Co-worker offended by my Christmas card?

[user1471867483]

I bought a pack of Christmas cards from Tesco's 20 pack. They were like animated religious ones. Five of the cards had 'Little donkey ' wording on the front. When my co-worker opened her card, she said, "Are you calling me a donkey?" I didn't even know I'd selected that card in particular for her, as I was just working through the card pack. I said "I didn't design them. Tesco's did". She said she was only joking, but she wasn't. I just wondered your thoughts?

How could a picture of a donkey with the words of a carol be offensive? That's just ridiculous.

It's still a symbol that is generally accepted. I mean. It probably wasn't even a stable as we know it.

Maybe all my family, friends and colleagues think I think they're penguin? As that's what I always send. Still, I love penguins, so they should be pleased.

Reading something into a picture on a Christmas card is silly!

I know- imagine mentioning anything religious at Christmas?

And even worse…a reference to Jesus! 🤷🏼‍♀️
how very dare she… 🤦‍♀️

You’re right. There was no stable.
The manger was a standard piece of equipment in a common person’s one roomed home.

Correct!

There’s other “facts everyone knows” about the nativity that aren’t Biblical …
the idea they stayed in a stable for one, and the idea that they were turned away by an innkeeper for another.

The donkey (like the innkeeper and stable) are central themes in nativity plays- but none of these appear at all in the Biblical narrative of Christ’s birth.

Great classic pun!

But most people will recognise them as relevant (as opposed to festive penguins).

I'm well aware, heh! Have read the relevant gospels many times. Didn't mean it was literally in there...but it's not as if it's not pretty central to what most people know of the story.

**Edited because this stupid keyboard just makes shit up when I've written something completely different!

Happy Christmas all! 🎄🎄🎄

For years I assumed Jesus was in fact a tiny blonde baby doll, as that was what He was represented as at school in Nativity plays.

The images of a tortured man on a Crucifix, His head crowned with thorns, and a wound bleeding 🩸 between His ribs - I didn’t realise that this was Jesus as a Man.
” Baby Jesus” was so often spoken of, with his Mother, Mary, always in lapis lazuli blue, on her Donkey.

Yes, they’ve entered into the public consciousness as “part of the nativity story” no doubt about that.

Penguins… not so much.

Glad she a colleague and not as a friend as I.would have said bin her

yes, they’re certainly prominent in the popular imagination of the nativity story.

Merry Christmas! 🥳 🎄 🎅🏻
@AllTangledUpInTinselAndTiaras

Was it a donkey or an ass?

I think she was probably joking... like she said

To all.
Depends if it was one of what seems many colleagues OP had issues with😉

I don't know how you come to that conclusion. How am I causing a decline in support? Moreover, support for who? I was highlighting how ridiculous/pointless/trivial the original post is. People worry about the minutiae and choose to ignore the big stuff. Happy Christmas.

It was her last day on the 20th and pleased. She was a very difficult colleague.