I’m just a guy who reads the papers — that is, when I can find a good newspaper anymore. I grew up reading, as well as delivering, newspapers. From the comics pages to the sports section, I’ve loved everything about newspapers. I even enjoyed those long ago days of folding, bagging, and loading huge Sunday editions of The Denver Post into handlebar bags and driving through the neighborhood flinging ‘em onto porches all around North Denver. (Although such adventures weren’t always so much fun, as I’ve detailed in a blog post on another site regarding my most memorable bad weather bike ride.)
When I grew up, newspapers were a major source of both information and entertainment. Although “the papers” as I’m using it here are rapidly dying out thanks to the Internet and 24/7 cable television, they still hold a special place in my heart. These days, my wife and I actually pay for a 7-day-a-week newspaper habit so we can read the shrinking local paper’s lamed-down equivalent of those papers of our youth. Heck, it makes for great entertainment during breakfast at the local coffee shop.
And that’s exactly what this website is all about: I’m just a guy who STILL reads the newspapers and love to share my curmudgeonly old opinions about what I read. Of course I am including not just the papers here but the various television news and views programs, newspaper and magazine websites, blogs — just about any source of information and entertainment that strikes my fancy. And since it’s MY website and not yours, I’ll feel perfectly free to rant about those eminently rantable people, places, and things assaulting today’s short attention spans.
Of course, I try — yeah, I really DO try! — to be fair in my rants. To be honest, I’m probably socially pretty liberal and I try to be pretty fiscally conservative. If there is such a critter politically/socially/religiously, I’m maybe right in the center. OK, maybe about one-quarter LEFT of center. I admit it.
I have little patience with a lot of the stupidity making the rounds these days masquerading as conservative politics/culture/religion. I grew up in a time when conservative also mean intelligent. That’s hard to say for much of the stuff making the rounds as “conservative” these days. At the same time, I have no special patience for stupidity or idiocy masquerading under the liberal banner, either.
And I’ll be the first to admit that I’m often too quick to speak my mind and too quick to jump all over such stupidity — whether it’s labeled “conservative” or “liberal.” (Ever notice how seldom these days anyone or anything is labeled “centrist” or “middle of the road”? Why is that, I wonder?)
I do try, even when I’m in the middle of one of my misbegotten “rants,” to remain charitable and civil. And if/when some good reader points to my nastiness or stupidity — I really, really try to own up to it and issue any apologies as necessary.
Here’s are some tips for you as you roam around this website, assuming you’ve read this far and haven’t given up on me already. Every time you come back, you’ll get this page of info about what I’m trying to do here on the site. (OK, so I’ve rambled a lot and maybe you haven’t figured me out yet — read it all again.) Each new article I write will be listed under “Recent Articles” in the sidebar. (The narrower column either on the right-hand or left-hand side of the site.) The most recent 4 or 5 articles are shown there by title. After those, you’ll see the words “View all.” That’s a clickable link which (should) open a Sitemap that will show you links to every article I’ve written.
So now you know your way around the website. You’re welcome.
Given all that, I hope you’ll hang around here often. Read what I’ve got to say. Read — and leave — comments posted here to tell me what YOU have to say. Just between you and me, it’s lonely here without you, Good Reader, and your discussions. So hang around and be a friend, or at least a useful critic.
Go ahead. Think of me as an Old Curmudgeon if you wish. I’ve been called worse. But perhaps you’ll learn to think of me as a Kindly Old Curmudgeon!
Thanks, Walt, for your comment. I disagree with much of it, but as you said about opinions — everybody has one.
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
I disagree somewhat. Opinions are like noses, everyone has one.
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.
You are right that MUCH of the “Happy Holidays” silliness is politically correctness run amok. But not all of it. Some of us remember a time — the 1950s and ’60s, actually — when people genuinely said “Happy Holidays” — not out of political correctness or a fear of offending anyone’s religious beliefs/traditions. We said it because it was a handy way to say “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year” with a simple “Happy Holidays.”
Which is why it really puzzles me that anyone would find “Happy Holidays” objectionable.
Gary
There is no double that the changing of Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays is motivated by political correctness. However, it does reveal an ignorance from all sides of the debate.
It’s the same with X-mass, the first Greek letter for Christ is an X.
I say Merry Christmas and don’t care for Happy Holidays. The author so graciously lumped everyone in with some people who care about the Christian part of Christmas.
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.
