to have never heard anyone ever object to someone wishing the a "Merry Christmas"?

[DrSeuss]

Has anyone, ever, heard anyone of any faith or none object to this? Even Richard Dawkins says it! My Muslim friends wish me Merry Christmas, Mayim Bialik of Big Bang fame wishes her FB followers Merry Christmas despite being an Orthodox Jew!
Surely anyone with half a brain accepts that someone is offering you their good wishes and just returns them? Or, if someone says, "Well actually, I'm Jewish/Muslim/whatever and don't do Christmas.", surely you just say, "Sorry, I didn't realise, have a good holiday."

So why the big deal about the fact that we should/shouldn't say it?

It's just that well known American minority namely Evangelical Christians making a fuss about their "persecution", isn't it?

hmmm

well, I'm a pagan. My family celebrates the winter solstice, not christmas.

BUT

my kids (and the muslims too) are in the school nativities, christmas parties etc.

I participate in the christmas bargains thread - I'm not going to quibble, and I'm sure no-one is going to say "this thread is NOT FOR YOU! Take your bargain hunting ways and begone!" because my festival is a couple of days earlier

And if anyone wishes me a merry christmas, I smile and say "thanks, you too!"

I can honestly say that back when I was a christian I heard about this alleged "war on christmas" but never heard anyone other than a christian even suggest they want to stop anyone celebrating it

no, it isn't political correctness gone mad because no one gives a shit - even in the US. You encounter as much happy christmas as happy holidays. no one cares. This is a Fox News made up crisis which bigots absolutely love - look! non-white liberal people are stealing the baby jesus!

The only time I have ever encountered this was when a local policeman (bit of a conservative plonker in general but not the worst) wished the kids happy christmas at a state school ceremony. No one batted any eyelid but in case we hadn't gotten it he pointed out that "he was going to wish happy christmas no matter what people said" No one said anything. no one cared what he did or said.

It is hard when you are the privileged majority to rustle up a sense of persecution but Fox News manages it.

I grew up in the US and half of my family are American and most live in the US, I always say merry Christmas. I can't get used to happy Christmas.

I’m Jewish Orthodox (but brought up to be atheist)and my family celebrated Christmas. I have a fair few Jewish friends who send their kids to Jewish schools, keep kosher, go to synagogue regularly but still have Christmas dinner. To me it’s an important part of being British and living in the UK and any reason to get together as a family and enjoy a nice meal is fine by me. I don’t know anyone, Jewish, Muslim or Hindu who is pissed of when someone wishes them a Happy Christmas. Nearly everyone I know regardless of faith or no faith, does something on Christmas Day. I send card to my Christian friends but more winters scenes, wildlife based ones, buy presents and other friends i wish them whatever it is they celebrate. But none of us mind being wished a Happy Christmas. There’s a million and one nasty things some of us have been wished over the year, so this is at least we’ll meaning.

I'm Jewish. I don't object to people saying Merry Christmas in general, but I do think it's a bit small minded sometimes when it's done as a blank statement to anyone and everyone even if you have no idea what they celebrate. It assumes everyone wants to be wished a Merry Christmas. Honestly, I really don't, but in 99% of cases, it's said with good intentions and I don't really think people mean anything bad by it most of the time. I just think a lot of people truly don't even think that anyone does anything different than what they do.

So if it's Christmas day and we're at Christmas dinner (we have Christian family and friends so we celebrate Christmas on a cultural, if not religious level), I'm not offended if someone says Merry Christmas.

I do get a lot of Christmas cards from uber religious (Christian friends or family) all about baby Jesus this and baby Jesus that who KNOW I'm Jewish. That's different and yes, it's rude and offensive. But they're old, so I let it slide a bit. But I can understand situations when it really might be upsetting.

