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Happy Holidays vs Merry Christmas, which do you prefer?

Debate Information

Happy Holidays vs Merry Christmas, which do you prefer?
aarongkmelkevolution17
  1. Live Poll

    ?

    13 votes
    1. Merry Christmas
      23.08%
    2. Happy Holidays
      30.77%
    3. Both equally
      23.08%
    4. None
        0.00%
    5. Happy Holidays more
      23.08%
I could either have the future pass me or l could create it. 

“We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain .” - Benjamin Franklin  So flat Earthers, man-made climate change deniers, and just science deniers.

I friended myself! 



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  • PoguePogue 584 Pts   -  
    I prefer saying Happy Holidays since it includes other holidays around that time and Christmas. However, I do say both. 
    I could either have the future pass me or l could create it. 

    “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain .” - Benjamin Franklin  So flat Earthers, man-made climate change deniers, and just science deniers.

    I friended myself! 
  • I believe that people should say happy holidays which may apply to all or most holidays during that time.
    Pogue
  • JudaismJudaism 180 Pts   -  
    I'm Jewish, so technically, it should matter, but it doesn't bother me much, it is a free country, and why upset the crowd?
  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays is a saying for people who are politically correct. While there are other religions and holidays that occur within the time-frame, we celebrate Christmas as a nation derived from the Roman Catholic Church, therefore, it is degrading to call the event a holiday, like secular events like President's Day, and instead should call the event by its original purpose, Christmas.
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • PoguePogue 584 Pts   -  
    Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays is a saying for people who are politically correct. While there are other religions and holidays that occur within the time-frame, we celebrate Christmas as a nation derived from the Roman Catholic Church, therefore, it is degrading to call the event a holiday, like secular events like President's Day, and instead should call the event by its original purpose, Christmas.
    I would happen to disagree! Merry Christmas is exclusive while happy holidays is inclusive. Culture changes. However, all "Protestant denominations accounted for 51.3%, while the Catholic Church by itself, at 23.9%". 
    I could either have the future pass me or l could create it. 

    “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain .” - Benjamin Franklin  So flat Earthers, man-made climate change deniers, and just science deniers.

    I friended myself! 
  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    Pogue said:
    Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays is a saying for people who are politically correct. While there are other religions and holidays that occur within the time-frame, we celebrate Christmas as a nation derived from the Roman Catholic Church, therefore, it is degrading to call the event a holiday, like secular events like President's Day, and instead should call the event by its original purpose, Christmas.
    I would happen to disagree! Merry Christmas is exclusive while happy holidays is inclusive. Culture changes. However, all "Protestant denominations accounted for 51.3%, while the Catholic Church by itself, at 23.9%". 
    This may be true, but the celebration has Catholic origins, so it should be named according to Catholic denominations. Your argument also would negate Hanukkah, as more people are Protestant. Naming events shouldn't be about the cultural changes that occur over time, it should be the origins of the event that decide its names. American's coined President's Day, but we don't say Happy Holidays to that, because President's Day has origins to the 1960's. If Christmas has origins to 0 AD, why is the coinage different if the origin is clear?
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • PoguePogue 584 Pts   -  
    Pogue said:
    Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays is a saying for people who are politically correct. While there are other religions and holidays that occur within the time-frame, we celebrate Christmas as a nation derived from the Roman Catholic Church, therefore, it is degrading to call the event a holiday, like secular events like President's Day, and instead should call the event by its original purpose, Christmas.
    I would happen to disagree! Merry Christmas is exclusive while happy holidays is inclusive. Culture changes. However, all "Protestant denominations accounted for 51.3%, while the Catholic Church by itself, at 23.9%". 
    This may be true, but the celebration has Catholic origins, so it should be named according to Catholic denominations. Your argument also would negate Hanukkah, as more people are Protestant. Naming events shouldn't be about the cultural changes that occur over time, it should be the origins of the event that decide its names. American's coined President's Day, but we don't say Happy Holidays to that, because President's Day has origins to the 1960's. If Christmas has origins to 0 AD, why is the coinage different if the origin is clear?
    It is not to erase the origins, it is to; let’s say you are addressing a wide range of people who do not only celebrate Christmas. You say Merry Christmas, you are excluding people. Happy Holidays is not changing the name, it is to address a wide range of people. All happy holidays is, is to include all holidays around that time. 
    I could either have the future pass me or l could create it. 

    “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain .” - Benjamin Franklin  So flat Earthers, man-made climate change deniers, and just science deniers.

