A book called “Every Person’s Guide to Judaism” poses a question to the Jews who celebrate Christmas: “Do non-Christians have the right to trivialize one of the most sacred and most important days of the Christian year?”. Whether you choose to say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays,” sincerely wishing someone else well at this time of year—or any time, really—is never a bad idea. ... Willie Nelson, wrote in 1963, and which Roy Orbison first made famous in the years before Willie became Willie, and he still sold his songs to anyone who’d buy ’em. From this perspective, it makes sense that the second-generation Jews began questioning the idea of celebrating Christmas. What if he wants to celebrate Christmas? Very few care. “Christmas for Jews—How Hanukkah became a major holiday” by David Greenberg explains the history and the politics of Hanukkah. I remember receiving a few Christmas gifts. After all, our government officially designated Christmas as a national holiday. Let everyone know about the miracle that happened today all those years ago and why you are so excited to celebrate it. The word for … Pray in Jesus’s name. So where did the idea that it is threatened come from? If Jewish people want to trivialize Purim by turning it into a Halloween-like costume party, I would gladly join the fun. If enjoying Christmas would weaken your faith in Judaism, you have only yourself to blame. 1925 Hallmark Christmas card. Which makes more sense? Whenever I say "Merry Christmas" to somebody, I'm basically saying "I hope you have a merry day on December 25th". Besides, if “trivializing” of other people’s religions is unethical, how about trivializing of their own religion? Since second-generation Americans only have secondhand knowledge of it, they naturally feel insecure about it. Merry Christmas and a happy new year " (thus incorporating two greetings) was in an informal letter written by an English admiral in 1699. Happy New Year, but Merry Christmas.” Christmas is a federal holiday celebrated widely by the country’s Christian majority. In general, “Happy Holidays” is accepted as the broadest and most inclusive greeting at this time of year. The term appears in 1534 in a Christmas letter between the Catholic Bishop John Fisher and Thomas Cromwell. Historically, “Merry Christmas” appeared in English literature in the 16th century and has been popularized in various books since then. Christmas has been celebrated since the 4th century AD, the first known usage of any Christmas greeting dates was in 1534. " I was impressed, or shocked, by how spectacular it was. Setting aside politics, what’s the history behind the different greetings? In modern day England, however, it is popular to say “Happy Christmas.” Fight back against that by doing one thing: say “Merry Christmas.” Don’t say Happy Holidays. Just because he is Jewish, does not mean that he should or he has to celebrate Hanukkah. January 4, 2004 What is wrong with enjoying a festival that happens to originate in a religion other than your own? Everyone seemed to understand that the spirit of the wish was more important than the exact words said. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. And, as offensive as it may sound to some Jewish people, I hold Hanukkah responsible for tainting Christmas. “Happy Holidays” was increasingly (rather exponentially) pushed on people during the 70s, 80s, and hugely in the 90s as part of the whole PC movement which was just fronting for the Neomarxist assault on Western Civilization, and especially Christianity. A Merry Christmas … A day to celebrate! In the book Season’s Greetings From the White House, first published in 1996 and updated in 2007, author Mary Evans Seeley offers details of presidential Christmas cards, messages and gifts through the years. But in 2005, just as the idea of a “War on Christmas” was gaining momentum in conservative circles, critics spoke out against President George W. Bush’s omission of the word “Christmas” from his White House holiday card. Christmas is the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, which, in Western Christian Churches, is held annually on 25 December.For centuries, it has been the subject of several reformations, both religious and secular. And before the 18th century, you could hear both “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Christmas.” The most likely reason for this is the fact that, well, “merry” was … Merry Christmas - and any holiday, for that matter - to the lovely staff and users of NintendoLife! (Credit: White House/White House/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images). If Christians are happy with Christmas being a national holiday, non-Christians have the right to do whatever we want to do with Christmas. Bill O’ Reilly said that Christmas is “under siege.” He was mad that Macy’s was using “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” President-elect Donald Trump joined the “War on Christmas” bandwagon this year. I hope my readers would understand that criticizing an aspect of Jewish culture does not constitute anti-Semitism. December 25, 2020. by Celeste Fremon. So, “Merry Christmas” it up all you like. So while the debate over appropriate holiday greetings shows no signs of being resolved any time soon, there’s one thing we can all keep in mind. