Maybe next year instead of ranting against Christmas, you could write more about Chanukah. Share the positive. Or, at the very least, you could try a respectful tone.

Maybe you should focus on the positive instead of the negative and if you can't find anything positive about Christmas then maybe you shouldn't be talking about it at all.

Your annual rants about your feeling on Christmas are getting old!

As someone who 'celebrates' Christmas, but isn't Christian at all, I think the entire holiday has become a gray area. I work in finance, so I have the day off simply because the stock market is closed. (I also get Washington's birthday, so that's a push.). It's also 80 degrees where I live right now, so there isn't much in way of that 'holiday' feel.

I think it comes down to how the office celebrates the holiday. If there are numerous religious references, group prayers, etc than it certainly crosses the line. But if it's more of a simple, all-inclusive celebration that doesn't get too specific other than the shape of cookies, than it isn't a big deal.

I'd rather hear more about Jewish holidays than rants like these.

Since a majority of the country celebrates Christmas (whether they are Christian or not…), it makes good business sense to close. It may not in a "consulting" company like yours, but to most businesses it does. That's reality. It's somewhat concerning that this is not inherently obvious to a career consultant.

As an agnostic from a family of agnostics, I celebrate Christmas as a time with family and of good will. Don't know why so many other non-Christians seem to have such a tough time with this concept.

Very good points, and I agree. However, I feel that the same business's that would benefit from a more accomodating attitude, ultimately feel that they are more profitable with propogating a secularization of Christmas. There are other Christian holiday's that are big revenue generators: St. Valintines Day, St. Patricks Day, Mardi Gras, that because of how they have been exploited and marketed, by various business's and industries, have very secular overtones. The total secularization won't happen overnight, but it's been slowly happening for the last 60 years. Christmas used to be a more solemn holiday (which I guess can be said for many holidays – why do we need retail sales on MLK day?), and was never meant to be as in your face as it has become, but there's money to be made from the inyourfaceiness (take that Colbert!), so unless that stops…change follows the money.

@kera – Agree on the poll comments.

The terms in which you phrase your poll, Penelope, are somewhat loaded and emotive. (As you are no doubt aware. I realise this isn't a piece of statistically significant quantitative research.)

That notwithstanding, I agree: Christianity should not be thus favoured.

On the other hand, there are pragmatic reasons for universal closure in many instances. How many organisations could sustain Christmas Day opening? My own (a small independent school) couldn't realistically open. Those such as myself (copywriting/design) whose work is not tied to the office location might choose to work from home — but many roles need to be *in* work to *do* work.

That said, it's by engaging in this kind of debate that we begin to challenge the status quo. If enough people challenge the assumption that people don't want to work on Christmas Day, it becomes more likely that organisations may profitably remain open.

Thought-provoking post as ever.

Christmas is a federal holiday and it is status quo. The United States is a very religiously diverse country. We should challenge the status quo if it isn't 'working' in the workplace.
The following was taken from the Wikipedia page on status quo (political usage section) which I thought was interesting -

"Arguing to preserve the status quo is usually done in the context of opposing a large, often radical change. The social movement is a great example of the status quo being challenged. The term frequently refers to the status of a large issue, such as the current culture or social climate[1] of an entire society or nation.
Politicians sometimes refer to a status quo. Often there is a policy of deliberate ambiguity, referring to the status quo rather than formalizing the status. An example of political ambiguity is the political status of Germany. Clark Kerr is reported to have said, "The status quo is the only solution that cannot be vetoed," meaning that the status quo cannot simply be decided against; action must be taken if it is to change.
Sometimes specific institutions are founded to actively maintain the status quo. The United Nations, for example, was intended to help solidify the peaceful international status quo that immediately followed World War II.
In Israel, the term refers to an informal agreement conducted in 1947 between the secular leadership of the Zionist movement in Palestine and leaders of the Orthodox Jews, which created a framework for the establishment of the country. This agreement lays out ground rules for the relationship between state and religion in four major issues: Shabbat, education, Kashrut, and matrimonial law. It has been more or less maintained throughout the country's existence."
And yes, there are many Jews that suffer in silence, so it's good to hear you speak your mind here. As an Episcopalian, I celebrate Christmas. Yesterday I was doing my last minute Christmas shopping in the snow and ice. I was thinking I wanted to be the Grinch on the way home. :)

Replying to my own comment – really just adding to it on the subject of status quo. I was reminded of this rant around 12/26 by a song ("The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range) I have on CD and heard while shopping on a store's speaker system. Just getting around to posting it now. It's a great song. I think the lyrics apply here – as well as the explicit reference it originally made to the American Civil Rights Movement (according to Wikipedia). A segment of the lyrics -
"That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
But don't you believe them"
Everybody has a rant.
Everybody wants a voice.
I still like your voice for the same reason as I did originally – it's thought-provoking.

@andy-

Why not make your day productive instead of tending towards negativity? I'm sure that a soup kitchen could use your help. I don't see how anybody is "dragged through Christmas". It's a day off – you guys who hate Christmas time off should start complaining about people having Saturday and Sunday off too.

And that happens every week.

To be fair I guess my problem is not so much that there is nothing to do, I'll probably read a book and really enjoy that.

The problem is that you have an immense amount of time devoted to a a holiday I don't observe. My office puts a lot of effort and money into something I am not a part of, but when it comes to any holiday I celebrate it costs me a vacation day.

People spend immense amounts of time on a number of things that different people see as "pointless" or that they don't participate in.

And Christmas doesn't "cost you a vacation day" – it's a holiday. Just like Saturday and Sunday don't cost you a vacation day.

I am not a Christian, nor am I Jewish. I constantly hear, "Well Christmas is really an American holiday…" Guess what??? Christians all across the globe celebrate the holiday. It is NOT an American holiday. It is a Christian holiday. And you're right P… only Christians are the people who say that. As a Pagan, I don't tell Christians they should celebrate Winter Solstice with me. I understand it isn't a part of their religion. (Well, if we get into religious history here…. the two holidays coincide for a few reasons, but that's not my point here.)

I love it when people say that they think Christmas is more about spending time with their families. Ok, so why do you have to go hundreds or thousands of dollars in credit card debt buying useless junk to spend time with your family? I spend time with my mother and sister every week. I don't need a holiday to tell me to do that.

I can't stand it when cashiers at the store say "Merry Christmas." Sometimes I respond with, "Thanks, but I don't celebrate it." Other times, I just leave it be since I'm annoyed. A friend of mine finally put two and two together this week. I've known her for 5 years and the entire time, she knew I wasn't Christian. She asked me earlier this week if I was ready for Christmas, to which I responded that I don't have anything to get ready for since I don't celebrate it. She about flipped when she figured out I was serious that I don't believe in her God or Jesus as a savior. It's apparently a huge issue for her and it all came to light earlier this week.