I AM a Christian — and I couldn’t have said this better myself than you did here. Indeed, my original article on this probably wasn’t said any better than this. Thanks for your comments!
Gary
What a fun thread! I’m not a Christian, but the reason I say “happy holidays” is because I’m referring to all of the holidays that occur at this time of year (holy or not).
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.
Thanks for your comment, Jeff. I would be very interested in your source for “holiday” being derived from “holly” instead of “holy.”
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
Didn’t read all your replies, but I hope somebody knows enough about religious history to inform you that it ACTUALLY derives from Holly Day, not Holy day.
I’m on the older side of 60 and definitely HAVE a wonderful life. I enjoy my relationship with Christ, seek to serve him, and enjoy being part of a wonderful church family where God’s people are much more interested in loving God and loving others than they are in arguing about Christmas greetings.
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
all – saying happy holidays in lieu of merry Christmas was something insisted upon by non-believers, not the other way around. non-believers get violently offended when they hear merry Christmas – so, to the writer of this riduclous article – why don’t YOU get a life
[...] we’ve reverted to calling Christmas a holiday. What’s so wrong with that? It IS a HOLY day for Christians, but it’s also a HOLY time [...]
Thanks for your comment, Crystal. I understand the frustration you have over this whole “Happy Holiday,” “Merry Christmas” deal — in fact, that was why I wrote the article originally. With an entire world full of problems Christians ought to address, and DO address by helping people, feeding the hungry, helping the sick, etc., why on earth do they insist on bickering over the two equally good expressions of good wishes and seasonal cheer??
Anyway, I suggest you just ignore those well-meaning but silly folks who insist on judging people by how they greet each other. There’s plenty of reason to use BOTH greetings, really.
Gary
I found this article when I googled to confirm my suspicions that “holiday” is “holy day.” I am a Christian and would like to also say, “Happy Holidays” without someone thinking I am trying to be politically correct. I should be able to say “Merry Christmas” OR “Happy Holidays” and not be judged at either. Thank you very much.
I understand the origins of the words Happy Holidays but, I do know that people like the ACLU are saying Happy Holidays for one reason alone, to take all traces of Christianity out of the Holiday. Their not saying it just to spice things up and be different. I’m okay with people saying Happy Holidays but I’m not okay when far-left organizations put companies reputations on the line by threatening them with the whole “you’re being discriminative” crap;it forces the companies to use general non-discriminative terms or they will face an onslaught of lawsuits.
I have already started wishing people Happy Holi-days (pronounced “Holy Days”). Holy days indeed.
Sorry, I still prefer to hear and say “Merry Christmas”. It includes and honors the name of Jesus “Christ”, and as he is excluded more and more from our politics and secular activities, I feel it is important for Christians to remember and share with other what the whole point of the matter truly is. Lots of other religions and cultures have “holy days”. I don’t celebrate those. When I say “merry Christmas”, I am wishing that person joy and peace in knowing the abundant life in this world, and eternal life with Him in the next. You would think people would like that……
He did say that his name would cause division and offend many. So this is all in keeping with God’s word. Too bad so many people are not as familiar with that as they are with the newspapers.
I agree with you Paul #19.
Why is everyone intimidated by Jesus Christ?
Cause He is King of kings, Lord of lords, the Alpha and the Omega, The Beginning and the Ending, GOD!!If not then he is a liar, not a good person, and a false prophet.
If you don’t believe He is God go to work thru Christmas and wait for April Fools Day to come and take that as your holy day.
Remember, what you read, think or what someone has told you, doesn’t make it absolute truth. Describe the taste of a strawberry if you’ve never tasted it. Ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you in His time and He will. He will never turn away from anyone who desires to know Him. You will never be the same again. He loves you more than you can ever image and died for you so you can spend eternity with Him. What we do now will determine our eternal future.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good life.
Don’t believe him
For one thing it’s a nasty spirit behind the whole affair of NOT saying Merry Christmas.
Second, Name me one holiday that everyone respects and keeps holy. Talk is cheap.
Besides it’s better to know Christ and get the full meaning of Christmas. Giving yourself, your time to others and give money and material things to those who need it. Feed the poor, pray for the sick and comfort the feeble minded.
By the way, Paul, the holiest day on the Christian calendar is Easter.