    I friended myself! 
  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays is a saying for people who are politically correct. While there are other religions and holidays that occur within the time-frame, we celebrate Christmas as a nation derived from the Roman Catholic Church, therefore, it is degrading to call the event a holiday, like secular events like President's Day, and instead should call the event by its original purpose, Christmas.
    I would happen to disagree! Merry Christmas is exclusive while happy holidays is inclusive. Culture changes. However, all "Protestant denominations accounted for 51.3%, while the Catholic Church by itself, at 23.9%". 
    This may be true, but the celebration has Catholic origins, so it should be named according to Catholic denominations. Your argument also would negate Hanukkah, as more people are Protestant. Naming events shouldn't be about the cultural changes that occur over time, it should be the origins of the event that decide its names. American's coined President's Day, but we don't say Happy Holidays to that, because President's Day has origins to the 1960's. If Christmas has origins to 0 AD, why is the coinage different if the origin is clear?
    It is not to erase the origins, it is to; let’s say you are addressing a wide range of people who do not only celebrate Christmas. You say Merry Christmas, you are excluding people. Happy Holidays is not changing the name, it is to address a wide range of people. All happy holidays is, is to include all holidays around that time. 
    However, think about it, businesses and companies don't celebrate Hanukkah, which occurs before Christmas, they advertise Christmas itself. Since there are only two holidays, Christmas and Hanukkah, it makes sense to say Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to distinguish each one. We say Happy Holidays not to offend people, but is that really the point of the special occasion, namely Jesus's birth? I think not, Merry Christmas encompasses the origin and the occasion of the date, I don't care if I offend people, believe me at 14 I can offend high schoolers with Merry Christmas, but as a Roman Catholic, I don't believe that we should sacrifice principles to assuage more people than otherwise.
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    Additionally, isolating people with the word Happy Holidays does not show respect for the people who believe in the event. You can show more respect for all cultures by encompassing their values rather than glossing it over with a vague terminology.
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • PoguePogue 584 Pts   -  
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays is a saying for people who are politically correct. While there are other religions and holidays that occur within the time-frame, we celebrate Christmas as a nation derived from the Roman Catholic Church, therefore, it is degrading to call the event a holiday, like secular events like President's Day, and instead should call the event by its original purpose, Christmas.
    I would happen to disagree! Merry Christmas is exclusive while happy holidays is inclusive. Culture changes. However, all "Protestant denominations accounted for 51.3%, while the Catholic Church by itself, at 23.9%". 
    This may be true, but the celebration has Catholic origins, so it should be named according to Catholic denominations. Your argument also would negate Hanukkah, as more people are Protestant. Naming events shouldn't be about the cultural changes that occur over time, it should be the origins of the event that decide its names. American's coined President's Day, but we don't say Happy Holidays to that, because President's Day has origins to the 1960's. If Christmas has origins to 0 AD, why is the coinage different if the origin is clear?
    It is not to erase the origins, it is to; let’s say you are addressing a wide range of people who do not only celebrate Christmas. You say Merry Christmas, you are excluding people. Happy Holidays is not changing the name, it is to address a wide range of people. All happy holidays is, is to include all holidays around that time. 
    However, think about it, businesses and companies don't celebrate Hanukkah, which occurs before Christmas, they advertise Christmas itself. Since there are only two holidays, Christmas and Hanukkah, it makes sense to say Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to distinguish each one. We say Happy Holidays not to offend people, but is that really the point of the special occasion, namely Jesus's birth? I think not, Merry Christmas encompasses the origin and the occasion of the date, I don't care if I offend people, believe me at 14 I can offend high schoolers with Merry Christmas, but as a Roman Catholic, I don't believe that we should sacrifice principles to assuage more people than otherwise.
    False! Here are all the holidays in December. 
    Buddhism
    • Bodhi Day8 December – Day of Enlightenment, celebrating the day that the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Gautama) experienced enlightenment (also known as Bodhi). New Years
    Christianity
    • Adventfour Sundays preceding Christmas Day
    • Krampusnacht5 December – The Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated in parts of Europe on 6 December. In Alpine countries, Saint Nicholas has a devilish companion named Krampus who punishes the bad children the night before.
    • Saint Nicholas' Day: 6 December
    • Feast of the Immaculate Conception Day: 8 December – The day of Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception is celebrated as a public holiday in many Catholic countries.
    • Saint Lucia's Day13 December – Church Feast Day. Saint Lucia comes as a young woman with lights and sweets.
    • Las Posadas16–24 December – procession to various family lodgings for celebration & prayer and to re-enact Mary & Joseph's journey to Bethlehem[5]
    • Longest Night: A modern Christian service to help those coping with loss, usually held on the eve of the Winter solstice.
    • Christmas Eve24 December – In many coutries e.g. the German speaking countries, but also in Poland, Hungary and the Nordic countries, gift giving is on 24 December.
    • Christmas Day25 December and 7 January – celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike.[6][7][8][9]
    • Anastasia of Sirmium feast day: 25 December
    • Twelve Days of Christmas25 December–6 January
    • Saint Stephen's Day26 December – In Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic a holiday celebrated as Second Day of Christmas.
    • Saint John the Evangelist's Day: 27 December
    • Holy Innocents' Day: 28 December
    • Saint Sylvester's Day: 31 December
    Hinduism
    • Pancha Ganapati: a modern five-day Hindu festival celebrated from December 21 through 25 in honor of Ganesha.
    Historical
    • Malkh25 December
    • Mōdraniht: or Mothers' Night, the Saxon winter solstice festival.
    • Saturnalia: 17–23 December - An ancient Roman winter solstice festival in honor of the deity Saturn, held on the 17 December of the Julian calendar and expanded with festivities through to 23 December. Celebrated with sacrifice, a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival.
    • Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Day of the birth of the Unconquered Sun): 25 December – late Roman Empire
    Humanism
    • HumanLight23 December – Humanist holiday originated by the New Jersey Humanist Network in celebration of "a Humanist's vision of a good future."[10]
    Judaism
    • Hanukkah: usually falls anywhere between late November and early January. See "movable"
    Paganism
    • YulePagan winter festival that was celebrated by the historical Germanic people from late December to early January.
    • Yalda21 December – The turning point, Winter Solstice. As the longest night of the year and the beginning of the lengthening of days, Shabe Yaldā or Shabe Chelle is an Iranian festival celebrating the victory of light and goodness over darkness and evil. Shabe yalda means 'birthday eve.' According to Persian mythology, Mithra was born at dawn on 22 December to a virgin mother. He symbolizes light, truth, goodness, strength, and friendship. Herodotus reports that this was the most important holiday of the year for contemporary Persians. In modern times Persians celebrate Yalda by staying up late or all night, a practice known as Shab Chera meaning 'night gazing'. Fruits and nuts are eaten, especially pomegranates and watermelons, whose red color invokes the crimson hues of dawn and symbolize Mithra.
    • KoliadaSlavic winter festival celebrated on late December with parades and singers who visit houses and receive gifts.
    Secular
    Unitarian Universalism
    Fictional or parody
    • Erastide: In David EddingsBelgariad and Malloreon series, Erastide is a celebration of the day on which the Seven Gods created the world. Greetings ("Joyous Erastide") and gifts are exchanged, and feasts are held.
    • Feast of Winter Veil: 15 December–2 January – A holiday in World of Warcraft. This holiday is based on Christmas. Cities are decorated with lights and a tree with presents. Special quests, items and snowballs are available to players during this time. The character of "Greatfather Winter", who is modeled after Santa Claus, appears.[12][13] Festival of the Winter Veil was and still is a legitimate holiday of European religions like Wicca. The Germanic tribes used to celebrate the Winter Solstice as a time to be thankful for the blessings given to them to survive harsh winters. The term "Weil", incorrectly translated to "veil", means abundance in German.
    • Feast of Alvis: in the TV series Sealab 2021.[14] "Believer, you have forgotten the true meaning of Alvis Day. Neither is it ham, nor pomp. Nay, the true meaning of Alvis day is drinking. Drinking and revenge."–Alvis[15]
    • Hogswatch: a holiday celebrated on the fictional world of Discworld. It is very similar to the Christian celebration of Christmas.
    • Festivus23 December – a parody holiday created by Daniel O'Keefe and made popular by Seinfeld as an alternative to Christmas.
    • Frostvale: the winter holidays in the Artix Entertainment universe
    • Decemberween25 December – a parody of Christmas that features gift-giving, carol-singing and decorated trees. The fact that it takes place on December 25, the same day as Christmas, has been presented as just a coincidence, and it has been stated that Decemberween traditionally takes place "55 days after Halloween". The holiday has been featured in the Homestar Runner series.
    • Wintersday, the end-of-the-year celebration in the fictional universe of the Guild Wars franchise, starts every year mid December and ends the next year on early January.
    • IES Competition Time, Don's Event questions on the number of trips he took all over the world and in return offering prizes for the person who can guess closest. Follows this up with everyone's favourite Andrew Award presentation.
    • Winter's Crest, the winter celebration held on the continent of Tal'Dorei in the world of Exandria, as featured in the RPG show Critical Role.
    I could either have the future pass me or l could create it. 

    “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain .” - Benjamin Franklin  So flat Earthers, man-made climate change deniers, and just science deniers.

    I friended myself! 
  • PoguePogue 584 Pts   -  
    Additionally, isolating people with the word Happy Holidays does not show respect for the people who believe in the event. You can show more respect for all cultures by encompassing their values rather than glossing it over with a vague terminology.
    I say the holiday if I am not addressing people with different holidays. 
    I could either have the future pass me or l could create it. 

    “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain .” - Benjamin Franklin  So flat Earthers, man-made climate change deniers, and just science deniers.

