Five things people say about Christmas that drive me nuts
Christmas does not belong in the workplace because it undermines diversity at work. And businesses that promote diversity have more profits in the long run than companies that do not have a diverse workforce.
A big problem with Christmas is that those of us who have no reason to celebrate it have to spend a month between Thanksgiving and New Year’s dealing with Christmas at work. Christmas is the only religious holiday that everyone has to stop working for. It’s the only religious event that offices have parties to celebrate. These practices alienate non-Christians.
Businesses that curtail practices that alienate minorities will see growth to their bottom line as a direct result of this action. And besides, promoting acceptance of diverse backgrounds at work enriches our lives, independent of the bottom line.
But encouraging diversity doesn’t mean diverse ways to celebrate Christmas. Diversity is giving people space to ignore Christmas. Forcing people to take the day off requires everyone to run their work life around this holiday in a way they might not have chosen for themselves. Yet still, Christmas continues to permeate workplaces across the United States.
Do you want to make a difference? Start with yourself. When it comes to discussing Christmas in the workplace, here are five offensive things people say to someone who doesn’t celebrate Christmas. Don’t say them.
1. “Christmas is not a religious holiday.”
The only people who think Christmas is not religious are the Christians. Everyone else thinks, “This is not my holiday.” In fact, only a Christian would feel enough authority over the holiday to declare that it is not Christian.
To think that Christmas is for everyone is tantamount to Americans who think that everyone says bathing suit for the thing you wear to go swimming. In fact, the British say “swimming costume” but you’d never know that if you only hang around Americans. The smaller your frame of reference the more convinced you are that the way you do things is the way everyone does things.
2. “Stop complaining! You get an extra day off from work.”
I don’t want a day off on Christmas. It’s a great day to work. No one calls. No one interrupts me. And in many workplaces there’s great camaraderie in the office on Christmas because only a few people are there, and they all have something in common: They don’t celebrate Christmas.
I want a day off for Yom Kippur, which I usually have to take a personal day for. Why do I have to take a personal day for Yom Kippur but no one has to take a personal day for Christmas? This is not equal treatment for religious groups.
3. “Christmas is about good cheer. Focus on that and lose your bad attitude.”
I know I have a bad attitude. But consider that the fact that good cheer is mandated in December is also a Christian trope. For example, Thanksgiving is the holiday that makes a lot of sense to surround with good cheer. It’s about gratitude. Makes sense that we’d focus on Thanksgiving.
And the idea that we add Hanukkah to the mix is ridiculous. Hanukkah is about a war victory. The good cheer mandates are not coming from the Jews except in a sort of peer pressure way to cope with the Christian insistence that we all be happy because the Christians are happy.
4. “You can also take a day off for Hanukkah.”
First of all, Hanukkah is eight days. Second of all, the holiday isn’t a big deal to us, except that it’s a way for Jewish kids to not feel outgunned in the gift category. Jacob Sullum wrote in Reason magazine last year, “It is inappropriate…to make such a fuss over Chanukah, a minor Jewish holiday whose importance has been inflated in the popular imagination by its accidental proximity to Christmas.”
So look, we don’t want a day off for Hanukkah. Or any other Jewish holiday. We want floating holidays that everyone uses, for whatever they want. It doesn’t have to be religious, or it can be. But we don’t need our work telling us when to take time off. It’s insulting and totally impractical.
5. “We get Christmas off at work because this is a Christian country.”
People actually say this to me. Every year. I’m not kidding. People tell me that I should move to Israel if I don’t want to celebrate Christmas. Really.
I tell you this so that you understand what it’s like to be a minority. The majority of the country is not New York and Los Angeles, and the majority of the country thinks Christmas is actually sanctioned by the government. For example, my son’s public school in Madison, Wisconsin has the kids make a December calendar that includes the birthdays of four saints. Surely this is illegal mixing of church and state, but I don’t hear any complaining from parents.
People want tolerance and diversity but they are not sure how to encourage it. There is a history of tolerance starting first in business, where the change makes economic sense: Think policies against discrimination toward women, and health insurance that includes gay partners. Tolerance and awareness in the workplace reliably trickle down to other areas of society.
So do what you can at work, where you can argue that tolerance and diversity improve the bottom line, and you will affect change in society, where tolerance and diversity give deeper meaning to our lives.