I'm fine with having the day off work. Tonight, I plan to rent a bunch of $1 movies and veg on the couch. But what sucks is that I am out of cat food and the grocery stores will be packed tonight. I haven't been able to go to Target to get neccessities in over a month because of all the crazies. Tomorrow (Christmas Day) I would love to go out for breakfast since I have the day off work, but nothing will be open. While everyone is needlessly putting themselves under a ton of emotional stress this time of year, I will be enjoying a bottle of wine and maybe some pizza – that is, if I am brave enough to battle the crowds tonight.

Did I just write that? Whew.

I want to say I'm a christian and I celebrate christmas with my family, but I totally agree with the purpose of this rant. If nothing else, it's about being sensitive to the cultural diversity of this country.

I also didn’t feel like I could choose one of the poll choices. If there was one, I’d choose something like “I don’t care one way or the other but enjoy having time off whenever it comes”. I just think it makes sense from a staffing point of view, as was already mentioned. My office will also be closed on the 26th for the same reason. So many people would want to at least make it a long weekend so it’s better just to shut down and save on heating the building, etc.

I am Jewish but my husband was raised Christian and has fond memories of Christmas. As a result, we celebrate it in a secular way out of respect for his traditions (even though he plans to eventually convert to Judaism). I personally don’t feel that strongly about religion but am very interested in preserving/embracing cultural traditions (his and mine). I think it’s fun and a learning experience.

However, I don’t begrudge you your opinion. I can totally see your point of view. It’s good to stir up some talk about this stuff and I think it’s sad how mean some of the comments are. If the point of Christmas is to be kinder than usual, isn’t it the highest form of that spirit to extend it to those who may disagree with you?

Happy Holidays!

Heather, right on, gal, right on. I'm out of cat food too!

Righteous Pagan lady can't get an elbow into a Target store because of the mass hysteria. Totally get it.

Coffee shops closed xmas day. WTF ???? They are like emergency rooms and public utilities!!!

I'm putting Gals like Heather on my OK GO PAGANS LIST!

Maybe I can find a nice Pagan gal to synthesize the best of my lapped Jewish orthodoxy and the best of the Pagan stuff and find that one breakfast joint run by pagans and Jews that is open on Xmas day.

What a world, what a gal that would be. All happily ever after and an omelet.

Christmas, as practiced by most Americans, is not a Christian holiday. Yes, I've read your past posts on the topic where you address this, but you are wrong. I'm not a Christian, I'm an atheist, but I feel comfortable saying this. Just about the ONLY thing Christian about the day is the name. From the date of celebration (originally chosen to coincide with the winter solstice, and not established until about 350 AD) to gift giving (from the Roman Saturnalia) to pine trees with lights (from the Roman New Year) to the Yule log (from pagan Germanic feasts) to mistletoe (from ancient Greek mythology) to the Nast/Coca-Cola Santa Claus, there is almost nothing Christian about this day.

Thank you cmadler for explaining origins of the holiday.

I'm a Christian. I freely admit that. But there is nothing Christian about this holiday, in my opinion. The Catholic church created this holiday to appease the many people they were trying to convert by renaming something they were already celebrating to make it acceptable to the church.

I can find no Christian basis for Santa Claus, a Christmas tree, or lights on a house. Even as a Christian, I celebrate the holiday in purely secular way. Jesus is not the reason for the season, in my book.

If you think there is anything truly Christian about this day, you are deluding yourself. Or, as in the case of most conservative Christians, still trying to justify something that was never designed to be a religious holiday.

Penelope,
I'm all about diversity. If you want tolerance, be open about what you believe. Tell me about your religion. There's almost nothing I'd NOT like to know about.

I love the idea of floating holidays. If there is one day being taken more than any other, then it makes perfect sense for a business to close for economic reasons. However, I also agree that there is no reason for everyone to be discussing the purpose of the day off at work.

Change never happens unless someone suggests a better way of doing things, along with a viable way of making it happen.

I'm a recovering Catholic, but I have no problem "celebrating" Christmas by taking time off from work and giving gifts to my friends and family. I get so few days off as it is, I'm not volunteering to work any more than I have to.

Personally, I would prefer people say Happy Holidays, as it is all-inclusive but I don't believe that saying Merry Christmas is imposing someone's religious beliefs on me. If someone greets me by saying Hola, I don't assume that they insist that I learn & speak Spanish for the rest of my life. If someone thanks me saying merci, they're not imposing their French culture on me. I recognize that it is just the way that those people communicate, just as Christmas wishes are merely the way Christians observe their holiday. I also know that some religions & cultures do intend to impose their beliefs on me, but how I choose to receive the message is more important than how it is sent. I don't have control over their intent, but I can control my reaction.

Bottom line, I respect your right to "criticize" Christmas, but know that it comes with my right (if I so choose) to criticize Judaism/Israel as well.

I don't think anyone really wants to criticize Christmas. I am glad people enjoy it.

The criticism is at the office. A place that claims to be neutral and once a year is very biased in favor of a particular religion.

I agree. Have your celebrations with your friends/family in private settings like home/religious gathering places/whatever. Just don't bring it to work.

I don't celebrate Christmas, but I am certainly not going to complain about a PAID vacation day when in this country we have fewer paid vacation days than many other countries. My husband's company decided to close the week between Christmas and New Years to save money, and force employees to use vacation days or take these days unpaid. Believe me, I am not celebrating their spirit of diversity right now.

And don't be naive to think that if Christmas was not an automatic paid Holiday that companies would give us MORE vacation days to use to cover it. Everyone would still have their 10-15-or 20 days/year and have to find a way to deal with it.

Happy Holidays.

I'm Jewish. The way I've always thought of it is that the federal government has chosen to make Christmas one of the federal holidays (defined as days that banks, post offices, and the government close on), so it's reasonable for companies to close that day just like they close on other federal holidays.

(But I'm making a distinction between that and the idea that we're a "Christian country," which we're not.)

But if I had an employee who wanted to work on Christmas in exchange for getting an extra holiday day to take another time, I'd be fine with that, assuming they had a job that permitted them to work when no one else was around (or from home) and to work unsupervised.

