I am so tired of people and businesses saying Holiday instead of Christmas. It's a holiday wreath instead of a Christmas wreath or holiday sale instead of Christmas sale. If these people don't believe then they shouldn't celebrate the holiday at all. Maybe it's time for us Christians to fight back and start to boycott businesses who refuse to recognize the true meaning of Christmas.

Dave,I am with you on the holiday crap, if you can't wish me Merry Christmas just say hello. The older I get the more things I seem to be boycotting. The store that checks my I.D. when I buy wine, the lumber yard whose owner is anti Manger in Berkley. Now I am going to be watching who wishes me a happy holiday so I can boycott their store.

Actually, we did that last year. I even got the Walmart switchboard here to say Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays, which was a big deal last year, when their corporate policy was to say Happy Holidays. They learned that they could lose business, because something like 90% of their customers wanted to hear Merry Christmas, so the changed their corporate policy back, for this year.

Christmas is what you make of it, you don't need anyone to tell you how to wish it, celebrate it, or rename it. Keep the tradition! It's Merry Christmas, and hope you all have one.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Christmas---all the way! If you're Jewish say Happy Hanukkah...if you do Kwanzaa, say Happy Kwanzaa...if you believe that Christ was born on Christmas Day, then say Merry Christmas. Remember that Jesus is the Reason for Season. Do your own thing and don't worry about what your neighbors are doing. Live and let live. Celebrate our diversity. Ok, I'm done now...thank you.

Merry Christmas!

Last night was interesting. We went to the high school's "Winter Concert". Neither the band nor the orchestras directors ever mentioned the word "Christmas", unless it happened to be in the title of the piece they were playing. They bent over backwards to never mention the word "Christmas". They referred to it as the season, or holidays, or something. I found it ironic that some of the pieces they played contained arrangements of entire Christian songs, pretty much straight out of the traditional hymnals, including "Onward Christian Soldiers" and some of the traditional Christmas carols. I guess they got away with it because the kids did not recognize some of the songs, at least "Onward Christian Soldiers", even after playing them every day, for the last 2-1/2 weeks, in preparation for the concert. Since "Onward Christian Soldiers" is almost never played anymore, my son did not recognize it. It was/is beautiful music. Gee, at the end, they did not even mention Santa Claus directly; they referred to Santa as the jolly old elf from way up North, or something to that effect. There seems to be a directive from the school district to never mention Christmas? While almost none of the teachers ever mention Christmas at school, many of them will initiate wishing you a Merry Christmas, if you see them off-campus. (The German teacher teaches Christmas with his classes, because he teaches German culture and holidays.)

I guess I need to go back and teach the traditional Christian music to my two younger sons. My oldest son is too far away now, to teach him. The Christian music that is usually played around here, is the "new" Christian music. It is more like rock music, played by rock bands. We hear almost none of the great old, traditional hymns. Hmm...I need to have to get my piano tuned. (It's badly out of tune, so I will not play it before it is tuned.) But, my guys should at least be exposed to the traditional music.

Cindy Pihlaja Russell (Gone2long):
"… if you believe that Christ was born on Christmas Day, then say Merry Christmas."

But was Christ born on Christmas Day?

More likely in the spring! … Click ® Birthday of Jesus?

Oh, for Pete's sake. Must you?

It should always be Christmas, anyone not liking it or offended, move somewhere else where it is not used as Christmas. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Are we too grownup to feel a thrill
As we light the Christmas tree?
Are we immune to cookies,
Christmas cards and Christmas glee?

Are we too adult to "Ooh" and "Aah"
At the Christmas candle's glow?
Are we blasé about our gifts;
Do we shun the mistletoe?

Are we too mature for carols,
For merry or for jolly?
Do the decorations leave us cold,
The ornaments and holly?

Fat chance! We'll never grow too old
To love the Christmas magic.
A year without a Christmas
Would be boring, even tragic.

So bring it on! The candy canes,
The feasting and good cheer;
O Christmas, lovely Christmas,
You're the highlight of the year!

I don't like to even see this. Merry X Mas with the X used. I wonder where the use of the X started? Maybe from folks who can not remember how to spell Christ? Merry Christmas to all.

Who makes the best Eggnog? A good brandy can make any Eggnog taste better. No nutmeg in mine please!

X means Christ. The use of X has been around longer that all of us. At first I thought as a lot of people do that it was a "modern" slang or abreviation. I spell it out but the use of X means the same. When people are ignorant of a fact they will argue and believe that they are correct. Lastly nothing should offend anyboby if they trust their faith. Can we have an expert chime in please.

allen philley (Allen):
"Can we have an expert chime in please."

Your wish is my command.

Click ® Online Etymology Dictionary:XMas

I believe the X was used because the early Christians felt Christ's name was too holy to write out; therefore, it was used out of respect.

Hey Frank where you been? I was afraid I had offended you last week. If I did I appologize. I enjoy your post, and being corrected has never bothered me, my sainted Mom did it all the time.

Frankly, Frank, hope I didn't offend you too!

Thank you guys and gals on the X-Mas info for Christ's sake.

Houska Joulua (something like that anyway)!!

David, David, David, just love your sense of humor. Merry XMAS

Michael Du Long (Mikie) & Snowman (Snowman):
Naw, I don't get offended, I get even!

"If you can't stand the heat, you better get out of the kitchen." — Harry S. Truman
(… or da sauna, eh, Snowman?)

SAUNA???? Help me, I'm melting.

Oh oh looks like I will have to watch what I write now. I miss taking sauna but I married a troll who wont let me build one in the back yard. She wont even let me keep my old cars up on blocks in the driveway, mskes me give them away. She says I live in the city now and that country ways are not to be tolerated. I guess I will have to get the washer and dryer off the front porch before Christmas, they look so good with the Christmas lights on them. They were only replaced about five years ago and she is complaining about them still being on the porch. Should have looked for a good Finn girl and stayed away from the Polish one. She wouldn't let me set a trailer in the side yard for the girls when they got married either. Whats the use of having a big yard if you can't use it?

It seems to me that many Christians forget that the Christmas they celebrate with decorated trees, etc., began as a pagan holiday. FRNash, thanks for reminding us that Jesus wasn't born on December 25. Happy holidays and good health to all.

Matt Karhu (Matt_k):
"… FRNash, thanks for reminding us that Jesus wasn't born on December 25."

Of course that "inconvenient truth", that the church arbitrarily and deliberately chose that date to celebrate the nativity — to subvert the "threat" of a rival pagan religion — should in no way detract from celebrating CHRISTmas on December 25!}

("Sheperds tending their flocks by day and night in the field … in December?")

So, with that said, here's a …

..."the church" being the Roman Catholic Church that has misled Christians for centuries, and that has not always been Biblically correct.

They have already taken God out of school, We don't have to take CHRIST out of CHRISTMAS.
Gene in Wayland

It is that time of year once more. How many out there have the Christmas Tree up? I have been up on the roof top stringing the lights last Sunday. Barbie is working on the inside today. Is it to early for you?

Christmas is my no. 1 choice, but if I had 2 choose b-tween
Xmas and holiday, I'll use Xmas, since the X symbolizes Christ.

Merry Christmas, by all means! "Holiday" is too generic. Of course 'holiday' is short for 'holy day', and as far as I'm concerned, Thanksgiving, halloween, fourth of July, etc. are not 'holy'. So, I guess, in a sense, 'Happy Holiday' is acceptable, but it's being used now mainly because businesses want to ignore Christ! So, MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone! :)