Everyone’s negative comments are just ridiculous. If you grow up in a non Christian household then you do not celebrate Christmas. There are no decorations or santa’s or lights in your house and you sit on you butt with nothing to do except watching nasty christmas specials day of, that you can’t relate to whatsoever because everything is closed.
who wants to know what jews really do on christmas day? anyone?
we go to the damn movies with the entire family, including babuchka, because its the only place thats frickin open. hannukah is also not a big holiday. just because it happens to fall in december doesn’t mean its equal to christmas is for catholics.
I don’t know any jewish people who celebrate christmas, personally i don’t like christmas so much because i cannot relate to it at all. its not my culture, not my upbringing. i know of it and a lot about it but i do not enjoy it at all.
if your jewish and you celebrate christmas then your a schmeckle and not a very good jew. and i’m a freaking conservative jew! yuck christmas. give everyone their own option. Did kwanza even exist in the 80’s??? I mean come on. Ask any non american jews if they celebrate christmas or enjoy it for any other aspect other than the fact that it brings people together and you can guess their answer, who cares.
this blog was poignant and has impact for those who understand. if your not part of any minority then how can you read this and possibly ever hope to understand what any of it means?
Its like deja vu all over again. So I will try to give you the same (like anyway) reply. Ah poor baby! At ease yourself. And something new..I wish you had to live in a nice strict Muslim country for a while then, then you would have something to cry about. Please….
Surely Christmas is a public holiday in the US (and Australia, Canada, NZ, UK etc) because these are *Christian* countries?
I see your point Penelope but instead of being annoyed I think you should relax and make the most of the holidays. I wrote a post in response to yours in my blog today which basically just says that the holidays are an opportunity that we shouldn’t waste even if we don’t have any particular attachment to them. Hope you manage to get through this holiday season.
Penelope –
You see, one of the great things about your blog is you evoke so many emotions. But what are we really complaining about? For me, and maybe it’s just my own need, it’s about control. Each of us needs to take control or to relinquish control in order to find our comfort zones and have effective boundaries.
It’s the issue that messes up my work, as a pastor, there are days I’d rather clean toilets because of dealing with other peoples control issues and lack of boundaries. It’s that way in our marriages (there you go, I offer free marriage counseling).
It comes back to what we do with any holiday, religious or not. As a Jew growing up, we got together as a family and hung out, or we went to the movies.
It’s interesting that growing up, we had off for Rosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur, it was very Jewish community. Then living in Dearborn, Mi we had off for Ramadan. So, I have experienced having all these days off, and I have had to learn how to be sensitive to other cultures and religions. If only we could be tolerant / respectful of one another’s beliefs. . . but then again, it’s a control issue.
Okay, I’m done ranting for now.
Thanks
I have also lived in Dearborn, Mi and have experienced all 3 worlds,
Great post, Penelope. It’s very easy for us to overlook the privileges we have when certain aspects of our identities blend with the mainstream.
For example, if you’re right-handed, you never have to think about the fact that you’re right-handed, because most tools are designed with you in mind. So it’s seamless and invisible. The only time you become aware of your right-handedness is if one day you’re suddenly in the unusual situation of having to use a pair of left-handed scissors.
I think religion can be similarly invisible and seamless. If you’re Christian, it’s easy to not notice the way things in this country are designed around your religion: days off school, days off work, gift-giving traditions, office parties, etc.
I don’t think there’s anything “whiny” about pointing this out. If anything, it’s pretty self-evident.
In the words of Wendy Williams, miss a day miss a whole f-in lot! I am trying to trudge my way through these comments. I am galled that people refuse to acknowledge that no matter how bastardized and commercialized, Christmas is indeed a religious holiday. And enforcing it on others is problematic. The ostensible “war” on Christmas so touted on morning radio is just proof of how untouchable Christmas is.
That said, I grew up Catholic and for most of my life, I have enjoyed celebrating both the religious and secular aspects of the holiday. Christmas also happens to be my birthday so I understand how one’s identity–religious or otherwise–gets lost in the fray. With the exception of my mother and boyfriend, no one ever gets me a birthday card or wraps my ONE present in birthday paper (poor me). In all seriousness, though, in this day and age, Christmas should be no more sacred in the workplace than Yom Kippur or Eid or other religious holidays. My workplace offers a floating holiday but still closes for Christmas (and Christmas Eve; no days off for Easter, although we close early on Good Friday and we are never closed for Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashannah or Eid).