I understand your point as someone in "Corporate" America, but you should also consider the point from the perspective of employees who do not work a 9-5, M-F work week, and, Christian, Jewish, or anything else, actually enjoy the fact that much of the service sector is actually closed for the one rare day of the year. If my company stayed open on Christmas, we would not have the option of taking the day off, because there simply would not be enough people to work and run the place. As for keeping offices open, think about the staff that runs the place, such as security and janitorial services, who would not be ABLE to take the day off. Being closed on Christmas is not just a Christian thing, but a rare occasion that families who don't have the pleasure of a corporate job almost ALL get the day off at the same time. Trust me, the rest of the year, that is very disappointingly rare. And trust me, if Corporate America stays open, there is little to know chance that the service sector would be able to close. And then you took away the Christmas day off that so many people value just because it bugs some people that they can't work.

Personally, I think we should do like the Russians and celebrate with new New Years traditions of trees and lights and presents for everyone.

Thank you Thank you THANK YOU. I am neither Christian or Jewish, but I completely agree that Christmas is force fed at the work place. My cubicle should be one place where I should not be forced to endure it.

Penelope, you are saying publically what many non-Christians think privately. I feel people should limit their religous/holiday celebrations to their homes and places of worship.

Imagine a work place where EVERY religiious celebration were given equal air time. I don't think most CEOs or employees would embrace it — much less, tolerate it. Yet we are all expected to embrace Christmas with a smile and a cheer.

Maybe because so many businesses make a lot of money off of Christmas? I'm sure business would celebrate Kwanzaa if it generated the billions of dollars that Christmas does.

I totally agree that Christmas is a religious holiday. Just the fact that it is a National holiday in America destroys your argument that America is not a Christian nation. Also, if America is not a Christian nation, why is Barack Obama taking the oath of office using a Bible?

I realize that America may not appear to be a Christian nation because many do not live according to the Bible, but this nation was obviously founded on Christian principles.

First of all, I think the idea of floating holidays makes wonderful sense.

That being said, in one of your previous posts on this subject, you stated:
"The majority of the country is not New York and Los Angeles"…

And my question is, why does those areas feel it is okay to have THEIR views, but the rest of the country is not allowed to thier own???

As to the insanity around secular christmas (the musak, shopping etc) I find it offensive too..I always finish my shopping by Dec 1 so I can avoid it. If I have to be out in it, I try extra hard to be nice to the retail people who have to put up with it.

I think many of the things you mentioned are problems with america, that are simply amplified at christmas, or for that matter during summer vacation time when everyone is vacationing at the same time because its a holiday or their kids are out of school (i.e. Memorial Day and Labor Day)…

Perhaps we ought to focus on the character of the american people, and the other issues will take care of themselves…

So P- what are you potential solutions to this grave injustice you have handed to you every year? How have you handled Holidays in your company? Isn't religion one of thhe things that intersects work and life?

I get it, you hate Christmas, but what is the solution? Have no Federal Holiday, ditch the traditions of most so that some aren't offended. There is more to to consider than just Big Business. Why would my company of 30 people remain open if 29 were to use their floating Holiday? (oh and the 30th person would use her's too- as she married a Christian and they celebrate both religions)

And I am offended by the people who seem to feel so inconvenienced by having a day off when there aren't any stores open. You can't find anything else to do but go to Target? Is there really a rule that says you are not allowed to get together with your friends and family on Christmas day- even if its not your religion's holiday? You can't do anything else?

And furthermore, if someone states that they are not a christian then they aren't. You seem to lump anyone who is not a Jew or a Muslim into the category of Christian. It's funny, many people have no religion and they are doing just fine.

What I hate most about Christmas at the office is the obligation to bake something, or swap something, or otherwise engage in things that waste time. What I do enjoy are charitable projects and time off. I agree that giving time off from work in a more progressive, non holiday oriented manner is the way to go.

To all the people who shit on Penelope for ranting about Christmas, stop commenting on it. By commenting on how Penelope should be more positive and how you're sick of her rants, and generally shitting all over her, you, my friends, are being negative. Why don't we all focus on her most important point:

"Please consider the idea that progressive companies come up with good ways to accommodate many religions. How about if we discuss possible solutions?"

Finding viable solutions to paid time off that works for everyone and has less to do with religion and more to do with being able to achieve work-life balance (if you want that) is a great idea.

What a nice place the world would be if people could respect other people's opinions, rather than tearing them down. We should all try to be more constructive.

I agree that there is too much emphasis on Christmas, BUT… I see it is a general winding down End of the Year thing. People are closing out the year. Work is winding down. I think it's just as much about New Year's as it is about Christmas, in terms of office closings, etc.

Penelope:

Perhaps Americans should fight for more paid days off rather than a soul destroying 2-week/ 10 days annually. Then you can allocate your own holidays to Hanukkah/ Eid/ Diwali/ Christmas and this debate of a 'wasted day off' can end. As far as I know, most non-Christians find themselves unable to work in the few days before Christmas because their Christian clients are off shopping for gifts in extended lunch hour, so why pretend?

As things stand, many British companies allocate 2-3 days of everyone's annual 20-day (minimum; some senior execs get up to 35 days off) to the period from Christmas to New Year, and that way they save operating costs of keeping offices open and everyone gets to enjoy a short winter break with their families and friends.

As far as I know, nobody on their death bed ever said: I wish I had spent more holidays working!

PS: In America, where Thanksgiving is the main holiday, Christmas may not be Christian; in Britain and Europe, it most certainly is. Non-Christians exchange presents with Christian friends and can chill without needing to cook turkeys etc. For cooking delicacies from latke to goat biryani to rasmalai, we have our own Hanukkah, Eid, Diwali etc.

I totally appreciate your "rant." I'm pretty unreligious, believe in some sort of energy – spirit, but probably more in line with Native American beliefs or Buddhism. I remember as a kid telling my parents it wasn't fair that Jewish people and others who didn't celebrate Christmas, weren't able to go shopping or out to dinner on that day. The assured me that Rite-Aid (thrifty drugs back then) was open if they really needed something, but agreed that it was unfair to them to close down an entire nation for one religion's holiday.

When I actually worked in an office (thankfully self employed for several years now), productivity came to a total standstill for weeks before Christmas, and the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, was the worst. I love the idea of a floating holiday to companies that can reasonably accommodate that. But if the majority of employees want to have Christmas off, it may be impractical to have one or two people in the facility on that day. Perhaps the legal holidays should be given to all,and companies can give one floating holiday during the year to use as you want.

I wish there were a solution to the needing-to-take-floating-holidays problem–but I'm grateful that most places are closed on Christmas. Even if some offices chose to give their employees the option to work for pay, I'm not convinced much work would be done. As Kermit-as-Bob-Cratchit says in A Muppet Christmas Carol, "There'll be no-one to do business with!" Maybe the solution should be that non-Christian holidays become national holidays as well. I'd love to learn more about, say, Yom Kippur if there were a way for gentiles like me to honor it without being sacrilegious.