It’s “Happy Holidays” because we have SO FRIGGIN’ MANY Christian holidays in December-January. First of all, the entire month of December is a holiday up until Christmas Day (Advent, people! C’mon!) And the Annunciation on the 12th. Then afterwards, there’s the Gregorian New Year’s Day, the Feast of the Epiphany, and Candlemas. Might I wish you a merry Christmas and hope the rest are miserable?
As for the “X” in Xmas, it’s kind of annoying, but it comes from the custom of using the Greek letter “chi” as shorthand for “Christ.” A practice much older than department store signs! So lighten up and educate yourselves, people. There is no war on Christmas. Capitalism forbids it.
I would say that the removal of “Christmas” is very intentional. Many companies outlaw the use of the phrase in any written or posted materials, many even outlawing the use of the phrase. Where I work, we are not allowed to post anything that says Christmas, so as to not to offend anyone. It is stupid, as we then just refer to holy days and acknowledge a God anyway.
The debate definitely was started by those seeking to remove Christ from the season. As we know that Dec 25th is probably not his real birthday, it is a day we remember his birth, just as Easter is a time we remember is death and resurrection.
The point of those calling it “X-Mas” is a pretty clear example of those trying to remove Christ’s name from the day. I am ok with calling it a holiday seasaon, but to refer to “holiday” trees, or “holiday” presents is just extreme. Yes, it is a holiday season, but Christmas is the day.
Paul, what are you smoking? Apparently you didn’t know that it was the Christians who first started writing Christmas as Xmas? No one is trying to take Christ out of anything but it seems to be a national pastime for some to make themselves a victim of every made-up tragedy Glenn Beck flings at their feeble minds.
How about you put CHRIST back in Christianity for a change? Jesus weeps each time a Christian goes off about things he knows nothing about in His name. It’s sad when you know so little about your own faith. It’s a sin to waste the mind God gave you.
Happy Holidays, Paul. I’m buying you a laxative.
Thank you for this post! I have been disgusted by our society removing anything religious from our daily lives. Satan runs america and it hurts me as a christian to think that the Muslims and other religions which see america as the “devil” society may be somewhat correct. We, as a Christian nation, must come together and open our eyes to all the little ways Christ is being ripped out of our belief system and We are being subtly pulled away from God. I hardly feel we should have “holy days” (holidays) to worship presidents and social reform leaders when the politically correct liberals are doing all they can to strip Christ out of THE holiest of days. My stomach turns when I see “Xmas” instead of “Christmas” or “happy holidays” in place of “merry Christmas”. Is that “X” representing a variable or another social reform leader Malcolm? A merry Christmas to all and to all a good life!
Well then what could you say, that is not Christian about the holidays. I guess the only day we’re left with is Happy New Year’s…
So we say nothing. Problem solved.
Happy New Year’s and goodbye!
To all a good night!
Lets be real since Holiday means Holy Day what is the big issue. Lets lay aside every weight that so easiley besets us. Lets enjoy this holiday season for whom it is really intended the birth of our savior Jesus. By the way Merry Christmas to all.
All I can say, and all I need to say, is THANK YOU for posting this!
Great post!
Thanks for your comments and thoughts on this.
It’s amazing to me that a post I put up originally almost two years ago is still drawing attention — both agreement and disagreement. That’s gratifying.
I would suggest that the truth about all the feelings regarding “Christmas v. Holiday” is probably somewhere in between my original comments and your suggestions here. I agree there is “fault” on both sides.
I doubt, however, that the folks who seem to be replacing “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holiday” are not nearly as intentional as you imply. Although I think some are motivated by PC in doing this, I doubt many are doing it out of some motive to replace or eliminate the use of “Christmas.” There may truly be a few zealouts out there who are, but for the most part I don’t think people using “Happy Holidays” are all that intent on eliminating “Merry Christmas.”
Having said that, I DO know of Christians who definitely DO want to eliminate “Happy Holidays” as though it were somehow evil or wrong. (I was flipping through TV channels the other day and came across a television evangelist/talk show host who had a pile of shopping catalogs he’d gotten in the mail. His wife was going through each catalog one-by-one and pointing out those which had “Merry Christmas” on the front and those which had “Happy Holidays” on the front. She carefully pointed out those with “Happy Holidays” as merchants Christians should avoid. The studio audience literally clapped and cheered each time.)
Very interesting issues involved here, I agree.
Gary
The whole premise of your argument is that Christians came along and insisted that the phrase “Merry Christmas” should/must be used. In fact, Christians and non-Christians alike have used “Merry Christmas” as well as “Happy Holidays” for eons.