Funny but the ever-increasing need for retail to meet the bottom line means that Thanksgiving and Christmas are becoming less sacred in many workplaces. Look at how many stores in the US are now opening on those days now, something I didn’t see just a few years ago.
Back to reading the comments.
Just something to ponder for those saying to stop “bitching”:
“Work is not permitted on Rosh Hashanah, on Yom Kippur, on the first and second days of Sukkot, on Shemini Atzeret, on Simchat Torah, on Shavu’ot, and the first, second, seventh and eighth days of Passover…
For observant Jews who work in the secular gentile world, this can be problematic in some years: if all of the non-working holidays fall on weekdays (as they sometimes do), an observant Jew would need to take **13 days** off of work just to observe holidays. **This is more vacation time that some people have available**.”
from http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday0.htm
I really have better things to give a shit about then other people celebrating the most popular holiday in the United States at my office.
Cry more.
Coming from a family where my grandmother blast e-mails the entire family on her angry letters to her HR department lambasting “Holiday parties” as an attack on Christianity, I find your post interesting. The fact of the matter, sadly, is that Christmas is a National Holiday, legislated by Congress (The Supreme Court doesn’t legislate, they interpret) and has been such for so long that it’s more American tradition now. I love the idea of floating holidays, but keep in mind that we’d still have Federal holidays off, and Christmas is one of those. I take that for what it is, as much as I take Martin Luther King day even though I’m not black.
I DO think we should be calling it a “holiday party,” and we should be able to take the days off for our own religions, but Christmas is a federal holiday, regardless of its religious AND its secular overtones. And I don’t see that changing anytime soon. So, I would celebrate it as a national day off, as nothing more. I would educate those around me to my particular religion (“Merry Christmas.” “Thank you, but I’m not Christian. I celebrate Yule, but I hope you have a Merry Christmas.”).
This has become more of a random rant at this point, but I think we need more acceptance of all religions in this country, but the battle against Christmas as a national holiday is, in my opinion, a fruitless one.
If it’s tolerance and diversity everyone wants, where is the tolerance for Christians? You don’t want me belittling your beliefs, but it’s open season on mine (unless my belief happens to be condemning of white Christian males).
If I were to move to Turkey, I would fast on Ramadan.
‘During’ Ramadan. My bad. I’m sure someone will catch that and lambast me for it.
I just get sick of people bitching about nothing. The crying really gets old.
I think it is horrible that people say that because of Christians we have certain days off that we don’t want or office parties. Really? Office parties? Do you really think we sit at church and discuss our Christmas Office parties and have discussions about it in Sunday school? I think the majority of Americans have identified this time of year as a chance to unwind and enjoy each other’s company. Did you ever consider the media streams have been flooding the gates and virtually destroyed the image of what is a humble day of observance for Christians?
As far as the days off well why not complain about having Saturdays and Sundays off too?? Why not make us all work 7 days a week so the people who don’t want the days off to observe the Sabbath won’t feel forced too. I am sure my comment won’t be read but I think everyone needs to show a little more compassion and respect for one another. I think no matter what your religious beliefs are or if you don’t have any I think we can all agree on showing more respect and love for one another. Thanks for the post!
>The only people who think Christmas is not
>religious are the Christians.
No – this is just not true in my experience. I’ve seen plenty of people who enjoy Christmas (myself included) who don’t much care for Mr JC
>"Stop complaining! You get an extra day off from
>work."
Again, this is true. Back in my student days, the U that I was at didn’t have classes on Jewish holidays – and it was fun (even though back then I didn’t even know what the holidays meant – “what? you mean you can’t eat the entire day? where is fun in that?”)
>”the holiday isn't a big deal to us”
“US?” WTF? Are you trying to pull an ‘us vs them’ here? Please stop!
