they're going to insist that this evergreen be called a "Christmas Tree," and that everyone should say "Merry Christmas." As if the only reason anyone should ever use a tree to decorate their house, or have a midwinter holiday were if they were celebrating the birth of Christ.
VERY well put. This is all driving me extra-nuts this year (my first Christmas in Fundieville)--yeah, I call it a Christmas tree, but these days I celebrate Secular Agnostic Christmas, which doesn't have a whole lot to do with the birth of Christ (which is, after all, sort of a Muslim holiday, too--the birth of the prophet Issa). Holidays, plural, recognizes that this time of year also has Chanukkah and the Winter Solstice, among other holidays. But respecting other religions is not really a tenant of Christianity, at least not a specific one, and many Christians seem to feel they're failing if they don't make obnoxious, snide conversion attempts at everyone who says "Happy Holidays."
I don't buy holiday-themed cards much, so any cards that get sent out this year will mostly likely have butterflies and dragonflies and Japanese paintings and Renaissance women and pretty geometric things on them. Unless I get around to making cute cards of my cats trying to eat the ribbon off the presents.
I think every time someone says "Merry Christmas" to me this year I'm going to say "Happy Solstice" back.
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Date: 2006-12-07 10:01 pm (UTC)VERY well put. This is all driving me extra-nuts this year (my first Christmas in Fundieville)--yeah, I call it a Christmas tree, but these days I celebrate Secular Agnostic Christmas, which doesn't have a whole lot to do with the birth of Christ (which is, after all, sort of a Muslim holiday, too--the birth of the prophet Issa). Holidays, plural, recognizes that this time of year also has Chanukkah and the Winter Solstice, among other holidays. But respecting other religions is not really a tenant of Christianity, at least not a specific one, and many Christians seem to feel they're failing if they don't make obnoxious, snide conversion attempts at everyone who says "Happy Holidays."
I don't buy holiday-themed cards much, so any cards that get sent out this year will mostly likely have butterflies and dragonflies and Japanese paintings and Renaissance women and pretty geometric things on them. Unless I get around to making cute cards of my cats trying to eat the ribbon off the presents.
I think every time someone says "Merry Christmas" to me this year I'm going to say "Happy Solstice" back.