    I friended myself! 
  • JudaismJudaism 180 Pts   -  
    @WilliamSchulz

    What's wrong with "Happy Holidays?" Some people, like me, do celebrate Hanukkah - like I said, I don't really care if people say Merry Christmas around, I like the lights and all, but to get rid of "Happy Holidays" would be to show no respect for other peoples of faith, and no one faith has monopoly in this country (assuming you live in the US).
    PogueSlanderIsNotDebate1995
  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays is a saying for people who are politically correct. While there are other religions and holidays that occur within the time-frame, we celebrate Christmas as a nation derived from the Roman Catholic Church, therefore, it is degrading to call the event a holiday, like secular events like President's Day, and instead should call the event by its original purpose, Christmas.
    I would happen to disagree! Merry Christmas is exclusive while happy holidays is inclusive. Culture changes. However, all "Protestant denominations accounted for 51.3%, while the Catholic Church by itself, at 23.9%". 
    This may be true, but the celebration has Catholic origins, so it should be named according to Catholic denominations. Your argument also would negate Hanukkah, as more people are Protestant. Naming events shouldn't be about the cultural changes that occur over time, it should be the origins of the event that decide its names. American's coined President's Day, but we don't say Happy Holidays to that, because President's Day has origins to the 1960's. If Christmas has origins to 0 AD, why is the coinage different if the origin is clear?
    It is not to erase the origins, it is to; let’s say you are addressing a wide range of people who do not only celebrate Christmas. You say Merry Christmas, you are excluding people. Happy Holidays is not changing the name, it is to address a wide range of people. All happy holidays is, is to include all holidays around that time. 
    However, think about it, businesses and companies don't celebrate Hanukkah, which occurs before Christmas, they advertise Christmas itself. Since there are only two holidays, Christmas and Hanukkah, it makes sense to say Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to distinguish each one. We say Happy Holidays not to offend people, but is that really the point of the special occasion, namely Jesus's birth? I think not, Merry Christmas encompasses the origin and the occasion of the date, I don't care if I offend people, believe me at 14 I can offend high schoolers with Merry Christmas, but as a Roman Catholic, I don't believe that we should sacrifice principles to assuage more people than otherwise.
    False! Here are all the holidays in December. 
    Buddhism
    • Bodhi Day8 December – Day of Enlightenment, celebrating the day that the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Gautama) experienced enlightenment (also known as Bodhi). New Years
    Christianity
    • Adventfour Sundays preceding Christmas Day
    • Krampusnacht5 December – The Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated in parts of Europe on 6 December. In Alpine countries, Saint Nicholas has a devilish companion named Krampus who punishes the bad children the night before.
    • Saint Nicholas' Day: 6 December
    • Feast of the Immaculate Conception Day: 8 December – The day of Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception is celebrated as a public holiday in many Catholic countries.
    • Saint Lucia's Day13 December – Church Feast Day. Saint Lucia comes as a young woman with lights and sweets.
    • Las Posadas16–24 December – procession to various family lodgings for celebration & prayer and to re-enact Mary & Joseph's journey to Bethlehem[5]
    • Longest Night: A modern Christian service to help those coping with loss, usually held on the eve of the Winter solstice.
    • Christmas Eve24 December – In many coutries e.g. the German speaking countries, but also in Poland, Hungary and the Nordic countries, gift giving is on 24 December.
    • Christmas Day25 December and 7 January – celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike.[6][7][8][9]
    • Anastasia of Sirmium feast day: 25 December
    • Twelve Days of Christmas25 December–6 January
    • Saint Stephen's Day26 December – In Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic a holiday celebrated as Second Day of Christmas.
    • Saint John the Evangelist's Day: 27 December
    • Holy Innocents' Day: 28 December
    • Saint Sylvester's Day: 31 December
    Hinduism
    • Pancha Ganapati: a modern five-day Hindu festival celebrated from December 21 through 25 in honor of Ganesha.
    Historical
    • Malkh25 December
    • Mōdraniht: or Mothers' Night, the Saxon winter solstice festival.
    • Saturnalia: 17–23 December - An ancient Roman winter solstice festival in honor of the deity Saturn, held on the 17 December of the Julian calendar and expanded with festivities through to 23 December. Celebrated with sacrifice, a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival.
    • Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Day of the birth of the Unconquered Sun): 25 December – late Roman Empire
    Humanism
    • HumanLight23 December – Humanist holiday originated by the New Jersey Humanist Network in celebration of "a Humanist's vision of a good future."[10]
    Judaism
    • Hanukkah: usually falls anywhere between late November and early January. See "movable"
    Paganism
    • YulePagan winter festival that was celebrated by the historical Germanic people from late December to early January.
    • Yalda21 December – The turning point, Winter Solstice. As the longest night of the year and the beginning of the lengthening of days, Shabe Yaldā or Shabe Chelle is an Iranian festival celebrating the victory of light and goodness over darkness and evil. Shabe yalda means 'birthday eve.' According to Persian mythology, Mithra was born at dawn on 22 December to a virgin mother. He symbolizes light, truth, goodness, strength, and friendship. Herodotus reports that this was the most important holiday of the year for contemporary Persians. In modern times Persians celebrate Yalda by staying up late or all night, a practice known as Shab Chera meaning 'night gazing'. Fruits and nuts are eaten, especially pomegranates and watermelons, whose red color invokes the crimson hues of dawn and symbolize Mithra.
    • KoliadaSlavic winter festival celebrated on late December with parades and singers who visit houses and receive gifts.
    Secular
    Unitarian Universalism
    Fictional or parody
    • Erastide: In David EddingsBelgariad and Malloreon series, Erastide is a celebration of the day on which the Seven Gods created the world. Greetings ("Joyous Erastide") and gifts are exchanged, and feasts are held.
    • Feast of Winter Veil: 15 December–2 January – A holiday in World of Warcraft. This holiday is based on Christmas. Cities are decorated with lights and a tree with presents. Special quests, items and snowballs are available to players during this time. The character of "Greatfather Winter", who is modeled after Santa Claus, appears.[12][13] Festival of the Winter Veil was and still is a legitimate holiday of European religions like Wicca. The Germanic tribes used to celebrate the Winter Solstice as a time to be thankful for the blessings given to them to survive harsh winters. The term "Weil", incorrectly translated to "veil", means abundance in German.
    • Feast of Alvis: in the TV series Sealab 2021.[14] "Believer, you have forgotten the true meaning of Alvis Day. Neither is it ham, nor pomp. Nay, the true meaning of Alvis day is drinking. Drinking and revenge."–Alvis[15]
    • Hogswatch: a holiday celebrated on the fictional world of Discworld. It is very similar to the Christian celebration of Christmas.
    • Festivus23 December – a parody holiday created by Daniel O'Keefe and made popular by Seinfeld as an alternative to Christmas.
    • Frostvale: the winter holidays in the Artix Entertainment universe
    • Decemberween25 December – a parody of Christmas that features gift-giving, carol-singing and decorated trees. The fact that it takes place on December 25, the same day as Christmas, has been presented as just a coincidence, and it has been stated that Decemberween traditionally takes place "55 days after Halloween". The holiday has been featured in the Homestar Runner series.
    • Wintersday, the end-of-the-year celebration in the fictional universe of the Guild Wars franchise, starts every year mid December and ends the next year on early January.
    • IES Competition Time, Don's Event questions on the number of trips he took all over the world and in return offering prizes for the person who can guess closest. Follows this up with everyone's favourite Andrew Award presentation.
    • Winter's Crest, the winter celebration held on the continent of Tal'Dorei in the world of Exandria, as featured in the RPG show Critical Role.
    Thanks for the list, but half of these are secular and fictional excluding Christianity. Because Christianity is a theological and religious holiday, we say Merry Christmas to encompass every person. While we may say Happy Holidays in order to attract minorities, is the purpose of Christmas to soften the holiday to people, or to celebrate a major event in Christian history? Christologically, the answer is clear.
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    Pogue said:
    Additionally, isolating people with the word Happy Holidays does not show respect for the people who believe in the event. You can show more respect for all cultures by encompassing their values rather than glossing it over with a vague terminology.
    I say the holiday if I am not addressing people with different holidays. 
    Cool. I am not meaning to hate on Happy Holidays, I just think that as a secular term, it feels out of place in a religious holiday.
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    Judaism said:
    @WilliamSchulz

    What's wrong with "Happy Holidays?" Some people, like me, do celebrate Hanukkah - like I said, I don't really care if people say Merry Christmas around, I like the lights and all, but to get rid of "Happy Holidays" would be to show no respect for other peoples of faith, and no one faith has monopoly in this country (assuming you live in the US).
    This is true, but Christmas is not about having a monopoly. The point of saying Merry Christmas is to wish a person strength, good fortune, and merriness over a season of joy. Happy Holidays can not boast the same meaning as Merry Christmas was designed to do.