Finally, #5 is indeed pretty stupid :-)
i wasn’t going to write this, seeing as most people who write something like this clearly have their minds closed off to other opinions, but here we go.
as a research analyst, i would like to point out your faulty reasoning. the reports you cite do not say that christmas is anti-diversity. my company celebrates every damn holiday out there (i think that’s why the women in the business office are always on diets – they are always cooking something for some party or other).
my company gives christmas day off, but i’m sure they wouldn’t mind people coming in and working on their day off. i’ve never in my life heard of “having to take a day off.” work your little heart out, workaholics.
i’m no christian, but i sure as heck love christmas. it’s FESTIVE, it’s FUN, it’s a reason to CELEBRATE being alive, giving to people you love, and feeling GOOD.
i’m not a mean person, but penelope trunk, you are scrooge. do what you want to do and let people do what they want to do. that’s what Live And Let Live is all about – minding your own damn business.
yay to diversity. boo to putting other people’s practices down. that’s the POINT of DIVERSITY.
Right on Holly! Right on!!!
Do not under estimate the intelligence of Ms. Penelope. She drops these bombs out here to get us all going. It worked, we are like putty in her hands. Good job Penelope! Kudu’s to all the non-hateful comments so far and sorry to those that may have been offended by my original post. Have a save holiday season and “Be Excellent to Each other!”
Wow, I would have thought the people who frequent this blog would be able to control their emotion and review the thoughts and ideass presented in a reasoned manner. Suggesting that employers move to a policy of providing discretionary holidays so that people of any faith can celebrate their traditions in no way denegrates or oppresses Christianity.
This is anti-Christian propanda.
ANTI-CHRISTIAN PROPAGANDA
Your point #5 and the comment from Guy Incognito says it all. I might add: you’re free to go wherever the local culture suits you. Either get there, or appreciate the place that has you as a guest. Note that I’m not Jewish, nor Christian, I am not American and don’t live in the US.
I’m just amazed at the amount of ignorance on display here, and am suppressing the urge to contribute some rather off-color acronyms about it.
Christmas — the religion of origin is right there in the name. Non-Christians who celebrate it are still celebrating a CHRISTIAN holiday. It’s a neutral fact. Deal. I don’t see anybody fasting on Yom Kippur just because so many other folks are doing it and the sentiment is so touching.
There’s nothing discriminatory about floating holidays. And I can’t think of a single instance where Christians were a marginalized minority in this country, especially white male ones.
Where I grew up in MD. there were many Jewish children. So we had both Yom Kipour and Rosh Hashanah off as school holidays. We also had Christmas off as many children were also Christian. I always thought this was done for pratical reasons. When half the class or more is absent, it does not make much sense for a teacher to cover new material and to have days of busy work just does not make sense. I think this happens for offices as well. If the majority of people are out from work, it is ineffective to pay for employees to come in and do virtually nothing.
As a child I always liked my days off of school even though I was not Jewish. I would fill them with play dates, board games, riding my bike etc…
I understand that Christmas is tougher because so many stores, restaurants etc… are closed. But this is the case every year. So if I did not celebrate Christmas, I would plan ahead for it. Probably find some friends, have food on hand and some games or just get a few books out of the library the week before that I had not had time to read and enjoy the break from work.
I am amazed when I hear some of my Jewish friends talk about not turning on a light switch for 24 hours or cooking or driving or shopping. Just amazing! I realize not all Jews are this strict but with some planning, they really enjoy their Sabbath.
For you Dec. 25th is not a special day. It has the potential to be whatever you imagine it to be. Be creative and enjoy it.
I’m not Christian, and I celebrate Christmas as a pagan and as a secular American holiday. What I find offensive is “Jesus is the reason for the season,” because any study of the history of Christmas will show you that that’s just a blatant lie.
I agree that anyone saying that this is a Christian nation is also offensive. This is a country founded on religious freedom.
Hi Penelope,
Wow – as a Christian may I just say “What a fantastic article”.
What you’ve said makes alot of sense and I really appreciate the new perspective that you’ve raised.
Great, thought-provoking writing once again!
Maybe Bart Simpson said it best:
‘Aren’t we forgeting the true meaning of Christmas? You know, the birth of Santa.’
I have two different stories for you 1. I went to one of my favorite stores to pick something up but they were closed. The family is Jewish and had to leave before sun down. 2. A few days ago I went to my local deli the owners who are Muslim closed the store so they could pray. I will admit I cursed a little to myself
when I found out the shops were closed but I just dealt with it. What were these people really suppose to do ignore thousands of years of they history so I could buy a shirt or a soda. Why are you fighting a day off? I am not Jewish but if I could get off for Yom Kippur I would take it and run. Also I live NYC and our public schools close for various Jewish Holidays, holidays I did not get because I went to a Catholic school.