One other thing: please don't be offended if someone wishes you a Merry Christmas because they used an exclusive term. The person just called a blessing down on your life. Just smile, wish them happy holidays, and enjoy the general good-will people at least try to feel this time of year.

You could do what my company did, and furlough all employees for a span that includes both holidays!

Thank you for this post, seriously. Not enough people speak up about this issue, and when we do, people tell us to quit whining. And it goes far beyond just Christians and Jews, which are the groups you emphasize in your post.

And to the person above who said that you work with lots of people from India who don't complain about Christmas: it's a known fact that people who are in the minority are less likely to voice their opinion. google spiral of silence if you don't know what I mean.

I hope, in the future, more companies start thinking about different ways to handle this, and that more people start speaking up about it.

Great post!

I'll tell you what I hate about Christmas at my "office" (read: restaurant). I hate my coworker that says "Merry Christmas" to guests as they leave. I told her we should probably say "Happy Holidays" so we don't offend anyone, and she said "well I didn't get that memo, and I'm saying Merry Christmas".

Barf.

I hate that we're tuned in to Sirius' Christmas channel from the day after Thanksgiving on. I can only take so much of the carols. And the volume at which we project said music through the restaurant is at borderline obscene levels. Add to that my said coworker above LOVES to sing at the top of her lungs while making martinis for the regulars. It's annoying.

I hate going to the mall the day after Halloween and seeing the mall employees putting up Christmas stuff. We haven't even gotten through Thanksgiving, and they have Christmas music playing. Please.

More over, I hate the guilt that I feel, this year in particular, because I can't afford to buy presents for people. Sorry, but I'd rather have a roof over my head and the electric paid. I'm a "starving" college student, I have maxed out all of my cards, I am living night to night on tips alone – I don't have the money to get the stuff that you won't buy for yourself.

I applaud you for stirring it up a little – even if people's comments are negative – at least they're inclined to comment, and that speaks highly of the things you have to say, I think.

Happy Holidays to you, your family and the Brazen family.

-Sydney

Penelope–thanks for having the guts to say what many are afraid to verbalize (or blog-ize–is that a word?) I totally agree with you—Students of Jewish History will know that acknowledging and/or celebrating Christmas as a holiday; secular or religious, is a personal affront to the many generations of Jews who were killed in the name of Jesus.

I do not mean to say–by any stretch of the imagination–that Jews living today should hold this against Christians living today.

Also, many of today's companies operate in a global environment (i.e. Greek and Russian orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas later in January as well as many Moslem countries) and it is often beneficial to keep things going 24×7. I worked for a company where we presented a cafeteria menu of holidays (all national, religions and denominations) and employees selected 10 of those days in the beginning of the year. I got the most work done on Christmas, New Year's, Easter and Independence Day!

Wouldn't it be nice, that in these days of cultural and religious diversity, if we'd open our minds (and hearts) and wish people "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" and not assume that everyone celebrates Christmas.

What people are writing about 'Merry Christmas' being offensive to them … This, I do not get. I'm not a believer myself, though my background is clearly Christian, and I've always celebrated Christmas, in my family's own secularised-but-spiced-up-with-handfuls-of-arbitrarily-selected-religiousity kind of way.

So I'm the kind of person who might wish and be wished a happy Christmas and think nothing of it.

But the thing is: I'd like a situation in which a Jew might say to me 'Happy Hannukah'; a Muslim 'Happy Ramadan', or whatever. Because isn't it pretty extraordinarily contrary to be *offended* by someone wishing you happiness? Whatever the occasion, I like to think I'd welcome positive wishes, not take offence from them.

And if I wish someone a merry Christmas, I am expressing the hope that they be happy at this time of year. Just as I'd wish them a happy birthday. It's an excuse to display affection or positive sentiment. And we should take as many of these excuses as are presented to us, not try and shut them down.

In my opinion, the battle to be fought is *not* in preventing celebrators of Christmas from using 'Happy Christmas' as a greeting, but in encouraging, accepting and normalising other religions' greetings equally.

Mr. Parnell,

Thanks – that was well said.

Amen to that brother! Why not wish people well in whatever form strikes us? Love is love.

I am not offended by "Merry Xmas".

I am fed up with Gentile culture.

Repeat it like a mantra for I care. Play the music in the mall until the next poor sap with an AK goes postal because he can't pay the alimony and child support and the gift list.

G-wd.

My religion as a child forbade Christmas. Currently my husband and I are agnostics and not Christians at all. Yet, we celebrate Christmas. It's a cultural/secular holiday to me. I like decorations, gifts, feasting, parties, cookies, and time off work. I spent my first 20 years of life being taught the origins of Christmas are pagan and sinful, felling guilty every time I hummed along to Christmas song. I'm so relieved to have grown up and choose participate in only the parts of Christmas I enjoy – and that certainly isn't religion!

Ooops! I meant two floaters if the office is OPEN on the 25th.
@Alan: I hope you are just being funny! There is no such thing as "goy culture."

You know, this whole discussion comes across as petty to me. Full disclosure: I'm a Christian and have enjoyed Christmases all my life. I'm perfectly willing to accept that Christmas is a distinctly Christian holiday, and I'm all about respecting diversity and attempting to make accommodations for as many people as possible, particularly within the workplace.

But come on, you guys. We're OFFENDED now when people say "merry Christmas"? We're offended when they don't? Since when did we get so spoiled, so petty? Since when did we have a right not to be offended?

"The Holiday Season" is an American tradition – one that began with the Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year's extravaganza but has since been expanded to include other religious and cultural traditions. I think we'd all be a lot better off it we put aside our silly bickering and tried to view this as a season of inclusion, instead of as one of separation.

I am totally and utterly and completely with you. I'm tired of being steamrollered by Christmas. I'm annoyed with not feeling like I want to tell my children the truth about Santa because I don't want them to tell other children. I'm perfectly happy for Christian children to believe in Santa, but it just hurts my children feeling that they're missing out on some special magic reserved for Christians.

I'm glad you're ranting. Keep it up. We're with you. We'll meet up with you at the movies and the Chinese restaurants tomorrow!

I don't necessarily see the problem in employees receiving a federal holiday as a paid vacation day. Change the federal status and then worry about what every individual company does.

