9 thoughts on “Merry Christmas!”

  3. Merry Christmas to everyone at JS’ blog too!

    Firstly, i need to sincerely apologise to i-forgot-your-name for not (yet?) translating Wendy’s birthday wishes for you. pls forgive me as I am currently having some serious problems at work so i hope you can understand my situation (of not being to spare much time and energy at this, for the time being). i really do hope i will be able to sit down one fine day and finish the task for you!

    Secondly to Bellevue: it’s coincidental that you brought up the “politically-correct” topic as it is exactly what I had read in the Straits Times (Singapore newspapers) today (as attached)..

    “STRAITS TIMES” Dec 24, 2004

    Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

    Christians in the US, fed up with secularisation of festive season, are fighting back

    WASHINGTON – MS JULIE West is tired of being wished ‘Happy Holidays’ instead of ‘Merry Christmas’.

    She is annoyed with department stores that use ‘Season’s Greetings’ banners, and with public schools that will not touch the Nativity story. So last week, she sent a baked protest to a holiday party at her first-grade son’s school: A chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and red icing that spelt out ‘Happy Birthday Jesus’.

    ‘Christmas keeps getting downgraded, to the point that you are almost made to feel weird if you even mention it,’ Ms West, a resident of Edmonds, Washington, told USA Today, describing herself as a non-denominational Christian.

    ‘What is the matter with recognising the reason behind the whole holiday?’

    This Christmas, she has plenty of company. Christians and traditionalists, fed up with what they view as the de-emphasising of Christmas as a religious holiday, are filing lawsuits, promoting boycotts and launching campaigns aimed at restoring references to Christ in seasonal celebrations, USA Today reported.

    Christians across the United States are moving to counter years of lawsuits that have made governments wary about putting Nativity scenes on public property.

    In Bay Harbour Islands, Florida, a Christian sued in federal court after town officials refused to let her erect a Nativity scene next to a menorah, or Hanukkah candelabra, on a causeway. Last week, a judge ordered the town to comply.

    In Maplewood, New Jersey, parents and students petitioned the school board after officials dropped even instrumental versions of Christmas music from class programmes.

    In Denver, a Protestant church responded to the city’s decision to drop ‘Merry Christmas’ from public signs by trying to enter a Christmas-themed float in the holiday parade. Supporters picketed the parade and sang Christmas carols after the float was rejected.

    In California, a group called the Committee to Save Merry Christmas is boycotting Federated Department Stores. The group claims that Federated’s affiliates, including Macy’s, prohibit clerks from saying ‘Merry Christmas’ and ban the word ‘Christmas’ from ads and store displays. The retail giant says it has no such policy.

    The new battles over religion’s role in holiday celebrations come more than two decades after the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups began going to court to try to get municipalities to remove Nativity scenes and other religious displays from public property.

    The ACLU argued that such religious symbols violated the First Amendment’s ban on government-endorsed religion.

    In two rulings in the 1980s, the US Supreme Court said that Nativity scenes are acceptable when they are combined with other symbols – such as a Santa Claus house – that indicate Christmas is a secular holiday in American culture as well as a religious one.

    But cake-maker Ms West is claiming a small victory. Although her son’s teacher expressed misgivings, Ms West served slices of her ‘Happy Birthday Jesus’ cake to 20 first-graders and about five other parents. No one complained. ”

  4. Happy holidays to everybody here! I’ll visit my relatives in New Jercy tomorrow, and will go to China town and Japan town for shopping. It would be nice if I can meet you and your wife somewhere in New York.

  6. Thank you fei for the in-depth information. The ‘Happy Holiday’ phenomenum is not new, but the trend is getting lots of steam this year. Now those well-trained store associates just smile and send their ‘Happy Holiday’ greetings everywhere. At least in this deep blue state.

    It’s interesting that you can still get ‘Merry Christmas’ by calling up frontdesk of highend hotels in atheist China.

  7. Prayer for to attend to the Marry Christmas Day-2008 Celebration. Please help me please.

    Dear Sir/Madam,

    With respectfully pray to you that I am Zaman Uddin (Liton) from Bangladesh by nationality. I am willingly so much interested to join with the Christmas Day Celebration-2008. I so much love Jesus Christ. I am a big devotee of Jesus Christ. I so much like Christian religion & Culture. I so much wish to be with the Christian religion. I so much wish to be present at the Christmas Day Celebration-2008. Please consider me and give me an opportunity to join with the Christmas Day Celebration-2008 please. At last I pray and hope that please help me and consider me to attend to the Christmas Day Celebration-2008. Thank you very much. God bless you. Have a nice day.

    Yours faithfully & Obedient

    Zaman Uddin (Liton)

    Bangladesh.

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