    To get rid of Happy Holidays would still show respect, just name the holiday the person believes in when talking to the person.
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • PoguePogue 584 Pts   -  
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays is a saying for people who are politically correct. While there are other religions and holidays that occur within the time-frame, we celebrate Christmas as a nation derived from the Roman Catholic Church, therefore, it is degrading to call the event a holiday, like secular events like President's Day, and instead should call the event by its original purpose, Christmas.
    I would happen to disagree! Merry Christmas is exclusive while happy holidays is inclusive. Culture changes. However, all "Protestant denominations accounted for 51.3%, while the Catholic Church by itself, at 23.9%". 
    This may be true, but the celebration has Catholic origins, so it should be named according to Catholic denominations. Your argument also would negate Hanukkah, as more people are Protestant. Naming events shouldn't be about the cultural changes that occur over time, it should be the origins of the event that decide its names. American's coined President's Day, but we don't say Happy Holidays to that, because President's Day has origins to the 1960's. If Christmas has origins to 0 AD, why is the coinage different if the origin is clear?
    It is not to erase the origins, it is to; let’s say you are addressing a wide range of people who do not only celebrate Christmas. You say Merry Christmas, you are excluding people. Happy Holidays is not changing the name, it is to address a wide range of people. All happy holidays is, is to include all holidays around that time. 
    However, think about it, businesses and companies don't celebrate Hanukkah, which occurs before Christmas, they advertise Christmas itself. Since there are only two holidays, Christmas and Hanukkah, it makes sense to say Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to distinguish each one. We say Happy Holidays not to offend people, but is that really the point of the special occasion, namely Jesus's birth? I think not, Merry Christmas encompasses the origin and the occasion of the date, I don't care if I offend people, believe me at 14 I can offend high schoolers with Merry Christmas, but as a Roman Catholic, I don't believe that we should sacrifice principles to assuage more people than otherwise.
    False! Here are all the holidays in December. 
    Buddhism
    • Bodhi Day8 December – Day of Enlightenment, celebrating the day that the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Gautama) experienced enlightenment (also known as Bodhi). New Years
    Christianity
    • Adventfour Sundays preceding Christmas Day
    • Krampusnacht5 December – The Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated in parts of Europe on 6 December. In Alpine countries, Saint Nicholas has a devilish companion named Krampus who punishes the bad children the night before.
    • Saint Nicholas' Day: 6 December
    • Feast of the Immaculate Conception Day: 8 December – The day of Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception is celebrated as a public holiday in many Catholic countries.
    • Saint Lucia's Day13 December – Church Feast Day. Saint Lucia comes as a young woman with lights and sweets.
    • Las Posadas16–24 December – procession to various family lodgings for celebration & prayer and to re-enact Mary & Joseph's journey to Bethlehem[5]
    • Longest Night: A modern Christian service to help those coping with loss, usually held on the eve of the Winter solstice.
    • Christmas Eve24 December – In many coutries e.g. the German speaking countries, but also in Poland, Hungary and the Nordic countries, gift giving is on 24 December.
    • Christmas Day25 December and 7 January – celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike.[6][7][8][9]
    • Anastasia of Sirmium feast day: 25 December
    • Twelve Days of Christmas25 December–6 January
    • Saint Stephen's Day26 December – In Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic a holiday celebrated as Second Day of Christmas.
    • Saint John the Evangelist's Day: 27 December
    • Holy Innocents' Day: 28 December
    • Saint Sylvester's Day: 31 December
    Hinduism
    • Pancha Ganapati: a modern five-day Hindu festival celebrated from December 21 through 25 in honor of Ganesha.
    Historical
    • Malkh25 December
    • Mōdraniht: or Mothers' Night, the Saxon winter solstice festival.
    • Saturnalia: 17–23 December - An ancient Roman winter solstice festival in honor of the deity Saturn, held on the 17 December of the Julian calendar and expanded with festivities through to 23 December. Celebrated with sacrifice, a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival.
    • Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Day of the birth of the Unconquered Sun): 25 December – late Roman Empire
    Humanism
    • HumanLight23 December – Humanist holiday originated by the New Jersey Humanist Network in celebration of "a Humanist's vision of a good future."[10]
    Judaism
    • Hanukkah: usually falls anywhere between late November and early January. See "movable"
    Paganism
    • YulePagan winter festival that was celebrated by the historical Germanic people from late December to early January.
    • Yalda21 December – The turning point, Winter Solstice. As the longest night of the year and the beginning of the lengthening of days, Shabe Yaldā or Shabe Chelle is an Iranian festival celebrating the victory of light and goodness over darkness and evil. Shabe yalda means 'birthday eve.' According to Persian mythology, Mithra was born at dawn on 22 December to a virgin mother. He symbolizes light, truth, goodness, strength, and friendship. Herodotus reports that this was the most important holiday of the year for contemporary Persians. In modern times Persians celebrate Yalda by staying up late or all night, a practice known as Shab Chera meaning 'night gazing'. Fruits and nuts are eaten, especially pomegranates and watermelons, whose red color invokes the crimson hues of dawn and symbolize Mithra.
    • KoliadaSlavic winter festival celebrated on late December with parades and singers who visit houses and receive gifts.
    Secular
    Unitarian Universalism
    Fictional or parody
    • Erastide: In David EddingsBelgariad and Malloreon series, Erastide is a celebration of the day on which the Seven Gods created the world. Greetings ("Joyous Erastide") and gifts are exchanged, and feasts are held.
    • Feast of Winter Veil: 15 December–2 January – A holiday in World of Warcraft. This holiday is based on Christmas. Cities are decorated with lights and a tree with presents. Special quests, items and snowballs are available to players during this time. The character of "Greatfather Winter", who is modeled after Santa Claus, appears.[12][13] Festival of the Winter Veil was and still is a legitimate holiday of European religions like Wicca. The Germanic tribes used to celebrate the Winter Solstice as a time to be thankful for the blessings given to them to survive harsh winters. The term "Weil", incorrectly translated to "veil", means abundance in German.
    • Feast of Alvis: in the TV series Sealab 2021.[14] "Believer, you have forgotten the true meaning of Alvis Day. Neither is it ham, nor pomp. Nay, the true meaning of Alvis day is drinking. Drinking and revenge."–Alvis[15]
    • Hogswatch: a holiday celebrated on the fictional world of Discworld. It is very similar to the Christian celebration of Christmas.
    • Festivus23 December – a parody holiday created by Daniel O'Keefe and made popular by Seinfeld as an alternative to Christmas.
    • Frostvale: the winter holidays in the Artix Entertainment universe
    • Decemberween25 December – a parody of Christmas that features gift-giving, carol-singing and decorated trees. The fact that it takes place on December 25, the same day as Christmas, has been presented as just a coincidence, and it has been stated that Decemberween traditionally takes place "55 days after Halloween". The holiday has been featured in the Homestar Runner series.
    • Wintersday, the end-of-the-year celebration in the fictional universe of the Guild Wars franchise, starts every year mid December and ends the next year on early January.
    • IES Competition Time, Don's Event questions on the number of trips he took all over the world and in return offering prizes for the person who can guess closest. Follows this up with everyone's favourite Andrew Award presentation.
    • Winter's Crest, the winter celebration held on the continent of Tal'Dorei in the world of Exandria, as featured in the RPG show Critical Role.
    Thanks for the list, but half of these are secular and fictional excluding Christianity. Because Christianity is a theological and religious holiday, we say Merry Christmas to encompass every person. While we may say Happy Holidays in order to attract minorities, is the purpose of Christmas to soften the holiday to people, or to celebrate a major event in Christian history? Christologically, the answer is clear.
    So I guess I was not clear. The reason I made this is because people say there is a "war on Christmas". Not to change the name of it. I am perfectly fine with saying Merry Christmas to people who only celebrate that holiday. I do that. Happy Holidays is to address everyone and not be exclusive. You will obviously celebrate the Christmas event. Happy Holidays is not the alternative to merry Christmas. It is just said so you can include everyone. 
    I could either have the future pass me or l could create it. 

    “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain .” - Benjamin Franklin  So flat Earthers, man-made climate change deniers, and just science deniers.

    I friended myself! 
  • PoguePogue 584 Pts   -  
    Pogue said:
    Additionally, isolating people with the word Happy Holidays does not show respect for the people who believe in the event. You can show more respect for all cultures by encompassing their values rather than glossing it over with a vague terminology.
    I say the holiday if I am not addressing people with different holidays. 
    Cool. I am not meaning to hate on Happy Holidays, I just think that as a secular term, it feels out of place in a religious holiday.
    You would still say Merry Christmas on that event to the people who celebrate it. It is not meant to be said during the holiday. 
    I could either have the future pass me or l could create it. 

    “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain .” - Benjamin Franklin  So flat Earthers, man-made climate change deniers, and just science deniers.