I have always worked at companies that also give floating holidays to everyone, so it's pretty even steven: you use yours to celebrate solstice or Arbor Day, and I can use mine to to celebrate Diwali. Is it a burden to have to actually use your floating holiday on your holiday vs. using it for a bonus mental health day? Do you see Christmas as a forced mental health day for non-observers?

I do agree that any kind of decoration or gift exchange in an office is not for me. Christmas music aggravates me. However, what about holiday bonuses? How do we feel about those? I like a bonus any time, even if I am not a Christian. Generic "happy holidays" December parties? Free dinner is free dinner.

I am a non-practicing Christian.
I like the season. I like the day off. I often wish people health, happiness and longevity (we almost never say Merry Christmas where I come from, it's just not a common wish among people-to-people communications – it is on cards though). I like the feeling that people actually care about one another.

What I don't like is the commercialization, the stupid fake santas, the stupid mass produced greeting cards with no personal touch to them that says "you are not a friend, you are a number in my addressbook", the fake camaraderie that comes out during company parties (if we were all really chummy chum, we should practice this brotherly love all year long), and so on.

For all of those, Jew, Gentile, and other that Penelope popped the steam valve on:

Nothing can be done, or will be done. The culture is set, and is set upon its ultimate destruction under the most Christian of Presidents, and his entourage.

For eight years, we have lived with the man who answered that "jesus", was his hero (1St Presidential Debate of W).

Well, now we have our payoff for the far Christian rights having the remote control. Decent public healthcare policy – can't afford it, any program you name before TARP, can't afford it.

Massive uncontrolled blast of YOUR cash to banks that have no plans for the tax dollars given, other than to pay bonuses?? Thank you Jesus, W's hero.

To all Christendom – thanks for the last 2k years – its been a blast, literally.

I am Jewish and I love Christmas.
I love it because I get all the benefits of the holiday without any of the stress. I do not have to go crazy over relatives' visit, cooking, decorating, buying gifts etc.
I get to enjoy empty beautifully decorated malls – or empty slopes at ski resorts.
I just do not understand why do sane people, who are not even practicing Christians would go through all the troubles.
And why – for a practicing Christian – a dubious date of birth of a baby who later became a Messiah is more important than the date when his nature was actually revealed – Easter.
When I was younger I enjoyed answering "we do not do Christmas" to Christmas-related inquires, but now I do not care.
Yes, I'd rather have days off when I choose to, but with kids in school it does not matter that much – they get winter vacation anyway.
I think it's pretty useless to rally for making Christmas day a non-holiday on a federal level, but at your work place – if one can arrange it with one's own boss – sure, why not.

I have written a response to this post on my personal blog and Penelope has asked me to share the link here. Really, I'm just elaborating at more length on some of the points I've made here and in previous posts. http://www.niltiac.net/2008/12/the-true-meaning-of-christmas-its-not-what-you-think/

What I would really like to do is to write a more personal post about what Christmas means to me. It will take a bit of time and thought and I don't want to go off half-cocked on it. I'm not sure if I'll get to it this year or not (though technically I suppose we still have 12 more days of Christmas).

Oh and Alan, I don't think I've ever had canned eggnog in my life.

Actually, canned eggnog is better than the carton stuff, and much better mixed with Rum. It's an older creation and not very available these days.

Christmas is "American" like the Fourth of July?????

Do you live under a rock? Are you aware of the origin of Christmas? The name? "Christ" for Jesus Christ, the father of the religion that is called Christianity, after, you know, the son of God–Christ.

Guess what? Christianity is a global religion, practiced on every continent and predominantly in Europe, North/Central and South America, and parts of Africa. Check it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity

I realize that the substandard educational system in this country produces mindless robots who never look past their TVs for knowledge, but to call Christmas "American" is one of the most insipid, insulting, and idiotic things I've ever heard. And don't even think of suggesting I'm saying this because I'm some Jesus-freak or rabid Christian because I'm not. I don't practice ANY formal religion, nor do I believe in "God" as Christianity imagines him.

I'm affronted the sheer lunacy of the statement and the extent to which people have shut off their brains, that's all. I think Penelope's idea of floating religious holidays is awesome and I look forward to working somewhere that enlightened.

Penelope,

Thought you might find this poll I just came across interesting. While 80% or so of Americans identify with Christianity, about 93% (If I remember right) celebrate Christmas.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/113566/US-Christmas-Not-Just-Christians.aspx

I'm curious as to exactly how much of this furor over Christmas actually has to do with the secular/religious views of the holiday, and how much of it has to do with:

[people who want everyone to know exactly how hard they're working 24/7 and complain loudly about not knowing what their kids look like]
vs.
[people who get the job done, quietly, but have no interest in being a drama queen about it]

I was raised Christian. I 'celebrate' Christmas, though I mostly just take the time off to spend with my family, because I frankly don't take time off otherwise to do so. This is a cultural thing [in the US] – and we're at a crossroads with The Guilt of Family Time versus The Very Good Employee.

'The Holidays' have become the only acceptable time we can take a long break from work, guilt-free, to be with our families. For better or worse, it's universally understood. The ginormous company where I work issued a statement to all associates from the CEO advising us to enjoy The Holidays this year because massive layoffs begin in '09.

I sympathize with people of other faiths who do not receive time off automatically for their holy days. However, concessions can be (and are) made for individuals in most of my experiences.

This controversy isn't about me celebrating with you, or you celebrating with me; it's about respecting family time. We can wrap this up in Christian versus everyone else, but I don't think it's necessary. If I can ignore the materialism/Christmas music/demur on participating in celebrations at work if invited (and I do), then so can anyone else, regardless of personal faith.

Personally, I'm an atheist, and so Christmas celebrations are something I accept as being a socially sanctioned time to gather with my extended family whom I almost never see otherwise.

I would prefer New Years to be the main holiday and celebration, as this is (while obviously based on the Christian calendar) a more appropriate time for those of us who are not religious or are from other faiths to celebrate.

I do think it is important to have a set time each year when almost everyone (lets not forget those in care industries for whom today is just another day to take care of someone) has a holiday. It creates a sense of peace and relaxation across our whole community, and I would be sad to see this communal time off lost altogether.

The poll leaves out one massive practical consideration: if an office were open on Christmas day, odds are that so large a percentage of the workers (as mapped to the percentage of people in various religions in the US) that staying open might well be utterly pointless. The expense of keeping the office running might not be justified by the amount of work that would get done.

And I'm saying this in a public post as the one yarmulke-wearin' shabbat-observin' kosher-keepin' Jew at my workplace. Yeah, I would come in to work on Christmas day (and did so when I worked for majority-Jewish companies in Brooklyn that *did* stay open). But I know that enough of my coworkers would be taking the day off that little to nothing would effectively get done.