I can’t believe, in all of the ranting and raving, that nobody came to the defense of Hanukkah. It’s not just about a war. It was a war against religious oppression. It was a victory for religious freedom! The reason the menorahs are to be displayed in the window is to remind everyone that we are free to practice our faith. I think that’s pretty powerful, even if most of my neighbors have no clue what a Hanukkah menorah is.
Moving on, these types of posts seem to act as a weeding out. It becomes obvious who is qualified to be in this community of thought and who should just go somewhere else, or maybe put their head back in the sand where it came from.
North American was FOUNDED on Christian faith and way of doing things. Since then, things have changed so much that we can fairly say that North America is not a Christian country. Thanksgiving was also FOUNDED on Christian faith, but the holiday’s meaning has changed so much since then…now it is just a symbol of the football game, gourging yourself with beer and chicken.
How can you possibly say that Christmas undermines diversity? That’s like saying that we should no longer celebrate Halloween because that too is not recognised by other cultures, or that we should all start eating with chopsticks! Furthermore, you imply in your first paragraph that profit comes before religious belief.
Christmas is *not* the only religious holiday that everyone has to stop work for. In the UK we have Easter which, like Christmas, is a bank holiday (We also sing “GOD Save the Queen” as our national anthem). In Spain and other European countries, there are numerous other religious festivals that are also public holidays. These are all public holidays in *Christian* countries. They are not intended to alienate other beliefs, just as in speaking a native language we do not intend to alienate speakers of other languages. Would you expect to uphold your Jewish religion in a Muslim country such as Iraq? Would you expect to be understood if you spoke English in a non-English speaking country? I think not. Yet you might still feel alienated. Perhaps I should not speak to my Iranian colleague for fear of making her feel alienated! The last time I checked, the US dollar bore the phrase “In GOD we trust” and even your president remarks “GOD bless America”. If these two aspects don’t alienate non-Christians in the US, then what does?!
With regard to your numbered points:
1. Christmas *is* a religious holiday. After all, we are not celebrating Xmas (“Ex-mas”), but Christmas (“CHRIST-mas”) – the birth of Christ. For students in the UK, we also have Michaelmas and Easter term-time.
2. I too don’t want a day off at Christmas. Nor do I want two days off at Easter or the odd bank holiday throughout the year. I would much rather bank them and use them to take a week’s holiday at some quiet time of the year instead of fighting my way through the holiday traffic on the roads or the crowds on public transport. However, these are public holidays decided by the state/monarchy. What I *do* want is to be able to celebrate my faith over the Christmas period.
3. Christmas does not have to be about ‘good cheer’. We cannot all be happy all of the time. I absolutely loathe the commercial aspect of Christmas and if anything makes me grumpy it’s the materialism that accompanies all the present-buying and organising. It is an important time of the year not to necessarily be happy in that smiley, nicey, happy-clappy sort of way, but just to be at peace with oneself and others, and to enjoy being with one’s family.
4. Hannukah might be eight days, but Easter could be conceived as being 40 days (and nights)!
5. Yes, I agree with the statement “we get Christmas off because this [the UK and the US] is a Christian country”. Isn’t that what Christmas is about?
I don’t want this to sound like a disrespectful rant. I respect others and their beliefs but when one chooses to live in a predominantly Christian country, the beliefs of that country should be respected too. In the same way, in the West we have a democracy and do not live by Sharia law. If I were a communist living and working in the US, I think the capitalist boot would be kicking me out of the door! Where are the sensibilities then?
As a Muslim, I can relate to much of what you are saying, but I do not mind taking off for Christmas. That is just expected when so many other people celebrate the holiday. Actually, I am living in Jordan right now, and Christmas is a national holiday along with the Muslim Eid holidays.
I have found that it is really hard for some people back home in the US to understand why we do not participate in Christmas celebrations or office parties. Parties are especially problematic for Muslims because of the presence of alcohol and other factors.
If I could add #6 to your list, it would be:
“I have Muslim/Jewish friends who celebrate Christmas and exchange gifts, so I don’t see why you would have a problem with it.”