    I friended myself! 
  • CYDdhartaCYDdharta 1823 Pts   -  
    How about, we all use whatever term we want to use and accept other people's salutations in the spirit they were intended.
  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Additionally, isolating people with the word Happy Holidays does not show respect for the people who believe in the event. You can show more respect for all cultures by encompassing their values rather than glossing it over with a vague terminology.
    I say the holiday if I am not addressing people with different holidays. 
    Cool. I am not meaning to hate on Happy Holidays, I just think that as a secular term, it feels out of place in a religious holiday.
    You would still say Merry Christmas on that event to the people who celebrate it. It is not meant to be said during the holiday. 
    That may be true, but you can still say Merry Christmas on Christmas Eve and throughout the Christmas season, which lasts until Epiphany. 
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays is a saying for people who are politically correct. While there are other religions and holidays that occur within the time-frame, we celebrate Christmas as a nation derived from the Roman Catholic Church, therefore, it is degrading to call the event a holiday, like secular events like President's Day, and instead should call the event by its original purpose, Christmas.
    I would happen to disagree! Merry Christmas is exclusive while happy holidays is inclusive. Culture changes. However, all "Protestant denominations accounted for 51.3%, while the Catholic Church by itself, at 23.9%". 
    This may be true, but the celebration has Catholic origins, so it should be named according to Catholic denominations. Your argument also would negate Hanukkah, as more people are Protestant. Naming events shouldn't be about the cultural changes that occur over time, it should be the origins of the event that decide its names. American's coined President's Day, but we don't say Happy Holidays to that, because President's Day has origins to the 1960's. If Christmas has origins to 0 AD, why is the coinage different if the origin is clear?
    It is not to erase the origins, it is to; let’s say you are addressing a wide range of people who do not only celebrate Christmas. You say Merry Christmas, you are excluding people. Happy Holidays is not changing the name, it is to address a wide range of people. All happy holidays is, is to include all holidays around that time. 
    However, think about it, businesses and companies don't celebrate Hanukkah, which occurs before Christmas, they advertise Christmas itself. Since there are only two holidays, Christmas and Hanukkah, it makes sense to say Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to distinguish each one. We say Happy Holidays not to offend people, but is that really the point of the special occasion, namely Jesus's birth? I think not, Merry Christmas encompasses the origin and the occasion of the date, I don't care if I offend people, believe me at 14 I can offend high schoolers with Merry Christmas, but as a Roman Catholic, I don't believe that we should sacrifice principles to assuage more people than otherwise.
    False! Here are all the holidays in December. 
    Buddhism
    • Bodhi Day8 December – Day of Enlightenment, celebrating the day that the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Gautama) experienced enlightenment (also known as Bodhi). New Years
    Christianity
    • Adventfour Sundays preceding Christmas Day
    • Krampusnacht5 December – The Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated in parts of Europe on 6 December. In Alpine countries, Saint Nicholas has a devilish companion named Krampus who punishes the bad children the night before.
    • Saint Nicholas' Day: 6 December
    • Feast of the Immaculate Conception Day: 8 December – The day of Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception is celebrated as a public holiday in many Catholic countries.
    • Saint Lucia's Day13 December – Church Feast Day. Saint Lucia comes as a young woman with lights and sweets.
    • Las Posadas16–24 December – procession to various family lodgings for celebration & prayer and to re-enact Mary & Joseph's journey to Bethlehem[5]
    • Longest Night: A modern Christian service to help those coping with loss, usually held on the eve of the Winter solstice.
    • Christmas Eve24 December – In many coutries e.g. the German speaking countries, but also in Poland, Hungary and the Nordic countries, gift giving is on 24 December.
    • Christmas Day25 December and 7 January – celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike.[6][7][8][9]
    • Anastasia of Sirmium feast day: 25 December
    • Twelve Days of Christmas25 December–6 January
    • Saint Stephen's Day26 December – In Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic a holiday celebrated as Second Day of Christmas.
    • Saint John the Evangelist's Day: 27 December
    • Holy Innocents' Day: 28 December
    • Saint Sylvester's Day: 31 December
    Hinduism
    • Pancha Ganapati: a modern five-day Hindu festival celebrated from December 21 through 25 in honor of Ganesha.
    Historical
    • Malkh25 December
    • Mōdraniht: or Mothers' Night, the Saxon winter solstice festival.
    • Saturnalia: 17–23 December - An ancient Roman winter solstice festival in honor of the deity Saturn, held on the 17 December of the Julian calendar and expanded with festivities through to 23 December. Celebrated with sacrifice, a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival.
    • Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Day of the birth of the Unconquered Sun): 25 December – late Roman Empire
    Humanism
    • HumanLight23 December – Humanist holiday originated by the New Jersey Humanist Network in celebration of "a Humanist's vision of a good future."[10]
    Judaism
    • Hanukkah: usually falls anywhere between late November and early January. See "movable"
    Paganism
    • YulePagan winter festival that was celebrated by the historical Germanic people from late December to early January.
    • Yalda21 December – The turning point, Winter Solstice. As the longest night of the year and the beginning of the lengthening of days, Shabe Yaldā or Shabe Chelle is an Iranian festival celebrating the victory of light and goodness over darkness and evil. Shabe yalda means 'birthday eve.' According to Persian mythology, Mithra was born at dawn on 22 December to a virgin mother. He symbolizes light, truth, goodness, strength, and friendship. Herodotus reports that this was the most important holiday of the year for contemporary Persians. In modern times Persians celebrate Yalda by staying up late or all night, a practice known as Shab Chera meaning 'night gazing'. Fruits and nuts are eaten, especially pomegranates and watermelons, whose red color invokes the crimson hues of dawn and symbolize Mithra.
    • KoliadaSlavic winter festival celebrated on late December with parades and singers who visit houses and receive gifts.
    Secular
    Unitarian Universalism
    Fictional or parody
    • Erastide: In David EddingsBelgariad and Malloreon series, Erastide is a celebration of the day on which the Seven Gods created the world. Greetings ("Joyous Erastide") and gifts are exchanged, and feasts are held.
    • Feast of Winter Veil: 15 December–2 January – A holiday in World of Warcraft. This holiday is based on Christmas. Cities are decorated with lights and a tree with presents. Special quests, items and snowballs are available to players during this time. The character of "Greatfather Winter", who is modeled after Santa Claus, appears.[12][13] Festival of the Winter Veil was and still is a legitimate holiday of European religions like Wicca. The Germanic tribes used to celebrate the Winter Solstice as a time to be thankful for the blessings given to them to survive harsh winters. The term "Weil", incorrectly translated to "veil", means abundance in German.
    • Feast of Alvis: in the TV series Sealab 2021.[14] "Believer, you have forgotten the true meaning of Alvis Day. Neither is it ham, nor pomp. Nay, the true meaning of Alvis day is drinking. Drinking and revenge."–Alvis[15]
    • Hogswatch: a holiday celebrated on the fictional world of Discworld. It is very similar to the Christian celebration of Christmas.
    • Festivus23 December – a parody holiday created by Daniel O'Keefe and made popular by Seinfeld as an alternative to Christmas.
    • Frostvale: the winter holidays in the Artix Entertainment universe
    • Decemberween25 December – a parody of Christmas that features gift-giving, carol-singing and decorated trees. The fact that it takes place on December 25, the same day as Christmas, has been presented as just a coincidence, and it has been stated that Decemberween traditionally takes place "55 days after Halloween". The holiday has been featured in the Homestar Runner series.
    • Wintersday, the end-of-the-year celebration in the fictional universe of the Guild Wars franchise, starts every year mid December and ends the next year on early January.
    • IES Competition Time, Don's Event questions on the number of trips he took all over the world and in return offering prizes for the person who can guess closest. Follows this up with everyone's favourite Andrew Award presentation.
    • Winter's Crest, the winter celebration held on the continent of Tal'Dorei in the world of Exandria, as featured in the RPG show Critical Role.
    Thanks for the list, but half of these are secular and fictional excluding Christianity. Because Christianity is a theological and religious holiday, we say Merry Christmas to encompass every person. While we may say Happy Holidays in order to attract minorities, is the purpose of Christmas to soften the holiday to people, or to celebrate a major event in Christian history? Christologically, the answer is clear.
    So I guess I was not clear. The reason I made this is because people say there is a "war on Christmas". Not to change the name of it. I am perfectly fine with saying Merry Christmas to people who only celebrate that holiday. I do that. Happy Holidays is to address everyone and not be exclusive. You will obviously celebrate the Christmas event. Happy Holidays is not the alternative to merry Christmas. It is just said so you can include everyone. 
    I agree, there is no "war on Christmas" The reason I prefer Merry Christmas is because it feels more in place during a holiday specifically geared for Christians and not for minority religions, so because it is not for minority religions, the terminology should apply.
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • PoguePogue 584 Pts   -  
    @CYDdharta
    I would do that. However, I say Happy Holidays because it would include everyone and not everyone celebrates the same thing. If I am addressing someone or a group of people that only celebrates Christmas, I would say Merry Christmas or another holiday if they celebrate another holiday. Otherwise, Happy Holidays. 
    I could either have the future pass me or l could create it. 

    “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain .” - Benjamin Franklin  So flat Earthers, man-made climate change deniers, and just science deniers.