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Back in the 1950s, her research shows, Dwight D. Eisenhower’s holiday cards read “Season’s Greetings.” Later presidents, from John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson to Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, also tried not to alienate non-Christians in their holiday missives. The commercialized aspects of Christmas have no historical basis in Christianity, but we enjoy it anyway. … By Jeremy_Brener @JeremyBrener Dec 25, 2020, 6:00am CST / new. "The phrase "Happy holidays" ignores non-believers, Muslims, Buddists, and a handful of other religions I mentioned and cited in R1." Christmas is not a major holiday in Japan, but the commercial aspects of it are enthusiastically embraced by many. MERRY CHRISTMAS!” … for which I was summarily. If you know someone celebrates Christmas you can go with “Merry Christmas,” but ‘tis the season for interacting with strangers (selling to them, buying from them, bumping into them on your way out of Target). Hallmark, founded by J.C. Hall in 1910, started producing its own greeting cards in 1915. 'Merry Christmas' versus 'happy holidays': A tale of two expressions. While on the campaign trail in 2015, he even vowed to "make Christmas great again" by requiring people to greet others with "merry Christmas," not "happy holidays." If I know my client well enough it's a no-brainer, but if it's a new client, I'm often worried I may offend them whichever way I go. However, we did find a prominent non-political figure spreading “Happy Holiday” cheer in 2010. As someone who is religiously neutral, I would like to suggest that we all let others fully enjoy their religious holidays without tainting them. Doctor is bombarded with abuse for 'excluding Muslims' by wishing his followers Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays. By saying “Happy Hanukkah” to him, we would be insinuating that he is doing something wrong. In dealing with Christmas, MOST Christians understand that Jesus was NOT born on December 25 th, and that December 25 th was chosen by (what is now referred to as ) the Catholic Church partly to line up with the festivities in Rome to bring more people into the knowledge of Christ.. Christmas was first celebrated by Roman Emperor Constantine in 336 A.D. and later Pope Julius made … Saying “Happy Hanukkah” to someone just because he is Jewish, could also be offensive. What started as a dispute forged by religious preference became … ©2004 DYSKE Therefore, then or now, to wish someone “Happy Holidays” is to wish them happiness from the first night of Advent through the Feast of the Epiphany, including Christmas. I find both Judaism and Christianity intriguing, but when it comes to the holiday season, I prefer Christmas over Hanukkah. A Tradition That's Become Politically Incorrect. Now, I have to keep my Christmas spirit in check to avoid offending Jewish people. But Christmas turned from a religious occasion to a largely secular one for many people, the phrase “Happy Holidays” also expanded its usage, becoming a more universal greeting used to include people of various religions, and even a nod to the New Year. Share this … If a Jewish person said "Happy Haunnikah" (did i spell that right?) But you know, this year the emphasis almost has to be on the "Happy New Year" part of the traditional year-end greeting. As Andrew McGill wrote in The Atlantic in 2016, Christians have exchanged the greeting “Happy Holidays” among themselves for decades, most with the understanding that the “holidays” meant the season of Advent, the four-Sunday cycle on that includes Christmas and ends on the Feast of the Epiphany. For me, being able to say, “Merry Christmas!” to anyone was a … Christmas cards on sale at a Target store for the 2017 holiday season. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays From BRB . To trivialize something that you are invited to trivialize, or to trivialize your own religion that you are not supposed to trivialize? Wishing everyone a very Happy Holiday season! We must feel secure and confident in our own values before we can embrace the values of others. Why do they have to invent their own holiday to compete with Christmas? Imagine if we were no longer allowed to say “Happy St. Patrick’s Day!” and instead had to say something like, “Happy drinking day.” Imagine if all holidays were used as platforms for asserting our religious identities, each religion digging out some minor historical event as an excuse to compete with the major one. © 2021 A&E Television Networks, LLC. If they do not want their holidays to be “trivialized” by non-believers, then let’s respect that wish too. If Hanukkah truly was a major holiday, it would be understandable, but it isn’t. White House Christmas card from George H. W. Bush, 1989. So no, “Happy Holidays” isn’t some PC alternative to “Merry Christmas”. The Christians celebrate their Happy Holidays beginning December 15, through Christmas Day on December 25, until Feast of the Three Kings on the first Sunday of January. Example: [Collected via e-mail and Twitter, November 2015] Saw on Facebook a post claiming that the President has banned Christmas trees at veteran centers. (In fact, each year, Queen Elizabeth continues to wish her citizens a "Happy Christmas," rather than a merry one.) Share this story. Growing up in Japan, my family casually celebrated Christmas. I don’t believe it is true, can you The great holiday greeting debate doesn’t seem to be reflected in the history of greeting cards themselves, which have a long tradition of varied offerings for the holiday season. But "Merry Christmas" has been used since at least 1534—a dated letter from bishop John Fisher to Henry VIII's chief minister Thomas Cromwell reveals as much. 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