solstice, I’ll say Happy Holidays, in the spirit of the season. The only ones it will irritate are the ones who aren’t wishing good will to all. To them, a hearty Bah! Humbug! is how they’ll hear happy holidays and, well, what they deserve.

Anecdotally to illustrate my point I was in a taxi the other day while and was lamenting the early prevalence of jingles and Xmas advertising (yes, I am a scrooge) and driver replied that the loved it even though he was a Muslim. They get a tree and go the whole hog with presents and everything. They even watch the Bond movie.

When are we going to start seeing a backlash against groups for using “liberty” and “freedom” in their name while being vehemently opposed to a variety of things that hurt no one and are in fact none of their damned business?

amen!

Question asked, answer received. I understand a little better.
Thank you.

I happily say “Merry Christmas” to my Christian friends celebrating the holiday and I know they will wish me a Happy Hanukkah in return. But I don’t need strangers making assumptions, thankyewverymuch.

If I could become a hermit for the month of December, I’d be much happier.

@Polly–I don’t care what people tell me. I don’t get offended at all. I actually still enjoy celebrating it (I grew up not celebrating Halloween because it was a “pagan holiday.” I am not going to do the opposite to my daughter just because Christmas is a “religious” holiday. Not trying to argue or convince anyone I’m right, just giving my personal reasons for it.) However, I find the crusade to “save” Christmas highly annoying and ethnocentric and that is what I don’t like.