Maybe you do, but I don’t personally know any Muslims who celebrate Christmas. And, if they exist (and I am sure they must), that doesn’t necessarily mean they are the model I want to follow.
It is really interesting, Penelope, what you said about giving “Christmas” status to an occassion like Hanukkah, which is not the same type of holiday. I also find people doing this on some level with Ramadan and the Eid.
I also notice some hostility in the comments here, with people questioning why a non-Christian can’t find/enjoy the “spirit” of Christmas during this holiday season. This really goes back to the fact that it is a Christian holiday and therefore generally without meaning to people of different faiths.
@Pascal
“Your point #5 and the comment from Guy Incognito says it all. I might add: you're free to go wherever the local culture suits you. Either get there, or appreciate the place that has you as a guest. Note that I'm not Jewish, nor Christian, I am not American and don't live in the US.”
You didn’t have to point out that you aren’t American–that is clear from your comment. The idea that a citizen of the United States is a “guest” because she doesn’t conform to the majority religion is a wholly un-American viewpoint.
I read the original post. I smile.
I read the responses. I have a grin all around.
The good news is that we are still humans: we love, we hate, we feel. And that is good.
The bad news is that we are still humans: we hate so much and we love so much that we are willing to destroy others in the name of it. And that is bad.
Old times, in a country (or galaxy) far, far away:
Two guys go in front of a judge with a complaint. The judge listens to the first man. At the end he says: “You are right.” The other one jumps: “Wait, listen to my side of the story.” So the judge listens and at the end he says: “You are right.” But then both of them say: “We cannot be both right.” And the judge says: “You are right again. Court adjourned.”
Enjoy life… this is not a rehearsal.
Thank you for stirring the brains and the emotions!
Wow, talk about Christmas envy! The problem with America now is that Christmas is not being allowed in the work place. This country was founded on a Christian belief system and it is only fitting Christmas is one of the national holidays. I think Penelope doesn’t mind not getting the day off because she isn’t typically working anyhow. More than likely she will be blogging about how her husband’s Catholic Christmas has ruined her day. Sure Christmas has turned commercial, but one of the big reasons for that is because the religious aspect has been slandered for the past 15 years or so. Christmas had to evolve into a multicultural event so it could still be viable. God forbid someone say Merry Christmas.
You really do project that me, me, me attitude. I have found that one of the biggest problems today is that people are scared to death to openly have anything to do with religion. Christmas is more than just about the birth of Christ, it is an ideal of a time of good will, when everyone can take the time to be thankful of what they have and help those out who are less fortunate.
If you don’t believe in Christmas and what is stands for, that is perfectly fine, but don’t penalize others around you for nonsensical reasons. Christmas is one time during the work year you actually have people display better attitudes and like one person said, if anything at all, that day off gives the workers a breather that is most likely much needed. You don’t have to be a follower of Christ to appreciate Christmas. Now that you are your own boss again, we expect you to have many blog entries on December 25th showing how you are working through that day instead of wasting time on a silly, oppressive holiday that has been forced upon you. Maybe a blog listing 100 different ways to say Bah Humbug would be appropriate. In the mean time, please go to this site and order one of these to help calm you down. http://www.mytherapybuddy.com/index.shtml
Merry Christmas and good will to all.
Provocative column, and as an agnostic, I understand your frustration.
But you overstate your case. “The only people who think Christmas is not religious are the Christians. Everyone else thinks, "This is not my holiday."
Umm. No. You don’t speak for all non-Christians. It may be a religious holiday for Christians, but many folks of all beliefs participate the secular celebration that has emerged. Some honor the pagan roots of the holiday. It all gets wrapped up in “Christmas” for many of us. And that’s not a bad thing.
That said, you are right about how the focus on Christmas in the workplace can undermine diversity. In fact, all the sturm und drang over “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays” is a reflection of an anti-diversity mentality. (ie, “This is a Christian country, dammit, and we say ‘Merry Christmas!’) If you need evidence, look at all the otherwise-intelligent folks who cling to the misconception that the US is a Christian country.
We are a secular nation. And while I disagree with some of your remarks, I’m really glad to see someone with such a following remind folks of that fact.
Axial Tilt Is The Reason For The Season.