    I friended myself! 
  • PoguePogue 584 Pts   -  
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays is a saying for people who are politically correct. While there are other religions and holidays that occur within the time-frame, we celebrate Christmas as a nation derived from the Roman Catholic Church, therefore, it is degrading to call the event a holiday, like secular events like President's Day, and instead should call the event by its original purpose, Christmas.
    I would happen to disagree! Merry Christmas is exclusive while happy holidays is inclusive. Culture changes. However, all "Protestant denominations accounted for 51.3%, while the Catholic Church by itself, at 23.9%". 
    This may be true, but the celebration has Catholic origins, so it should be named according to Catholic denominations. Your argument also would negate Hanukkah, as more people are Protestant. Naming events shouldn't be about the cultural changes that occur over time, it should be the origins of the event that decide its names. American's coined President's Day, but we don't say Happy Holidays to that, because President's Day has origins to the 1960's. If Christmas has origins to 0 AD, why is the coinage different if the origin is clear?
    It is not to erase the origins, it is to; let’s say you are addressing a wide range of people who do not only celebrate Christmas. You say Merry Christmas, you are excluding people. Happy Holidays is not changing the name, it is to address a wide range of people. All happy holidays is, is to include all holidays around that time. 
    However, think about it, businesses and companies don't celebrate Hanukkah, which occurs before Christmas, they advertise Christmas itself. Since there are only two holidays, Christmas and Hanukkah, it makes sense to say Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to distinguish each one. We say Happy Holidays not to offend people, but is that really the point of the special occasion, namely Jesus's birth? I think not, Merry Christmas encompasses the origin and the occasion of the date, I don't care if I offend people, believe me at 14 I can offend high schoolers with Merry Christmas, but as a Roman Catholic, I don't believe that we should sacrifice principles to assuage more people than otherwise.
    False! Here are all the holidays in December. 
    Buddhism
    • Bodhi Day8 December – Day of Enlightenment, celebrating the day that the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Gautama) experienced enlightenment (also known as Bodhi). New Years
    Christianity
    • Adventfour Sundays preceding Christmas Day
    • Krampusnacht5 December – The Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated in parts of Europe on 6 December. In Alpine countries, Saint Nicholas has a devilish companion named Krampus who punishes the bad children the night before.
    • Saint Nicholas' Day: 6 December
    • Feast of the Immaculate Conception Day: 8 December – The day of Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception is celebrated as a public holiday in many Catholic countries.
    • Saint Lucia's Day13 December – Church Feast Day. Saint Lucia comes as a young woman with lights and sweets.
    • Las Posadas16–24 December – procession to various family lodgings for celebration & prayer and to re-enact Mary & Joseph's journey to Bethlehem[5]
    • Longest Night: A modern Christian service to help those coping with loss, usually held on the eve of the Winter solstice.
    • Christmas Eve24 December – In many coutries e.g. the German speaking countries, but also in Poland, Hungary and the Nordic countries, gift giving is on 24 December.
    • Christmas Day25 December and 7 January – celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike.[6][7][8][9]
    • Anastasia of Sirmium feast day: 25 December
    • Twelve Days of Christmas25 December–6 January
    • Saint Stephen's Day26 December – In Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic a holiday celebrated as Second Day of Christmas.
    • Saint John the Evangelist's Day: 27 December
    • Holy Innocents' Day: 28 December
    • Saint Sylvester's Day: 31 December
    Hinduism
    • Pancha Ganapati: a modern five-day Hindu festival celebrated from December 21 through 25 in honor of Ganesha.
    Historical
    • Malkh25 December
    • Mōdraniht: or Mothers' Night, the Saxon winter solstice festival.
    • Saturnalia: 17–23 December - An ancient Roman winter solstice festival in honor of the deity Saturn, held on the 17 December of the Julian calendar and expanded with festivities through to 23 December. Celebrated with sacrifice, a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival.
    • Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Day of the birth of the Unconquered Sun): 25 December – late Roman Empire
    Humanism
    • HumanLight23 December – Humanist holiday originated by the New Jersey Humanist Network in celebration of "a Humanist's vision of a good future."[10]
    Judaism
    • Hanukkah: usually falls anywhere between late November and early January. See "movable"
    Paganism
    • YulePagan winter festival that was celebrated by the historical Germanic people from late December to early January.
    • Yalda21 December – The turning point, Winter Solstice. As the longest night of the year and the beginning of the lengthening of days, Shabe Yaldā or Shabe Chelle is an Iranian festival celebrating the victory of light and goodness over darkness and evil. Shabe yalda means 'birthday eve.' According to Persian mythology, Mithra was born at dawn on 22 December to a virgin mother. He symbolizes light, truth, goodness, strength, and friendship. Herodotus reports that this was the most important holiday of the year for contemporary Persians. In modern times Persians celebrate Yalda by staying up late or all night, a practice known as Shab Chera meaning 'night gazing'. Fruits and nuts are eaten, especially pomegranates and watermelons, whose red color invokes the crimson hues of dawn and symbolize Mithra.
    • KoliadaSlavic winter festival celebrated on late December with parades and singers who visit houses and receive gifts.
    Secular
    Unitarian Universalism
    Fictional or parody
    • Erastide: In David EddingsBelgariad and Malloreon series, Erastide is a celebration of the day on which the Seven Gods created the world. Greetings ("Joyous Erastide") and gifts are exchanged, and feasts are held.
    • Feast of Winter Veil: 15 December–2 January – A holiday in World of Warcraft. This holiday is based on Christmas. Cities are decorated with lights and a tree with presents. Special quests, items and snowballs are available to players during this time. The character of "Greatfather Winter", who is modeled after Santa Claus, appears.[12][13] Festival of the Winter Veil was and still is a legitimate holiday of European religions like Wicca. The Germanic tribes used to celebrate the Winter Solstice as a time to be thankful for the blessings given to them to survive harsh winters. The term "Weil", incorrectly translated to "veil", means abundance in German.
    • Feast of Alvis: in the TV series Sealab 2021.[14] "Believer, you have forgotten the true meaning of Alvis Day. Neither is it ham, nor pomp. Nay, the true meaning of Alvis day is drinking. Drinking and revenge."–Alvis[15]
    • Hogswatch: a holiday celebrated on the fictional world of Discworld. It is very similar to the Christian celebration of Christmas.
    • Festivus23 December – a parody holiday created by Daniel O'Keefe and made popular by Seinfeld as an alternative to Christmas.
    • Frostvale: the winter holidays in the Artix Entertainment universe
    • Decemberween25 December – a parody of Christmas that features gift-giving, carol-singing and decorated trees. The fact that it takes place on December 25, the same day as Christmas, has been presented as just a coincidence, and it has been stated that Decemberween traditionally takes place "55 days after Halloween". The holiday has been featured in the Homestar Runner series.
    • Wintersday, the end-of-the-year celebration in the fictional universe of the Guild Wars franchise, starts every year mid December and ends the next year on early January.
    • IES Competition Time, Don's Event questions on the number of trips he took all over the world and in return offering prizes for the person who can guess closest. Follows this up with everyone's favourite Andrew Award presentation.
    • Winter's Crest, the winter celebration held on the continent of Tal'Dorei in the world of Exandria, as featured in the RPG show Critical Role.
    Thanks for the list, but half of these are secular and fictional excluding Christianity. Because Christianity is a theological and religious holiday, we say Merry Christmas to encompass every person. While we may say Happy Holidays in order to attract minorities, is the purpose of Christmas to soften the holiday to people, or to celebrate a major event in Christian history? Christologically, the answer is clear.
    So I guess I was not clear. The reason I made this is because people say there is a "war on Christmas". Not to change the name of it. I am perfectly fine with saying Merry Christmas to people who only celebrate that holiday. I do that. Happy Holidays is to address everyone and not be exclusive. You will obviously celebrate the Christmas event. Happy Holidays is not the alternative to merry Christmas. It is just said so you can include everyone. 
    I agree, there is no "war on Christmas" The reason I prefer Merry Christmas is because it feels more in place during a holiday specifically geared for Christians and not for minority religions, so because it is not for minority religions, the terminology should apply.
    Christmas is obviously geared toward Christians. I do say Merry Christmas if it is only Christians. The only reason I prefer Happy Holidays more than Merry Christmas is that it includes more holidays. It would be very rude and inconsiderate if you only say Merry Christmas to people who do not celebrate Christmas and celebrate a different holida during that time. 
    I could either have the future pass me or l could create it. 

    “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain .” - Benjamin Franklin  So flat Earthers, man-made climate change deniers, and just science deniers.