But I also don't see what the big deal is about just saying Happy Holidays is either. Like lots of other religions have holidays around Christmas and if you don't personally know someone's religious background, it's much more polite to not assume they're Christian. But yes, some Christians do just get off on this fixation of being persecuted and as it's a proseleytizing religion, I suppose their is a belief that if you don't celebrate Christmas, you should and you should have it forced on you until you do, which is nuts, but I can see how some people would believe that.

My Jewish bosses really did take exception to Christmas. Not sure why because you can't pretend it doesn't exist! We all followed the rules on Passover food in the office, using separate crockery and cooking facilities, navigating the tinfoiled kitchen, closing on high days and holidays, shutting the office early in a Friday.

The clients used to send cards though. Most were Jewish themselves. I think some people just like to grumble.

Christmas in Britain though is for most a secular holiday.

So why not be merry then!?

I meant Merry Christmas, for most is a secular sentiment.

"Don't wish people happy Christmas.
Christmas has changed to winterval.
Don't sing baa baa black sheep in school.
Don't ask for a black coffee; ask for a coffee without milk.
You might offend the Muslims/black people/brown people etc etc."

You do know that all of these things didn't actually happen, don't you?

My university (I'm an academic) has recently replaced the Christmas meal with Festive Meal and the departmental Christmas party is to be called Winter Party.

I'm an Indian lady and I don't really care

When I lived overseas I was often greeted with an Eid Mubarak at Eid time (I am not muslim). It was nice to be included.

Sigh. For the last time - I worked in an office where Christmas Did Not Happen.

I have worked in an office where Christmas did not happen, but it was for very good reasons and nothing to do with the right wing rubbish

Why not?

Secular space, for good reasons.

Just as when I worked in N Ireland, no staff told the young people their religion.

Fair enough. All or nothing is safest.

We haven't had the periodic outrage at Red Cross charity shops not having Christmas windows for a while..........

We haven't had the periodic outrage at Red Cross charity shops not having Christmas windows for a while..........

Because it is all made up. No one is offended.

A small number of people have no interest in Christmas (and tbh find the insane orgy of spending on useless tat verging on obscene) This latter point , i.e the not being interested, seems to be beyond the understanding of some who seem to interpret it as being offended or calling for cancelling Christmas.

It is extremely tedious to be quizzed from around beginning of December about "what am I doing for Christmas/have I started/done all my shopping/have I put my tree up"

But yes, some Christians do just get off on this fixation of being persecuted and as it's a proseleytizing religion, I suppose their is a belief that if you don't celebrate Christmas, you should and you should have it forced on you until you do, which is nuts, but I can see how some people would believe that

I have never come across anyone who positively identifies as Christian who has that attitude. I think you are confusing "celebrating Christmas" with taking part in the December consumer orgy.

I have encountered a few proselytizers here in the US Bible Belt. People can be very forward about asking mere acquaintances about their religious affiliations, and Christmas time seems to provide additional opportunities. My favorite was a friend, who upon politely rejecting a neighbor's invitation to attend the local church of a fundamentalist denomination that shall remain nameless, on the grounds that she was busy with events at her own Catholic church, was told after a long pause, "well, when you decide to try Christianity, we would love to have you."

I fully admit to being a bit of a scrooge. My favorite Christmas poem by Hilaire Belloc:

May all my enemies go to hell,
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel.

I'm particularly fond of the Red Cross one though because they genuinely don't have Christmas windows! Because they need to be seen as completely non religious.........

As a side issue, my father, who would have been 99 last week, objected verty strongly to Merry Christmas. He thought it was common, and even now I can't bring myself to say it.

I think you have a few "problem Christians" which the UK hasn't.

I'm staunchly atheist but I can't honestly say I've had to deal with proselytizing Christians. Even Jehovah's Witnesses are no where near as bad as they are made out to be on here. "No thanks" is fine and accepted.

I work for a multinational company.

We say “Happy Holidays”

I am Jewish and it drives me mad. It’s like the company are too scared to celebrated Christmas. I do think that the West is beginning to be ashamed of its own culture.