I don’t see some sort of overriding Communist/Socialist conspiracy — regardless of whether you say, “Only the blind and ignorant will deny this.” So go ahead, call me blind and ignorant. (I’ve been called worse; and I’ll readily admit to “blind spots” which I believe we all have in one way or another. He He.)

I think I mentioned in a previous reply to a comment here, I grew up back in the ’50s and ’60s (I was born in 1947). During those days and actually even before my birth, “Happy Holidays” was a perfectly normal, perfectly acceptable expression. Heck, Bing Crosby had a hit song titled “Happy Holidays,” which you still hear played at Christmas time. Many, many people I knew as a kid who were good, god-fearing churchgoers were perfectly fine with “Happy Holidays,” and I’m sure saw no conspiracy in the phrase.

I continue to be amazed when I hear such expressions as “the war of destruction on religion.” America is one of the few nations in the world where Christians are nominally in the majority, and in reality have freedoms and worship opportunities unmatched in the world. Christians are one of the only “majority” public forces I know of who feel that they are somehow an embattled minority. There are literally hundreds of thousands of churches in this country of every “flavor” of Christianity you could think of. They are NOT being shut down.

There are, certainly, “Marxist” and/or “Communist/Socialist” philosophies in this country and long have been. But they certainly aren’t in the majority, not really even in the ascendancy — and certainly not because of ANYTHING to do with “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays.”

I tend to agree with you that there’s the “slow creep” in morality in this country, although I doubt you can pin it on some sort of liberal or Socialist/Communist conspiracy, nor anything organized by the media. You can more likely attribute it to several generations of parents who failed to instill basic moral values, AND several generations of the same parents who were unwilling or unable or whatever to show serious one-on-one attention and love to their kids.

As for taking prayer out of schools, etc., I seriously doubt the nation or citizenry would be any better off or worse off because required prayers and/or public Bible reading, 10 Commandment displays or whatever have changed. As a kid, I lived first a very small town (pop. about 1800), then large city (Denver), and then a small-to-midsized city (Boise, Idaho), all during the time just before and just after the so-called removal of prayer from schools. I guarantee you I didn’t see one whit of difference in more or less “godly” behavior after the decision among anyone I hung out with or knew — kids, teachers, parents, or anyone else in the community.

Ah, well. As you said, everyone has an opinion. Thank you for sharing yours. And I do indeed wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Gary

This penchant to replace Christmas with Holiday (regardless of the origin) is just part of the war against America by the Communist and Socialist Parties. They’ve been at it for generations. Their goal was to take over our schools, universities, religions, and government. They had much of it in place by the time the boomer generation came along. They are succeeding by the number of Marxist professors in colleges and teachers in our high and junior high schools, the destruction of personal and public property by Unions, by the destruction of our Constitution and Rule of Law, by the war of destruction on religion. Not just the Holiday thing but also forcing people to remove crosses, the 10 Commandments, prayer in school (long a tradition), and now Christmas with the removal of creches, slogans and daring to say Merry Christmas.

Only the blind and ignorant will deny this. I’ve been around 77 years and have see the slow creep. It is sort of like if you see a person every few months you may notice a difference in how they look. When you see them every day you don’t notice changes in them. Or you don’t notice changes in your town but if you leave and go back a few months later you are amazed at the changes you never noticed before.

People are no longer honest. Media is a perfect example of not informing folks both sides of an issue. It is all anti american and politics of personal destruction (see current Republican Candidates).

We the Sheeple are allowing it to happen so why fuss and fight in comments to most publications? No one who post here or anywhere will make a difference.

If people don’t like Christmas then do NOT buy one item for anyone during December. Don’t donate to any Christian church or organization. Go home, shut the doors and windows, turn off the tv and radio and hibernate until January.

When folks say Happy Holiday to me I thank them very kindly and tell them that I will reciprocate by celebrating on their special holiday. Of course, they ask me which holiday is that? I smile and respond, April 1st.

Which is why it really puzzles me that anyone would find “Happy Holidays” objectionable.

Gary

My family has always celebrated Christmas. It is an American tradition. I am so tired of being told we need to be tolerant and respectful of others’ culture and traditions. I am a white, natural born citizen (ave. American). Respect my traditions.

The PC crowd wants you to say Happy Holidays so everyone is included. Well, piss off. I’m not Jewish and I don’t know squat about Kwanza (sp.). I am not celebrating the “Holidays”. I celebrate Christmas.

Gary

If I’m wishing someone a happy celebration of Christ’s birth, I’ll say “Merry Christmas” to them. And although I’m not Christian, I don’t get upset if someone says “Merry Christmas” to me! I like Christmas, too, although it doesn’t have the same meaning for me.

All of this “war on Christmas/Christianity” baloney and the militant demands that we run around shouting “Merry Christmas” are beyond absurd. The Christian dominance over U.S. culture and the U.S. government is hardly under threat, and definitely not by people wishing each other happy holidays. This is a manufactured outrage – outrage for the sake of outrage.

Here’s the entry from the “Online Etymology Dictionary” for “holiday”:

“holiday
1500s, earlier haliday (c.1200), from O.E. haligdæg “holy day; Sabbath,” from halig “holy” (see holy) + dæg “day” (see day); in 14c. meaning both “religious festival” and “day of recreation,” but pronunciation and sense diverged 16c. As a verb meaning “to pass the holidays” by 1869.”

I also checked “Merriam-Webster’s Tenth Collegiate Dictionary” (my newest off-line dictionary) and it says the same thing about the origin of “holiday” being derived from the Old English word for “holy day; Sabbath.”

But I would every much like to know what your source for “holly” is.

Gary

And, by the way — never in my 60+ years of life have I EVER known any non-believers who “get violently offended when they hear Merry Christmas.” Not once. Even when I was a teenager and witnessed extensively to a young man who was very much a “militant atheist” at the time. In fact, a couple of us became his only two friends at high school and because we showed him genuine love and friendship, we were able to rejoice with him when he accepted Christ as his Savior. Through it all, he never once got “violently offended” or any other level of “offended” by the greeting Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.

Perhaps I’m not the one who needs to get a life? I love you in Christ anyway!

Gary