"Happy Holidays!"

Well, that's silly of them.

Even putting the religious intolerance aside, Happy Holidays includes the rest of Advent, along with New Year's in a few days. It's not even "wrong" from a Christian standpoint.

Except for 4/1/2011. That day lingers in my memory like...metaphor here...I should go.

Thank you. Still working on it, too.

Anyhow, back to topic, I also thought "xmas" (and worse yet, "xianity") looked absurdly stupid.

I remember asking what that was when I was really little and it was in Loony Toons and my parents basically said "it's a stand-in for 'Christ' and it's very insulting so don't use it." I've never used it since...

I am now known as Flyboy.

@Ultrayellow: Yeah, it's pretty ridiculous when people complain about it, especially since the holiday season starts in the early fall.

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian

But the chi-rho is a Christian symbol which has been used to represent Christ since the 15th century. How could anyone justify that as being insulting, there are artworks from that epoch which just use the chi-rho in place of Christ's name.

All I do, is sit down at the computer, and start hittin' the keys. Getting them in the right order, that's the trick.

Yeah, but that's an x with a p stuck in the middle of it.

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian

Hey, Xmas is just cooler.

I want to say "Happy Winter Solstice" but it's just too much of a mouthful.

Keyboard shortcuts are a bitch, just use a plain old X and everyone will know what you're talking about.

edited 16th Dec '11 4:29:31 PM by YeahBro

All I do, is sit down at the computer, and start hittin' the keys. Getting them in the right order, that's the trick.

The chi is not the same as the letter "x".

Also, you just cannot substitute symbols like that anyway. Christ was also represented as a fish, and fairly often; but wishing people happy Fishmas would raise at least a few eyebrows

This said, I suppose that if it is an abbreviation for texting it's OK — texting tends to disregard stylistic rules anyway, and as long as the message gets through that's all that matters.

edited 16th Dec '11 4:31:30 PM by Carciofus

But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.

I use whichever comes to mind first. Of course, this means that I normally say "happy holidays" to the people who really dislike it, but that's always amusing.

^ X is good enough, though.

edited 16th Dec '11 4:32:06 PM by AllanAssiduity

Ihr Gelee, Amerikaner?

Murrl LustFatM

See: parents are very social conservative.

I just don't use it out of habit at this point, though.

I am now known as Flyboy.

@Excel Deutschland sucks.

The funny thing is that I don't even know if that's German.

I say whatever comes to mind first.

edited 16th Dec '11 5:08:08 PM by TheWesterner

I was wondering why frisbees got bigger as they got closer then it hit me.

Pity that I live in Austria, Westy.

@Ex

Wut?

@Kay: roughly translated, "u jelly, americans?"

Ihr: you (plural)

Gelee: jelly

Amerikaner: American

edited 16th Dec '11 6:35:14 PM by setnakhte

"Roll for whores."

Still don't get it.

Here.

"Roll for whores."

@OP

I figured that by that logic, you shouldn't even say "Happy holidays!". You should plainly say "Hello!" and "Good bye!".

However, I say Merry Christmas because I, the speaker, enjoy it, not because of what the listeners think. And if you respect freedom to hold views you should not have a problem with that in itself.

Now using Trivialis handle.

Anyone who is genuinely offended by either saying is an idiot and not someone I want to associate with.

End of story.

go ahead and do every stupid thing you can imagine

It's just a habit that I say Merry Christmas. If I have time to think about it I'll say Happy Holidays, but Merry Christmas is pretty much a knee-jerk reaction to someone wishing me the same.

I use "Merry Christmas" because I live in a pretty predominantly Christian town. If I'm traveling, I use "Happy Holidays" unless I'm at a religious event/location or know what religion the person I'm talking to is.

To the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee.

Relevant to the conversation.◊

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian

This, pretty much. I mean, in my country it is New Year, not Christmas which is celebrated. But considering that celebrations themselves are mostly interchangeable, I don't even pay enough attention to it to specify.

If we disagree, that much, at least, we have in common

I think "Happy Holidays" is basically an American thing, which amuses me the US is on the whole more Christian than the UK (i.e. has a higher proportion of practicing Christians). It's bland and meaningless.

For me, the public holiday is still called Christmas whether you are Christian or not, and I can't see why anyone would be offended by being wished a happy time, unless they are the sort of person who likes being offended because it validates their self-assigned status as an oppressed minority. In that case, fuck them.

"Well, it's a lifestyle"

Pretty sure 'Happy Holidays' is considered more PC because it includes the other holidays a person might be celebrating around that time even if they don't celebrate Christmas.

If it's used in a context where Christmas is exactly and precisely the only thing it's referring to... there's no point.

edited 17th Dec '11 6:29:59 AM by TheGirlWithPointyEars

She of Short Stature & Impeccable Logic My Skating Liveblog

Merry Christmas is fine by me. It's a largely commercial holiday anyway, stripping it of its name as well seems rather pointless. Otherwise you may as well go after the word "holiday" as well ("holy day").

With cannon shot and gun blast smash the alien. With laser beam and searing plasma scatter the alien to the stars.