    I friended myself! 
  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays is a saying for people who are politically correct. While there are other religions and holidays that occur within the time-frame, we celebrate Christmas as a nation derived from the Roman Catholic Church, therefore, it is degrading to call the event a holiday, like secular events like President's Day, and instead should call the event by its original purpose, Christmas.
    I would happen to disagree! Merry Christmas is exclusive while happy holidays is inclusive. Culture changes. However, all "Protestant denominations accounted for 51.3%, while the Catholic Church by itself, at 23.9%". 
    This may be true, but the celebration has Catholic origins, so it should be named according to Catholic denominations. Your argument also would negate Hanukkah, as more people are Protestant. Naming events shouldn't be about the cultural changes that occur over time, it should be the origins of the event that decide its names. American's coined President's Day, but we don't say Happy Holidays to that, because President's Day has origins to the 1960's. If Christmas has origins to 0 AD, why is the coinage different if the origin is clear?
    It is not to erase the origins, it is to; let’s say you are addressing a wide range of people who do not only celebrate Christmas. You say Merry Christmas, you are excluding people. Happy Holidays is not changing the name, it is to address a wide range of people. All happy holidays is, is to include all holidays around that time. 
    However, think about it, businesses and companies don't celebrate Hanukkah, which occurs before Christmas, they advertise Christmas itself. Since there are only two holidays, Christmas and Hanukkah, it makes sense to say Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to distinguish each one. We say Happy Holidays not to offend people, but is that really the point of the special occasion, namely Jesus's birth? I think not, Merry Christmas encompasses the origin and the occasion of the date, I don't care if I offend people, believe me at 14 I can offend high schoolers with Merry Christmas, but as a Roman Catholic, I don't believe that we should sacrifice principles to assuage more people than otherwise.
    False! Here are all the holidays in December. 
    Buddhism
    • Bodhi Day8 December – Day of Enlightenment, celebrating the day that the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Gautama) experienced enlightenment (also known as Bodhi). New Years
    Christianity
    • Adventfour Sundays preceding Christmas Day
    • Krampusnacht5 December – The Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated in parts of Europe on 6 December. In Alpine countries, Saint Nicholas has a devilish companion named Krampus who punishes the bad children the night before.
    • Saint Nicholas' Day: 6 December
    • Feast of the Immaculate Conception Day: 8 December – The day of Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception is celebrated as a public holiday in many Catholic countries.
    • Saint Lucia's Day13 December – Church Feast Day. Saint Lucia comes as a young woman with lights and sweets.
    • Las Posadas16–24 December – procession to various family lodgings for celebration & prayer and to re-enact Mary & Joseph's journey to Bethlehem[5]
    • Longest Night: A modern Christian service to help those coping with loss, usually held on the eve of the Winter solstice.
    • Christmas Eve24 December – In many coutries e.g. the German speaking countries, but also in Poland, Hungary and the Nordic countries, gift giving is on 24 December.
    • Christmas Day25 December and 7 January – celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike.[6][7][8][9]
    • Anastasia of Sirmium feast day: 25 December
    • Twelve Days of Christmas25 December–6 January
    • Saint Stephen's Day26 December – In Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic a holiday celebrated as Second Day of Christmas.
    • Saint John the Evangelist's Day: 27 December
    • Holy Innocents' Day: 28 December
    • Saint Sylvester's Day: 31 December
    Hinduism
    • Pancha Ganapati: a modern five-day Hindu festival celebrated from December 21 through 25 in honor of Ganesha.
    Historical
    • Malkh25 December
    • Mōdraniht: or Mothers' Night, the Saxon winter solstice festival.
    • Saturnalia: 17–23 December - An ancient Roman winter solstice festival in honor of the deity Saturn, held on the 17 December of the Julian calendar and expanded with festivities through to 23 December. Celebrated with sacrifice, a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival.
    • Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Day of the birth of the Unconquered Sun): 25 December – late Roman Empire
    Humanism
    • HumanLight23 December – Humanist holiday originated by the New Jersey Humanist Network in celebration of "a Humanist's vision of a good future."[10]
    Judaism
    • Hanukkah: usually falls anywhere between late November and early January. See "movable"
    Paganism
    • YulePagan winter festival that was celebrated by the historical Germanic people from late December to early January.
    • Yalda21 December – The turning point, Winter Solstice. As the longest night of the year and the beginning of the lengthening of days, Shabe Yaldā or Shabe Chelle is an Iranian festival celebrating the victory of light and goodness over darkness and evil. Shabe yalda means 'birthday eve.' According to Persian mythology, Mithra was born at dawn on 22 December to a virgin mother. He symbolizes light, truth, goodness, strength, and friendship. Herodotus reports that this was the most important holiday of the year for contemporary Persians. In modern times Persians celebrate Yalda by staying up late or all night, a practice known as Shab Chera meaning 'night gazing'. Fruits and nuts are eaten, especially pomegranates and watermelons, whose red color invokes the crimson hues of dawn and symbolize Mithra.
    • KoliadaSlavic winter festival celebrated on late December with parades and singers who visit houses and receive gifts.
    Secular
    Unitarian Universalism
    Fictional or parody
    • Erastide: In David EddingsBelgariad and Malloreon series, Erastide is a celebration of the day on which the Seven Gods created the world. Greetings ("Joyous Erastide") and gifts are exchanged, and feasts are held.
    • Feast of Winter Veil: 15 December–2 January – A holiday in World of Warcraft. This holiday is based on Christmas. Cities are decorated with lights and a tree with presents. Special quests, items and snowballs are available to players during this time. The character of "Greatfather Winter", who is modeled after Santa Claus, appears.[12][13] Festival of the Winter Veil was and still is a legitimate holiday of European religions like Wicca. The Germanic tribes used to celebrate the Winter Solstice as a time to be thankful for the blessings given to them to survive harsh winters. The term "Weil", incorrectly translated to "veil", means abundance in German.
    • Feast of Alvis: in the TV series Sealab 2021.[14] "Believer, you have forgotten the true meaning of Alvis Day. Neither is it ham, nor pomp. Nay, the true meaning of Alvis day is drinking. Drinking and revenge."–Alvis[15]
    • Hogswatch: a holiday celebrated on the fictional world of Discworld. It is very similar to the Christian celebration of Christmas.
    • Festivus23 December – a parody holiday created by Daniel O'Keefe and made popular by Seinfeld as an alternative to Christmas.
    • Frostvale: the winter holidays in the Artix Entertainment universe
    • Decemberween25 December – a parody of Christmas that features gift-giving, carol-singing and decorated trees. The fact that it takes place on December 25, the same day as Christmas, has been presented as just a coincidence, and it has been stated that Decemberween traditionally takes place "55 days after Halloween". The holiday has been featured in the Homestar Runner series.
    • Wintersday, the end-of-the-year celebration in the fictional universe of the Guild Wars franchise, starts every year mid December and ends the next year on early January.
    • IES Competition Time, Don's Event questions on the number of trips he took all over the world and in return offering prizes for the person who can guess closest. Follows this up with everyone's favourite Andrew Award presentation.
    • Winter's Crest, the winter celebration held on the continent of Tal'Dorei in the world of Exandria, as featured in the RPG show Critical Role.
    Thanks for the list, but half of these are secular and fictional excluding Christianity. Because Christianity is a theological and religious holiday, we say Merry Christmas to encompass every person. While we may say Happy Holidays in order to attract minorities, is the purpose of Christmas to soften the holiday to people, or to celebrate a major event in Christian history? Christologically, the answer is clear.
    So I guess I was not clear. The reason I made this is because people say there is a "war on Christmas". Not to change the name of it. I am perfectly fine with saying Merry Christmas to people who only celebrate that holiday. I do that. Happy Holidays is to address everyone and not be exclusive. You will obviously celebrate the Christmas event. Happy Holidays is not the alternative to merry Christmas. It is just said so you can include everyone. 
    I agree, there is no "war on Christmas" The reason I prefer Merry Christmas is because it feels more in place during a holiday specifically geared for Christians and not for minority religions, so because it is not for minority religions, the terminology should apply.
    Christmas is obviously geared toward Christians. I do say Merry Christmas if it is only Christians. The only reason I prefer Happy Holidays more than Merry Christmas is that it includes more holidays. It would be very rude and inconsiderate if you only say Merry Christmas to people who do not celebrate Christmas and celebrate a different holida during that time. 
    You're right, it would be rude, but instead of saying Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas, say the name of the holiday that the group believes in. While Happy Holidays is an overarching term, more respect can be shown if one simply addresses each holiday by name.
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • PoguePogue 584 Pts   -   edited February 2018
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Pogue said:
    Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays is a saying for people who are politically correct. While there are other religions and holidays that occur within the time-frame, we celebrate Christmas as a nation derived from the Roman Catholic Church, therefore, it is degrading to call the event a holiday, like secular events like President's Day, and instead should call the event by its original purpose, Christmas.
    I would happen to disagree! Merry Christmas is exclusive while happy holidays is inclusive. Culture changes. However, all "Protestant denominations accounted for 51.3%, while the Catholic Church by itself, at 23.9%". 
