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1.  Sara said:
   4:21 PM  

   Good points re: Christmas. I usually do just go with it - it doesn't offend me. It's a goodwill gesture (albeit assumptive) that I can appreciate. However, I *do* refuse to let people continue in assumptions about my religious life, and I consider it a simple awareness issue rather than a petty thing to say Happy Solstice in response to Merry Christmas. Why can't I expect the same appreciative reaction when I wish someone a Happy Solstice that they expect from me (what with the proliferation of church festivities, nativity scenes and the new War on Christmas right-wing propaganda, I don't feel that the religion has truly left the holiday, but I could be wrong)? Mostly I do, and usually everyone's happy. Certainly there are bigger fish to fry (or to save from frying) in the world - yet I think that it is important work to continue an honest interfaith dialogue with people - it has far-reaching implications - and for me a tiny part of that is engaging in the inevitable Christmas exchange.
   
   Bigger than this, what I truly object to is the mass culture's insistence on a continued myth - that of America as a "Christian nation." And Christmas is a symbol of this myth. I don't think it hurts anybody to say Happy Holidays any more than it hurts me to hear Merry Christmas, and I appreciate *that* gesture (the one that acknowledges our multi-religious society and makes no assumptions about me or my winter celebrations) as well. Christmas is a religious holiday sanctioned by corporations, culture and the government, whether or not it has become commercialized and its religious message glossed over by capitalism, and the fact that it is all of these things is symptomatic of a larger problem - that of religious hegemony and the silencing/oppression that stems from it. Ultimately for me, it's this issue that's a big deal, not whether or not folks should get squirrely when someone wishes them a Merry Christmas.

1.  Luna said:
   5:10 PM  

   I agree with the sentiment that we shouldn't worry how folks want to greet us during this time -- but it is sad to note that in most communities, you can expect a "Merry Christmas" before a "Happy Hannukah" or "Merry Solstice." I agree also with Sara who indicates that this is really just a part of the right-wing propaganda machine. No doubt Bill O'Reilly will resurrect his diatribe against the God-hating liberals in a few weeks if he hasn't done so already. And of course, these folks just prey upon their own true believers who are genuinely dismayed by the consumerism of the holiday and want to bring some sanity and sanctity into their own lives. Those folks are being led to believe, by the machine, that public expressions of the holiday that do not reference or reverence its Christian origins are blasphemous. The propaganda deliberately confuses the private and the public to further its agenda, which seems to be to keep conservatives in office.
   As a former Catholic, I am immune to folks wishing me a Merry Christmas. While I agree that a tolerant approach is respectful and warranted, it doesn't mean we shouldn't have open discussions about how Americans should express their faiths.

1.  Grian said:
   5:37 PM  

   I agree that there is no reason to pass up an oppotunity to educate someone during this time of year. My main issue is with taking offense to the "Merry Christmas" greeting. To me, while it may be called "christ-mass" by most people, it has absolutely nothing to do with Christianity or Christ. Most of us know all about the Pagan symbolism in the holiday and all of the traditions with Pagan origin. I enjoy the holiday while giving it different meaning to my spiritual life.
   
   Personally, I buy cards that say "Happy Holidays" and that is my standard greeting during this season.
   
   Believe me, I would love to see Happy Solstice signs. But we do live in a very predomiant Christian nation and those sorts of changes take a lot of time to happen. Maybe one day that will be something we can look forward to.
   
   I believe that most people celebrate Christmas as a somewhat secular holiday. It isn't completely free of the religious implications, but that is not something that I feel is shoved down the throat of everyday people. Instead of recognizing the birth of Christ the majority seem to recognize Santa Claus and the spirit of giving.
   
   Thanks so much for the well written comments ladies.

1.  Card-Table Gypsy said:
   7:13 PM  

   I've never thought it presumptive for people to wish me the wish that comes from who they are. It seems to me if we get offended by "Merry Christmas," shouldn't we also be offended by "Happy Hanukkah" or "Blessed Kwanzaa"? But we aren't, are we? If we don't find those things equally offensive (or non-offensive, as the case may be), the problem lies with us, not with a well-wisher who gives the greeting they know best. Does anyone really think a stranger did that just to cram their religion down your throat or piss you off? I mean, really?
   
   This of course most definitely applies to the people who who go into spitting-cobra mode when they hear "Happy Holidays,"too. There's something very, very wrong with getting offended by someone wishing you well, however they wish it. If anything would ruin the spirit of the holidays, whatever your chosen one might be, it would seem to me to be that kind of attitude.
   
   By the way, great shirt!

1.  Card-Table Gypsy said:
   11:18 AM  

   Well, at least it didn't take the HOA long to treat their rectal-cranial impaction :)
   
   Update on wreath story

1.  Angela-Eloise said:
   2:12 PM  

   Love the shirt! You should make one at CafePress.

1.  Grian said:
   2:45 PM  

   gypsy, thanks for the update. It's good to see someone has a clear head about the silly situation.
   
   angela-eloise, the shirt is on cafe press. Just click the image. :)
   
   Thanks for the comments ladies.

1.  Sojourner said:
   11:56 AM  

   Grian - I had the same question about the peace sign years ago, so I asked one of my Christian friends why there was a problem with it.
   
   He said that it wasn't a problem with the concept of peace, but the symbol itself. First, it's image is like an upside down cross. Second, the "arms" of the cross are broken.
   
   From the Christian perspective, I guess that would make sense that it wouldn't be a good symbol to promote becasue of the connotations of symbol.

1.  Grian said:
   1:11 PM  

   Sojourner, I've heard that and it was one of the things mentioned in the article(s) about the peace-wreath issue.
   
   Honestly, I think it's a stretch to say that it's a broken cross. Firstly, it would be an equal armed cross that was broken, not the traditional t-shaped cross of Christianity. I have no way of proving it, but I believe the "broken cross theory" is something that was manufactured during the 60's when the Conservative Christian part of the country was trying to keep the hippies from taking over.
   
   A symbol can mean anything that people want to believe it means. Take the pentacle for example. How many people still believe it has something to do with Satan? If there is no problem with the concept of peace then why have a problem with a symbol that means just that? Regardless of how many ways it can be interpreted it still means peace to most people. Why choose to believe it means anything else?
   
   I could draw a square on a piece of paper and tell everyone that it is a symbol of Satan that represents the box he has been trapped in by society that villifies him in the eyes of the mainstream. I don't believe that, but it's a relevant example.
   
   Also, I don't know any Satanists who have adopted the peace sign as their symbol. For the most part Satanists want to be known as Satanists. (In my opinion.) I don't think they would feel compelled to wear or use such a vague symbol when the upside down pentacle or upside down cross is much more obvious.
   
   Thanks so much for the comments!

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