Actually, had I been able to go in to work on the 25th & 26th (we got both days off), and had I wanted to go in, I'd have had quite a bit of work to do. But that's the nature of my job (production in a copy center). I can think of 2 specific orders that are currently waiting to be run, plus a 3rd that needs finishing, and a 4th that needs a proof. Had I gone in, I'd have been able to have 16 hours of nearly uninterrupted work, and could have probably finished most, if not all, of the work.

Aww, who am I kidding? If I'd gone in to work either or both of those days I'd have spent the time surfing the internet.

I come from India, which is also a secular country. So as part of our 10 yearly paid holidays, we celebrate major holidays of all our major religions – so in fact we get two 'Christian' holidays (Good Friday and Christmas) – much to the surprise of some of my American colleagues who work with offshore teams. As we do for Moharram and Id, for Dusshera and Diwali and Guru Nanak Birthday, Buddha Jayanti and so on. I think there is some merit to that approach as it makes us celebrate and look forward to celebrating holidays of other religions along with our own, instead of the US, when Christmas is the only religious holiday celebtrated.

I used to work for a retail company run by orthodox sephardic jews, they closed their stores during the High Holy days. most of the employees were not jewish…Most of the employees felt a little strange about the whole thing (greatful for the time off, but it was not their holiday so it was like taking any day off with no significance). When you see it from a minority perspective things can look very different.
My point is that how you feel about this issue depends on your own beliefs as well as how you have been socialized to religious celebrations…I agree with Penelope's argument take religion out of the equation and use floaters…this would discriminate against no particular group or person…Only non-religous holidays should be National holidays…Our country was founded on the principle of the seperation of church and state, as well as the right to practice any religion without persecution…Lets practice what our founding fathers wanted…you can still take christmas off if you want under this premise…

I think the government needs to ASAP reverse the law that made Christmas a federal holiday. That is a clear violation of the first amendment, even if some people (like a commenter in one of your other Christmas posts) want to argue that the wording of the amendment does not explicitly state separation of church and state.

The government is then more than welcome to make companies give workers more vacation/floating-holiday time. Don't Europeans get a month worth of time off? Then we could spend that extra time whenever, celebrating whatever holidays we want, or traveling, or with family. And people who claim the point of the holiday is to "spend time with family": didn't I just do that a month ago at Thanksgiving? Why do I need to feel compelled to buy plane tickets twice within the span of 30 days?

If Christmas is necessary to bolster up the American economy then there is something wrong with how we judge the success of our economy (in general, not just this current one). The insanity of gift-giving bankrupts adults and spoils children.

Penelope,

To avoid driving you nuts, I will say:
1. Christmas is most definitely a religious holiday, at least to me and a lot of other people.
2. Feel free to work on December 25.
3. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus. You may be cheery about it or not. It's up to you.
4. You don't have to take Hannukkah off, either.
5. Whether or not America is a Christian country, it is a country where a lot of people are Christians and therefore a lot of people celebrate Christian holidays. If I lived in England, I would not expect my company to close on July 4. If I lived in China, I would not expect Good Friday or Christmas holidays off from work.

Maybe someday we will invent robots that do all our work. The robots will not have religious beliefs or personal problems or boredom. They will just work and work and work and no one will have to worry about who gets a holiday when.

Tom,

That's the best argument for robots I've heard to date. The problem is that somehow I think we'll probably still be fighting viruses and malware on these robots and the humans will still find a way to complain about how much work somebody else is either doing or not doing and when. The burden to come up with a solution will fall on the humans. It's something we have to work out for ourselves – technology may assist us but it only goes just so far.

Mark

We should call it Religion Day. Having Congress enact a federal holiday called Christmas is hypocritical given the First Amendment of the Constitution which states, in part, that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Declaring Christmas a federal holiday, which is protected by a federal statute, may not be inconsistent with the plain text of that clause, but it does not follow the spirit. It also harms diversity in the workplace. I never know what to say to my Jewish and Muslim colleagues as I walk around the office offering well wishes for the holiday season. But, let's face it, we're stuck with it. Congress would never pass a statute to rid us of this embarrassment. So, happy holidays!

I celebrate Christmas as a family get together not personally as a Christian holiday. I am not Christian or religious at all but the rest of my family is Christian so I go to the Christmas dinner and buy Christmas gifts for the nieces and nephews as part of a family tradition. It does drive me crazy when store clerks etc say "Merry Christmas". I often think how do they know if I celebrate Christmas? I make a point of replying "Happy Holidays" which to me means whatever you celebrate including New Year's. So I am open to ideas on promoting diversity both in my words and actions. Thank you for the perspective.

Even if I weren't a Christian, I'd be longing for time off at Christmas. Why? Because I'm a parent. And my kiddo has two weeks off. Without local family (and the YMCA packed to the gills with a waiting list), my husband and I are forced to alternate days off, using what little vacation we have left to cover boyo's school holiday. Heck yeah, I'm glad I have holiday time to use.

And A Merry Xmas to you too

When I lived in the states every year people were so sad for me that I wasn't going home to Australia to see my family for thanksgiving. Every year people would invite me along to their thanksgiving dinners and I would go just because I figured it was nice of them to ask and it would be like having an early christmas dinner without all the presents and relatives to worry about. It was fun, everyone was nice and the food was good.

But now seeing some of the "why don't you just lighten up and let my traditions take a dominant place in the American workplace" comments above I wish I hadn't gone to these dinners. Doing so only reinforced the notion that it was normal or sane to assume a non US citizen would even know what thanksgiving is, let alone care about not spending it with their family.

P.S. The Japanese like christmas too!
http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/culture/christmas.html
Though apparently for single women it's morphed into a sort of Valentine's day type ritual where you'll be judged on whether or not your christmas eve was sufficiently romantic.

Hmmm. This is tough. I totally know what you are saying. And I know that you shouldn't have to use up one of your vacation days on a holiday that has no significance for you. But I like the idea that everything just stops for a day. And it sucks that it's mostly only Christian holidays when this happens, but I still like that it happens. And people who are commenting that Christmas is an American holiday, not a Christian holiday, are belittling the day they have invested so much in defending. Christ's birthday. Christian holiday. No debate.

Hmmm. I have several mixed points to make and feelings to bear witness to. First of all, I am a Christian, and by that I mean I really do try to follow the teachings of Christ. Secondly, for what it's worth, I did a fair amount of graduate work in Jewish history, and have long been interested in Jewish ideas and issues – ever since Rabbi A. David Packman of Temple B'nai Israel in Oklahoma City taught at my private Christian university in the late 1980s. (Through a program via the Chautauqua Society, NY.)