You would think the woman who wrote “The Brazen Careerist” would have just a little more courage. Instead of complaining about the forced day off, have you ever thought about negotiating with your boss to work Christmas to have Yom Kippur off?
Furthermore, I am a Christian, and I would NEVER make the leap to say that Christmas is not a religious holiday. It is completely religous. That doesn’t make it bad. Christmas is NOT about the commercial goods or the saving the economy. It is about celebrating the birth of Christ.
It is interesting you comment “Do you want to make a difference? Start with yourself.” I recommend you follow your own advice. You seek tolerance and understanding, but it is something you can’t offer to your Christian counterparts.
As a non-Christian, I really do dislike this time of year. I find the consumerism ridiculous and the fakeness cloying. And is it just me or is everyone at their worst behavior this time of year?
The only thing I do like, other than cheesy Xmas music, is the fact that everyone has it as a holiday and thus it’s easier to schedule group or family vacation plans. What Penelope finds annoying – everyone having to schedule plans around the holiday – I actually find makes scheduling easier.
I am not Christian but I respect the Holiday. It sounds like you do not. I think minorities, especially Jews, have already pressured people to not recognize Christmas. You can’t even tell people Merry Christmas. It has to be Happy Holidays. Ridiculous.
Let me just say that it seems that we in America feel that we are entitled to every single thing that we think should be changed.
Next time we are about to publicly whine and complain about why the piano guy in the mall doesn’t play my favorite song each Saturday – let’s be thankful that we are in a country where we have a multitude of liberties and benefits that several other countries do not have. This is why other nations want to spit on the name of America, we are never satisfied with what we have…
Merry Christmas
Wow!
Although the premise of your blog entry makes sense, it certainly comes off as nothing less than pure hostility toward Christians. Get a grip girl!
Or are all the single-star ratings you’re getting over at Yahoo just getting the better of you?
Interesting you should choose to write this the day before Hanukkah starts!
I grew up in India. We have holidays for Diwali (Hindus), Eid (Muslims), Christmas (Christians), Gurupurab (Sikhs), Buddha Poornima (Buddhists), Mahavira Jayanti (Jains) definitely. A myriad of other holidays are also on offer. Nobody complains because you are free to work if you want, although there is one particular Hindu holiday which asks us to do pen-down and set our books in front of the Goddess of Knowledge. We do not complain even then, happy as we are working 90 hour work weeks, which run into 6 days for most people.
If you remember what kids do -“Goodies before God” – all festivals are fun. Bring on the food and the presents, I say! The rest is private stuff; some follow it and others don’t. There is no need to whinge about it.
I live in the UK, far away from India now and Boxing Day (26th Dec) is a new tradition for me. I visit friends who are like family and they make bubble-and-squeak and we open presents and chat and enjoy each other’s company. It is not religious (and I am not a Christian). They are like my family now.
If they were in India, they would also celebrate Diwali. With my family. That is how it is.
Oh, by the way in this Christian nation of yours (USA), which I am visiting at the moment, I, who was born in the Hindu tradition, spent the beginning of Hanukkah yesterday, with my Jewish friend and her family where they allowed me to light one of the Menorahs. I learnt that the rite is performed with the right hand like all Hindu religious things. I got a lot of great food, a present and chocolate gelt. Good evening in all!
I am staying with my family in Boston where the (Hindu parents’) kids – 6 and 8 – told me all about Dreitel before I left and they asked me if I had brought gelt for my friends. They are also equally excited about their Christmas tree and the decorations.
In a nutshell: can we stop whining so much please? In my experience, you do not speak for all minorities including all Jewish people. Take a chill pill, P!
You would have satisfied my Christmas wish if this had been your Yahoo column for the week. I can already imagine the hilarious flaming it would generate!
Well anyway, I sympathize with how you feel, but the cold hard fact is the US is 80% Christian, and only 1% Jewish. Regardless of separation of church and state, the overwhelming majority of people are not working on Christmas, and its not gonna change anytime soon.
I guess Penelope must be going nuts about now since virtually every negative comment contains one of the five offensive things she refers to in her post. I don't think this post is mean spirited at all and I can't understand how anyone could take it as an attack on themselves or their religion. It is a request for tolerance and acceptance of diversity.