    This may be true, but the celebration has Catholic origins, so it should be named according to Catholic denominations. Your argument also would negate Hanukkah, as more people are Protestant. Naming events shouldn't be about the cultural changes that occur over time, it should be the origins of the event that decide its names. American's coined President's Day, but we don't say Happy Holidays to that, because President's Day has origins to the 1960's. If Christmas has origins to 0 AD, why is the coinage different if the origin is clear?
    It is not to erase the origins, it is to; let’s say you are addressing a wide range of people who do not only celebrate Christmas. You say Merry Christmas, you are excluding people. Happy Holidays is not changing the name, it is to address a wide range of people. All happy holidays is, is to include all holidays around that time. 
    However, think about it, businesses and companies don't celebrate Hanukkah, which occurs before Christmas, they advertise Christmas itself. Since there are only two holidays, Christmas and Hanukkah, it makes sense to say Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to distinguish each one. We say Happy Holidays not to offend people, but is that really the point of the special occasion, namely Jesus's birth? I think not, Merry Christmas encompasses the origin and the occasion of the date, I don't care if I offend people, believe me at 14 I can offend high schoolers with Merry Christmas, but as a Roman Catholic, I don't believe that we should sacrifice principles to assuage more people than otherwise.
    False! Here are all the holidays in December. 
    Buddhism
    • Bodhi Day8 December – Day of Enlightenment, celebrating the day that the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Gautama) experienced enlightenment (also known as Bodhi). New Years
    Christianity
    • Adventfour Sundays preceding Christmas Day
    • Krampusnacht5 December – The Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated in parts of Europe on 6 December. In Alpine countries, Saint Nicholas has a devilish companion named Krampus who punishes the bad children the night before.
    • Saint Nicholas' Day: 6 December
    • Feast of the Immaculate Conception Day: 8 December – The day of Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception is celebrated as a public holiday in many Catholic countries.
    • Saint Lucia's Day13 December – Church Feast Day. Saint Lucia comes as a young woman with lights and sweets.
    • Las Posadas16–24 December – procession to various family lodgings for celebration & prayer and to re-enact Mary & Joseph's journey to Bethlehem[5]
    • Longest Night: A modern Christian service to help those coping with loss, usually held on the eve of the Winter solstice.
    • Christmas Eve24 December – In many coutries e.g. the German speaking countries, but also in Poland, Hungary and the Nordic countries, gift giving is on 24 December.
    • Christmas Day25 December and 7 January – celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike.[6][7][8][9]
    • Anastasia of Sirmium feast day: 25 December
    • Twelve Days of Christmas25 December–6 January
    • Saint Stephen's Day26 December – In Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic a holiday celebrated as Second Day of Christmas.
    • Saint John the Evangelist's Day: 27 December
    • Holy Innocents' Day: 28 December
    • Saint Sylvester's Day: 31 December
    Hinduism
    • Pancha Ganapati: a modern five-day Hindu festival celebrated from December 21 through 25 in honor of Ganesha.
    Historical
    • Malkh25 December
    • Mōdraniht: or Mothers' Night, the Saxon winter solstice festival.
    • Saturnalia: 17–23 December - An ancient Roman winter solstice festival in honor of the deity Saturn, held on the 17 December of the Julian calendar and expanded with festivities through to 23 December. Celebrated with sacrifice, a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival.
    • Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Day of the birth of the Unconquered Sun): 25 December – late Roman Empire
    Humanism
    • HumanLight23 December – Humanist holiday originated by the New Jersey Humanist Network in celebration of "a Humanist's vision of a good future."[10]
    Judaism
    • Hanukkah: usually falls anywhere between late November and early January. See "movable"
    Paganism
    • YulePagan winter festival that was celebrated by the historical Germanic people from late December to early January.
    • Yalda21 December – The turning point, Winter Solstice. As the longest night of the year and the beginning of the lengthening of days, Shabe Yaldā or Shabe Chelle is an Iranian festival celebrating the victory of light and goodness over darkness and evil. Shabe yalda means 'birthday eve.' According to Persian mythology, Mithra was born at dawn on 22 December to a virgin mother. He symbolizes light, truth, goodness, strength, and friendship. Herodotus reports that this was the most important holiday of the year for contemporary Persians. In modern times Persians celebrate Yalda by staying up late or all night, a practice known as Shab Chera meaning 'night gazing'. Fruits and nuts are eaten, especially pomegranates and watermelons, whose red color invokes the crimson hues of dawn and symbolize Mithra.
    • KoliadaSlavic winter festival celebrated on late December with parades and singers who visit houses and receive gifts.
    Secular
    Unitarian Universalism
    Fictional or parody
    • Erastide: In David EddingsBelgariad and Malloreon series, Erastide is a celebration of the day on which the Seven Gods created the world. Greetings ("Joyous Erastide") and gifts are exchanged, and feasts are held.
    • Feast of Winter Veil: 15 December–2 January – A holiday in World of Warcraft. This holiday is based on Christmas. Cities are decorated with lights and a tree with presents. Special quests, items and snowballs are available to players during this time. The character of "Greatfather Winter", who is modeled after Santa Claus, appears.[12][13] Festival of the Winter Veil was and still is a legitimate holiday of European religions like Wicca. The Germanic tribes used to celebrate the Winter Solstice as a time to be thankful for the blessings given to them to survive harsh winters. The term "Weil", incorrectly translated to "veil", means abundance in German.
    • Feast of Alvis: in the TV series Sealab 2021.[14] "Believer, you have forgotten the true meaning of Alvis Day. Neither is it ham, nor pomp. Nay, the true meaning of Alvis day is drinking. Drinking and revenge."–Alvis[15]
    • Hogswatch: a holiday celebrated on the fictional world of Discworld. It is very similar to the Christian celebration of Christmas.
    • Festivus23 December – a parody holiday created by Daniel O'Keefe and made popular by Seinfeld as an alternative to Christmas.
    • Frostvale: the winter holidays in the Artix Entertainment universe
    • Decemberween25 December – a parody of Christmas that features gift-giving, carol-singing and decorated trees. The fact that it takes place on December 25, the same day as Christmas, has been presented as just a coincidence, and it has been stated that Decemberween traditionally takes place "55 days after Halloween". The holiday has been featured in the Homestar Runner series.
    • Wintersday, the end-of-the-year celebration in the fictional universe of the Guild Wars franchise, starts every year mid December and ends the next year on early January.
    • IES Competition Time, Don's Event questions on the number of trips he took all over the world and in return offering prizes for the person who can guess closest. Follows this up with everyone's favourite Andrew Award presentation.
    • Winter's Crest, the winter celebration held on the continent of Tal'Dorei in the world of Exandria, as featured in the RPG show Critical Role.
    Thanks for the list, but half of these are secular and fictional excluding Christianity. Because Christianity is a theological and religious holiday, we say Merry Christmas to encompass every person. While we may say Happy Holidays in order to attract minorities, is the purpose of Christmas to soften the holiday to people, or to celebrate a major event in Christian history? Christologically, the answer is clear.
    So I guess I was not clear. The reason I made this is because people say there is a "war on Christmas". Not to change the name of it. I am perfectly fine with saying Merry Christmas to people who only celebrate that holiday. I do that. Happy Holidays is to address everyone and not be exclusive. You will obviously celebrate the Christmas event. Happy Holidays is not the alternative to merry Christmas. It is just said so you can include everyone. 
    I agree, there is no "war on Christmas" The reason I prefer Merry Christmas is because it feels more in place during a holiday specifically geared for Christians and not for minority religions, so because it is not for minority religions, the terminology should apply.
    Christmas is obviously geared toward Christians. I do say Merry Christmas if it is only Christians. The only reason I prefer Happy Holidays more than Merry Christmas is that it includes more holidays. It would be very rude and inconsiderate if you only say Merry Christmas to people who do not celebrate Christmas and celebrate a different holida during that time. 
    You're right, it would be rude, but instead of saying Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas, say the name of the holiday that the group believes in. While Happy Holidays is an overarching term, more respect can be shown if one simply addresses each holiday by name.
    That is true. However, Happy Holidays is much simpler and quicker.
    I could either have the future pass me or l could create it. 

    “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain .” - Benjamin Franklin  So flat Earthers, man-made climate change deniers, and just science deniers.

    I friended myself! 
  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    @Pogue ;

    Happy Holidays, while understandably quicker and more convenient, should only be used sparingly, not as widespread as it is currently.
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • someone234someone234 647 Pts   -  
    I prefer Merry Christmas because real G's don't have holidays, they have recuperation of energy and execution of energy.


    Pogue
  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    I prefer Merry Christmas because real G's don't have holidays, they have recuperation of energy and execution of energy.


    I don't think this is always true. We all can have recuperation and execution of energy even if it is not a holiday.

    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • agsragsr 881 Pts   -  
    I couldn't guess that this discussion will be so popular :)

    Live Long and Prosper
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