During these years, I attended services a few times a year at Temple B'nai and I remember hearing about B'nai B'rith, an organization that promotes harmony among Jews and Christians. One thing the men of B'nai B'rith talked about doing was working in a Christian's stead on Christian holidays. Christians in turn worked for Jews on Jewish holy days. They certainly did not share your attitude or opinions about Christmas, and I think it would be a shame for anyone reading your column to think that all American Jews feel the way you do.

I mean, in Oklahoma, only 6 percent of the population is Jewish. I interviewed a young Jew recently about the opening of the Chabad in OKC – the first Judaic building in Oklahoma in 50 years. Really, there is nothing but overwhelming respect in this town for Jews, and nobody wants any of them to feel that Christmas is a huge inconvenience for them. It actually hurts to think of it this way. There is a real desire here to understand Judaism and integrate the Jewish community and honor diversity and make room for diverse ideas, etc. In fact, we all ask ourselves, Christians and Jews alike, how can we grow the Jewish community in Oklahoma? So, much of your world view seems impacted by WHERE you live or where you don't live. I am not saying that it is utopic in Oklahoma. I'm just saying, leaders in the dominant paradigm share these perspectives.

I think Christmas parties at work are a pain in the neck. I think they are an affront to what absolutely is a Christian holiday and I LOVE LOVE LOVE your point that only a Christian would feel high enough on the horse to say it wasn't a Christian holiday. The notion that Christmas would be a floating holiday, puts the government in the position of recognizing Christmas as a Christian holy day. This could go quite far in underscoring the birth of Christ, for which December 25 is symbolic. So, I'd be all for that.

Having said that, my husband, who works for the State of Oklahoma, also gets December 26 off. It's all about economics. It costs more to run the heat in state buildings when 90 percent of state employees will take the day off when Christmas falls on a Thursday. Also, in terms of economics, we've all heard – if Christmas did not exist, there would be a need to invent it. (Thus, the extraordinary windows at NYC's department stores.)

For me, the most solemn of holy days is Good Friday, which is invisibile in corporate America. I'd love to have a floating holiday for that day. So, there are Christian holy days that many devout followers of Christ observe, but which are completely ignored by the "rest of the world."

If you really want to write a Christmas post that will generate loads of interest, next Christmas, write about how the Jewish dictionary defined Jesus – if I recall correctly – it is as "one of the greatest prophets that ever lived." (Maybe even more highly regarded than Elijah??) Something to think about, and certainly something that NOBODY ever talks about. How come?

And, all my respect, truly. Nothing I'm saying here is intended to be running a stick along a post. With harmony in mind, tell us the consequence of ignoring Jewish ideas. On this Christmas Day, I watched a special about the Jews in Russia. We still have a long way to go.

Isaiah 58: 7-10 (Then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.)

Oh, and shame on the editors that canceled the column over *that.* How idiotic.

I am from India. Today I worked full-day alongside 1000+ colleagues. In these times, no Christmas holidays for us; even though most of our US clients have “forced-shutdowns” until 5 January 2009.

@mcurie from twitter

Your poll needs another option for: "I see your point. As a cultural Christian, I'd be fine with a change in policy that required me to use a "floating holiday" if I wanted this particular day off."

Not everybody has to argue. *shrug*

Penelope, I am a lifelong Catholic who attends Mass every Sunday, goes on an annual religious retreat and sings regularly at church, and I totally agree with you. While this is a diversified country, the reality is that many Christians, including those who behave in an unchristian manner, want things to go their way every time. As you noted, they argue that "the United States is a Christian nation" You're correct in asserting this is not true. Read this—> http://www.godandstate.com/2007/11/10/americas-christian-nation-myth/. Where it becomes problematic is that Christmas has become a secular holiday rather than a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. This muddies the waters, making December 25 a holiday celebrated by most Americans (even Jews, I dare say). It is ingrained in our national culture. I for one support your pleas for fairer treatment of non-Christians.

I was raised in a Christian household and would probably still identify myself as Christian, but I'm not that into Christmas. I don't have children and I don't live close to my parents, so it's not a big deal for me – whilst I celebrate on the day, I take issue with the additional leave that we have to take at this time of year.

I finished work on 23rd Dec, and my workplace is closed until 5th January. I'm sure many people reading this will think that's great, but I would much rather go into work – not on Christmas Day or New Year's Day, but certainly on 29th December, etc. Without family commitments, two weeks off in the middle of winter is boring – I would much rather take the time off in summer, when the weather is better and I could do things!

(I should point out that I work in education in the UK. Our leave allowances are much more generous than the US, and we get "extra" days off for the period when the building is closed, but I'd like to use these on another occasion.)

I grew up Jewish as well and had a similar attitude along the lines of 'what's the big whoop?'. But you can't deny X-Mas' importance. Approximately one-quarter of all consumer spending occurs during the holiday season. Think about that. During 1 month each year we spend as if that month were 3 months. That's all Christmas. And it's not Hanukkah: Outside of America, Hanukkah is not an big holiday. It's only become important in America in relation to Christians getting gifts, kind of like an artificial Christmas for Jews. Which is to say that the spike in consumer spending in December – even the percent from Jews – is really in reaction to Christmas.

Diversity is important, but think of it this way: Say 3/4's of an office celebrated Christmas with their family, and 1/4 didn't, and that quarter kind of felt alienated because they had nothing to do on Christmas and because their holidays weren't celebrated. Flipping things around, appeasing the minority by having work on Christmas is only going to upset 3/4's of the workers. Luckily tho, no individual does this kind of manipulation, but instead, society decides on which days it deems important and which days it doesn't.

Ebenezer Scrooge,

You use "Circular Reasoning" to support a premise with the premise rather than a conclusion.

The blog offers no evidence — it simply repeats the claim that was already presented. Don’t be fooled into believing that using the word “because” in an argument automatically provides a valid reason. You do not provide clear evidence to support your claims, not a version of the premise (the initial statement in an argument).

Merry Christmas Ebenezer Scrooge!

Santa is not Christian, if any reads the Bible, you won't find any of the fairy Scandinavian pagan rites that create the World of Santa Claus, the Grinch, the Christmas Tree, etc.

I hoped that someone like Ms. Trunk would already noticed the difference between Holidays and Christmas, the first one being am american born Tradition (excelled by a consumer economy where selling is a must), and the second one a very different thing whose name has been stoled by the former….

