merry christmas....offensive or not?
do you feel that someone saying merry christmas to you is offensive?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Nightshade on -
No. Not at all. I say Merry Christmas to people. Why should it be offensive? I dislike Christmas for very personal reasons but anyone who is wishing me happiness on that day does not deserve my offense. Are you offended by it?
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Permalink Reply by Maggie Cross on -
ummmm...no!....why would that be offensive?....As a matter of fact,Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year!
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Permalink Reply by Miss Nel (Red Bird) on -
No more than I do when someone says "Blessed Be" to me. *Shrug*
I don't take offence when people are kind or polite to me, wishing me a happy whatever-celebration-or-greeting. They're being nice.
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Permalink Reply by Beorc Kano on -
To be offended by someone saying "Merry Christmas" makes about as much sense as being offended by a handshake, when you and your buddies have a secret High 5. That person doesn't know that you aren't Christian, and they are wishing you well. Should I be offended anytime some Wiccan say Merry Meet or Blessed Be to me, because I'm not a Wiccan, or should I accept it for what it is and respond in kind?
People take the "Oh! You wished me blessings in a culture that isn't mine! I'M SO OFFENDED!" card way too far. Wishing someone a Merry Christmas is no more offensive than saying "Hola" or " 'sup" or even 'Hi"instead of "Hello."
What, should the whole world switch to saying "Blessed Yule! :B"? Then we'd offend the non wiccans/pagans.
There is a point where people have to balance not trying to offend with not trying to be offended.
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Permalink Reply by Katarina Ana on -
No.But I will always respond with Happy Yule.As a rule if I send out cards ,I make sure they say something like Yultide blessings or at the very least Happy Holidays.
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Permalink Reply by Duir,of endurance and faith on -
Nope, We are people of various paths and beliefs. To be closed minded to the fact is offensive. It shows a biased that is prejudiced and elitist. I am no better than the people who celebrate Christmas so using the greeting shows respect for them. Some of us ,( no many of us ) have blended families and spend time celebrating Yule,Christmas,Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah. So MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH, BLESSED YULE, GOOD NOEL,and Habari gani? "Umoja
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Permalink Reply by Annie Moore on -
No, it's a statement that expresses an enjoyable holiday period to its receiver, Christian or not.
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Permalink Reply by Michael on -
No way! Christmas is awesome! I say Merry Christmas. It really has nothing to do with religion anymore(the name Christmas) as far as I'm concerned. There are plenty of people who aren't Christian that call it Christmas... it's just a name people are used to. When they say Merry Christmas they are picturing Santa Clause not Jesus...haha!
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Permalink Reply by Lady Elyria on -
nope I usally just respond with blessed yule and move on,
at work with my patients I joke , I simply say, "Merry what ever you celebrate", because we are not allowed to define a holiday so we are supposed to say "happy holidays" which bothers me a whole lot more than Merry Christmas.
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Permalink Reply by YarrowSage (big sexy brain) on -
Since I work in retail I have already gotten plenty of "Merry Christmas" and a few "Seasons Greetings" tossed at me, and I'm okay with it. Heck, I've even had Jewish people wish me a Merry Christmas, and I have to admit I do find that funny since I believe they say it with the assumption, and rightfully so since I work in a very dense Lutheran population, that I myself am a Christian. It's one of those "if you only knew..." kinda ordeals, I don't find it bothersome in any way, just a tidbit amusing.
I firmly believe that people just want to be nice this time of the year, regardless of what religious traditions they follow, so they say something holiday oriented towards you to make themselves feel better and remind them of the holiday season. Another way to look at it is that the Merry Christmas they want you to have doesn't have to be religious in nature, it could just be the overly secularized Christmas that we have state side, and hey, what Pagan doesn't want free stuff and cookies? Just saying. :D
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Permalink Reply by Krysti.✫*¨*.¸¸.✶* on -
I love polite people, and feel that people wishing me Merry Christmas are just being polite, and wishing the best for the world around them! :) I usually respond with a Happy Yule and Merry Christmas, which I sometimes get funny looks but hey, why not!
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Permalink Reply by Talia on -
When I saw this thread I chuckled…When I first became Wicca a little over a decade ago it was a huge deal for me. Coming from a strict Mormon upbringing I had a lot of antagonism for the Christian faith as a whole at the time. I will admit that I was more than a little offended when Christmas would come along and I would have to enter stores and listen to the barrage of Christmas carols but I also had to endure the dreaded “Merry Christmases” that were tossed my way. I would often toss back a “Happy Hanukah to you too”. I found it incredibly insensitive that people assumed that you were a Christian and that you celebrated the birth of Christ. The fact that the birth actually happened sometime in April, the date being moved to usurp the pagan’s Winter Solstice was more salt in the wound. It was a difficult time for me but after awhile I began to realize that people are just being people and that in general they were not trying to be insulting but just wishing me well with the “Merry Christmas”. I can now return the gesture with the same intention as it was given…I still, however, have a hard time with the Christmas music being played in the stores and try not to shop too much in November and December. Maybe in time I will be able to mindlessly sing along as I see others do in the store….and then again…maybe not…Happy Holidays All!
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