Even after reading all the "War on Christmas" silliness this time of year, I'm still shocked to hear people say "we are not allowed to say Merry Christmas any more". Of course you are allowed to say whatever you like but a thoughtful, considerate person would not assume that everyone else celebrates Christmas. If you know for certain the religious beliefs of the person you are speaking to, and that they're comfortable with it, go ahead and give them a personal greeting referencing their religion. Otherwise it is more respectful to say Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings, or just Have a Nice Day. Courtesy, generosity and patience should not be relegated to one part of the calendar and neither should mandatory holidays.
I don’t consider myself a Christian or even particularly religious in any way. I don’t mind celebrating Christmas one bit.
Celebrating Christmas *is* supporting diversity in the workplace. It celebrates diversity just like celebrating the Chinese new year and the Fourth of July do. If you have alot of Americans in the workplace then the 4th is a big deal. If you have alot of Chinese folks in the office, then the Chinese new year may be a more significant celebration in the office than the 4th of July. Big deal – who cares – respect your fellow employees and you will get respect. Hate them for their nationality or religion and you will look like a doushebag.
I am a big supporter of the idea that your should try to change your working environment if you don’t like it. If you can’t change it, don’t be a jerk to those around you who don’t want to change, simply find another job in an environment you like better.
Can’t find another job? Wow, that’s too bad and a little hard to believe, but if you can’t then suck it up and don’t be a jerk about it.
I’ve worked for bio-tech companies before where there were so many Chinese employees that the Chinese new year WAS actually a bigger deal than Christmas. Who cares?
Your environment is a product of the employees who work in it. If you don’t like it, let me respectfully suggest that that it’s possible that’s your problem not theirs.
Penelope, you totally wussed out. You obviously don’t think this is a serious topic, since this isn’t your Yahoo! column this week, and you stop short of making the number one thing not to say on your little list: “Merry Christmas!”
I am struggling with some of the bases of your assertions, too. Christmas is a federal holiday, so as an employer I should disregard it and make you take a floating day to observe it?
What if I said the same thing to employees for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday? While you think that holidays (whoops, sorry for the “holy day” connotation of the word. Let’s call them “floaterdays”) must pass some sort of PC test, why don’t you assist the ACLU to find Christmas itself a gross violation of your civil rights?
Then a federal judge can make everyone work on Christmas, and companies won’t have to make that painful choice.
And, man, 150 comments and no one’s mentioned Festivus?
Let’s get this clear right away: the U.S. was not founded on Christian beliefs. It was deliberately not founded this way. The U.K. and other European countries had state religions, which the founders of the U.S. wished to avoid. They wanted all types of people to feel free to immigrate to the U.S. This was the reason the Pilgrims, the Quakers, the Baptists, Jews and several other religious groups had already come to the U.S., before it was an independent country, to escape the tyranny of a state-established religion.
Most of the Founders were religious, believing in a supreme, creative being, but were not necessarily Christians, being mostly Deists, and certainly not evangelical/fundamentalist Christians, as James Dobson, Pat Robertson or their ilk would have you believe, as evangelical/fundamentalism is a fairly recent branch of Christianity. They wanted to avoid a central government controlling people by having power over both the government and the religion, as was and is the case in England.
It’s obvious from the comments that, as the majority finds themselves less overwhelming in their control of their surroundings and more readily questioned, they become defensive, often angrily defensive. To tell someone to shut up, call them names, be abusive, are certainly not the actions of true Christians, at least, I can’t imagine Jesus behaving in that way to someone simply stating an opinion.
I notice that the one person who identifies himself as a pastor has behaved decently, thoughtfully and Christianly. Thank you.
Good luck, Penelope, from the member of an even smaller minority religion.
Ha. I grew up Catholic, and chose to attend Brandeis University to see what it was like outside of my insular little Christian town. There were two Jews in my school, I was friends with both of them = Brandeis. I also had a leg up because my parents were huge Alan Sherman fans. :)
I was blown away when, around the second or third week of school, everyone headed home en masse. Turned out it was this little thing called Yom Kippur. Other Brandeisians may fondly remember the sukkot hut erected alongside the caf, how finals were scheduled up through and including December 24th, celebrating Tisha B’av.
But at Purim, we had the best parties.
All to say, you go, Penelope. Pry open some closed minds. And happy hannukah!