Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

[Danny Tanner]

Merry Christmas to all and if they take offense at that I just write them off as an idiot!

Marvelous.

I'm surprised to see other Atheists on here. Christians need to understand that even though they're the majority, the odds are high that you're going to come across somebody that either A. Doesn't believe in any God (agnostics (?) or atheists), B. Believes in higher beings, but doesn't follow rules of any religion, or C. Is a non-Christian religion with separate beliefs and ideals. Because of that, Happy Holidays is a polite greeting for strangers that covers just about everyone. You don't greet everybody with "Happy birthday!" just because it could be something they're celebrating that day, so you shouldn't assume that everybody celebrates Christmas. Until you know what they believe, "Happy Holidays" is the polite and intelligent greeting.

Saying that, I think the PC crap of removing "Merry Christmas" is just stupid. Take the Tulsa "Holiday Parade" for example. The city/coordinators/whoever else that put this parade on shouldn't cater to the needs of everyone for the sake of political correctness. If they wanted to put on a Christmas parade, then put on a Christmas parade. What's stopping people from putting on a Hanukka or Kwanzaa parade?

Myself, I'm an Atheist, my wife is, I believe, more Agnostic, but, we celebrate Christmas and we celebrate the hell out of it, minus church, prayer, and celebrating Christ. We have a Christmas tree, we hang up Christmas lights, we have Christmas parties, we give/receive/open Christmas presents and we wish our family members and friends a Merry Christmas, because we know they all celebrate Christmas. To us, Christmas is a holiday for togetherness.

 

[Old Fart]

Both, usually together.
I've got a few Jewish friends.
I've got a few New York city friends also.

 

[NikatKimber]

As an atheist, I celebrate Christmas. I say Merry Christmas. I am celebrating the season. I love Christmas time! I don't have a problem with people celebrating the birth of Jesus, which if one studies and believes the bible, happened in the Jewish month of Tishri, which falls in September/October, on what was originally a pagan festival. That's fine. Started a long time ago.

Christmas to me is about being with family.

I don't push for no religion. I say believe what you want. But don't insist that I can't enjoy Christmas just because I'm not religious, that's just silly.Santa Claus, Christmas trees, candy canes, presents, good food, time with family. Not christian exclusive.

So...Merry Christmas from an atheist!

+1 from a Christian

 

[kinggabby]

Both but mostly Merry CHRISTmas

 

[mikeyinokc]

Merry Christmas for me usually. Just out of habit, not because of any "religious" reasons. As has been previously stated here, Christmas is a relatively new holiday in the course of history. And it started out as a pagan celebration around the winter solstice. Christians need to study for themselves instead of taking the word of others.

Christmas really isn't about the birth of Christ. I know we have been told for many years by the "church" that it is, and thus we have grown up believing that it is.

Bottom line it is a great time of year, being together with family and friends, whatever we choose to call it.

Merry Christmas to all !!!!

 

[SoonerATC]

Merry Christmas for me usually. Just out of habit, not because of any "religious" reasons. As has been previously stated here, Christmas is a relatively new holiday in the course of history. And it started out as a pagan celebration around the winter solstice. Christians need to study for themselves instead of taking the word of others.

Just because a pagan holiday was previously celebrated on or around the time of Christmas, does not mean that is how Christmas "started out". That is classic "post hoc" fallacy reasoning.

Christmas really isn't about the birth of Christ. I know we have been told for many years by the "church" that it is, and thus we have grown up believing that it is.

You sir, are a moron. Please enlighten us on what source of knowledge enlightened you on the real meaning of Christmas? You said above that we need to study for ourselves rather than taking the word of others, but the irony is that any source you would study was written by someone. I choose to place my trust in a 2,000 year old institution which Christ Himself founded.

Bottom line it is a great time of year, being together with family and friends, whatever we choose to call it.

Merry Christmas to all !!!!

This I can definitely agree with you on.

 

[LightningCrash]

Do you say Merry Christmas or happy holidays? Why?

I say all three, consecutively.

 

[mikeyinokc]

Just because a pagan holiday was previously celebrated on or around the time of Christmas, does not mean that is how Christmas "started out". That is classic "post hoc" fallacy reasoning.



You sir, are a moron. Please enlighten us on what source of knowledge enlightened you on the real meaning of Christmas? You said above that we need to study for ourselves rather than taking the word of others, but the irony is that any source you would study was written by someone. I choose to place my trust in a 2,000 year old institution which Christ Himself founded.



This I can definitely agree with you on.

Since I am a moron, please enlighten me on exactly which institution it is that Christ himself founded. Of course any source we can study was written by someone. And your point is?

 

[Honey Badger]

Do you say Merry Christmas or happy holidays? Why?

I am probably weighing in late here, but I say Merry Christmas because Christmas about the birth of a savior. God bless you all and have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS one and all.

Mike

 

[SoonerATC]

Since I am a moron, please enlighten me on exactly which institution it is that Christ himself founded. Of course any source we can study was written by someone. And your point is?

It's a ridiculous statement to say that Christmas really isn't about the birth of Christ. Even if 500 other religions had a celebration on that day, Christmas is about the birth of Christ.

Any source we study was written by someone ... You said we need to study for ourselves rather than taking the word of others. My point was that whether you hear it from the pulpit or read it from a historical source text, you're taking the word of others.

The institution that Christ Himself founded was the Catholic Church. "And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." - St. Matthew 16:18. Every other Christian church at one point or another broke off from the Catholic Church, or spun off from others that had already broken with the Catholic Church. It's the only one that can trace a direct lineage all the way back to Christ Himself.

I do apologize for calling you a moron. You never answered my question though. What is your hidden source for the "true" meaning of Christmas?