It’s not that Christians suddenly came along and insisted on the use of “Merry Christmas.” It is that certain non-Christians came along and insisted on NOT using “Merry Christmas.” You are attempting to turn the table on the whole matter and suggest that Christians created this debate.
Your point regarding the origin of the word “holiday” and the ignorance of many regarding the origin is probably correct. In fact, those that are against the use of “Merry Christmas” and in favor of “Happy Holidays” are within that group. After all, the majority of those complaining about the phrase “Merry Christmas” do so on the grounds that the phrase promotes a particular religion, etc. So, if they were aware of the origin of the word “holiday,” then they would also be against the use of that word since “holy” suggests a deity, etc.
The bottom line is not in the use of a particular phrase or the ignorance of a word’s origin. The bottom line is the INTENT of those attempting to remove certain phrases. These are the individuals needing to “get a life” as you say. If these individuals do discover the origin of the word “holiday,” then they will be advocating the use of “happy xdays” or just “happy days.”
Definitions change. Of the nation’s 10 federal holidays, only Christmas would be considered by anyone to be a Holy Day. Of the 60+ holidays that fall in December (including Barbie and Barney Backlash Day), only a handful would be considered Holy Days. Neither wishing someone Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas should be seen as offensive or a cause for war. If either is offensive to you, remember that December 26 is National Whiners Day.
Interesting take on that. I actually knew what holiday meant and was thinking why athiests or other religionous people used the saying when it meant “holy day” as means to not offend people. Genuine Christians aren’t making it out to be a “war” nor do they think it’s “vital” to their faith if they say Merry Christmas. Christians probably say “Merry Christmas” to make a point because saying “Happy Holidays” is the same thing, and to most non-religious people those two sayings are taken differently.
Thank you Jake for bringing that up, I was hoping someone would provide a counter to that ignorant argument.
Many will agree that December 25th is not the actual day of Christ’s birth, Using the 25th of December was the first Centuries Christian’s effort to usurp the influence of the pagan’s festivities of that same week.
Christmas is holy, but since Holy has different meanings to different people, Merry Christmas has special meaning to those that follow the Christian Faith.
This is a FREE SPEACH country and I dare anyone to prevent me from using that phrase
or praying in school.
The term “Separation of Church and State, was not meant to remove religion from the State, but to remove State control from Religion.
The funny part to me…
——————————————————————————–
…is that most people who say “happy holidays” have no clue about the origin of the word “holiday”…so I agree with you.
Of course, those who trip all over themselves to be “politically correct” and use that term so as to not “offend” others, are in fact unknowingly acknowledging that Christmas is a holy day (see definition below)….and thus, that perhaps would be even offensive to use to those who reject Christianity.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/holy
Hmmm….
Anyway, I absolutely do say “Merry Christmas” and/or “Happy Holidays” to others…even my Muslim friends. After all, even they claim that Christ was a “great prophet”, so why not?
I have to assume that those who get bent out of shape about the use of “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” are doing so because they understand the motives of those who are doing this…and are not thinking of what the word “holiday” means.
Maybe I’m ignorant, but didn’t the Puritans only have control in certain areas, not over all the American colonies? By the 1660′s and 1670′s when the first generation of Puritans in America were beginning to die, the entire group starting dissolving. The witch trials didn’t help either. To me, this is the same as arguing that because the Mormons formally accepted polygamy in the Utah, the entire United States is based on these ideals. This was just a small group with views that later changed.
Meg that would be an application of logic. It also uses there logic against them. At this point they usually take there ball and go home.
I just think the ‘Happy Holidays’ thing, was a way of taking ‘Christ’ out of the Christmas Holidays.
on the same token, why do atheists offended by “Merry Christmas” say “happy holidays” at all if they don’t believe in anything “holy”
Great post! I’m glad I’m not alone in realizing the meaning of “holiday”! So, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
[...] I thought it was funny or maybe enlightening to read a fellow bloggers post on the subject. Gary has a few words to say in his post titled Do “Christmas People Actually Know the Origin of [...]
Wow! I never even thought about it this way. I was just irritated that it was becoming uncool to say Merry Christmas. Thanks for the great post.
I never thought about the ‘holy day’ thing, but you are right. I think all sides need to chill out just a touch. I’ll celebrate anything that means I get a festive meal.