(BTW, have you ever been through a Yom Kippur, or just a plain sabbath, in Jerusalem…you'll have a lot of stuff to adress future rants about imposing the "cultural religious habits" of the Majority to other non believers….)

shalom haberim

Good point Javier. When I was in Israel, I was forced to follow shabbat (the orange juice machines didn't work since they were electric, no public transit etc). Now THERE's an example of a relgious tradition being forced on non believers. Annoyed the crap out of me.

Penelope,

Christmas in the US as a holiday has nothing to do with religion at all. It's tradition and culture.

That's it, simply. The vast majority of people in America feel that Christmas (just like July 4th and Thanksgiving) is a cultural holiday.

OK. Where do I begin? I'm amazed at the scrooginess (bitterness) of people commenting on this basically bad-attitude post.

I'm a Christian so I celebrate Christmas for religious reasons. That said, I celebrate it for other reasons as well – reasons I could easily apply to Hannukka, Kwanza or any other holiday.

#1: When in Rome… Christmas, whether a religious, commercial or family celebration, is part of our American tradition. If I go to Isreal or Iraq, I would expect to have holiday breaks different than my own. I would expect that my traditions may not be fully recognized.

#2: No one works at Christmas. Go ahead and work on Christmas if you want to, but how much do you plan to accomplish if no one else is working?

#3: Christmas is what you make it. I hate the commercialism. I hate when stores start playing cheesy, secular music the day after Halloween. But I can CHOOSE to ignore it. I can CHOOSE to be happy in spite of the things that don't go my way. I can CHOOSE to make Christmas what I want it to be.

#4: Snow. I live in the Midwest and we've been getting some expreme weather. It's affecting travel and convenience. But, hey, it's beautiful and I can look for the fun in it – see #3. Life is an adventure.

#5: Time to take a break. Americans NEED a physical and mental break away from work. Christmas provides such a time. It forces us to take that break, because some will never do it on their own.

#6: Time for family and friends. Americans NEED to spend meaningful time with family and friends. And, like #5, some people must be forced to do so. Christmas does that. My husband and I always take the week from Christmas to New Years off. We spend it with our kids. We visit/entertain out-of-town family. It's the time that creates memories and binds us together. Penelope, have you ever taken a full week off of work for family? No blackberry. No computer. No phone calls. Just family?

#7: Love for mankind. Outside of natural disasters or acts of terror, Christmas offers the greatest outpouring of generosity and human compassion. The best cure for depression/bitterness at Christmas is to do something for someone else. Host a needy family. Volunteer at a homeless shelter. Spend time with a lonely, elderly person. Christmas is not about you. It's about what you do for others.

These are things I like about Christmas. True, they could easily be applied to any other holiday and it's probably not fair that we put them only to Christmas. But, hey, it's what we do and better at Christmas than not at all. If you want this to be for your Hannukka or some other holiday, quit your crabbin' and make it happen.

PS: If you wished me Happy Hannukka, I would love it. I would feel the joy of the season and feel like spreading it to someone else. People, please quit the negativity. We don't need it.

Can we differentiate between taking the day off, and having music/decorations/activities related to Christmas in the office?

I think that it is practical to make Christmas a holiday. The majority of employees at most companies in the U.S. will take the day off whether it's an official holiday or not. If a company stays open, the low-paid/junior people will end up working although they want to take the day off, which is pretty rotten. It's one of three days a year that people with non-corporate jobs (retail, restaurants, etc) actually get to take time off when the rest of their families are off too. If Christmas was not a holiday, don't think everybody would get that day off to take at some other time … we'd all just lose a day off.

HOWEVER, I (culturally Christian although not religiously Christian) really dislike workplace Christmas activities – secret Santa, decorations, and especially Christmas music. I think that *is* a rude imposition of religious/cultural opinions on others. I don't like shopping in grocery stores with tons of Christmas decorations up.

So I'd like to see everybody have the day off but banish the red and green and Santa and so on on so forth. People would still be free to be extra cheerful and peaceable and generous if they wish. :-) That seems like a reasonable and culturally sensitive compromise,at least to me.

Congratulations from Portugal!

Your blog is great!

Christmas is one of the few things this overly PC nation has got left. This country is built upon a doctrine of religious freedom and a separation of church and state. That doctrine is there simply to ensure that the "church" is not in fact running the country and influencing our republic in negative lights…whatever the religion may be. Celebrating Christmas in the work place in no way infringes on peoples' rights. Would I get pissed off if I see a menorah sitting on someone's desk? Nope. Do I get upset if I see a Christmas tree? Nope. It is called tolerance to other religions Penelope. You have every right to practice whatever religion you want. The fact that Christmas is a national holiday does not infringe upon that. This country while it may not be technically a Christian nation, is built upon Christian fundamental ideals and it is only appropriate that Christmas is a national holiday. Christmas means many different things to many different people. It is funny how you always see non Christians protesting the one time of year that "good will" is actually practiced by most. Stop acting like you even have an office to go into to work at on Christmas. Traditions aren't always a bad thing Ebeneezer!

What about Memorial Day? Why should I have to take a day off from work when I am not even related to a veteran! Or Labor Day? I don't belong to a union! Hell, I wasn't ever a pilgrim either, so what the hell is this Thanksgiving crap?

Thanks for this post. As an atheist, I also feel aliented by the the ubiquitous Christmas each year. From Halloween to New Year's Eve, there's no escape. I tried to persuade those in my family and social circle to skip presents and donate cash to agreed-upon causes, and that's helped me avoid the retail hell of the season, at least. But I still feel like I'm a closet-case Grinch, just clenching my teeth each year and waiting for it to be over so we can all get back to work.

Is there any reason that those wanting the floating paid holiday can't negotiate it prior to taking a job or at annual appraisals? Tell the boss you'll be working from home (or hell, the office) on xmas day and provide the material/deliverables/contact to prove it, and ask for a day off on XYZholiday in lieu. That would certainly be acceptable almost everywhere I've worked, where the work doesn't stop coming in on december 23rd.

Thank you for bringing this up, P.

I'm a non-church affiliated shiksa with a spiritual practice. I have many Jewish friends and I know they often grit their teeth during this season. Christmas is indeed a religious holiday and I'd actually like to see more separation of church and state, not less. Floating is the best solution I've heard so far and I think it's fair.

Oh, wait – I can hear the retailers (department, discount and grocery stores) squealing in the background. Too bad – get over it!

I'm sorry, did you just say Americans make a big deal out of Religion compared to other countries? I'll buy the Canadian part, but Europe? Um, Crusades anyone? Ireland, anyone? HITLER, anyone?

Just stickin' up for the USA. We might get our knickers in a twist over ChrismaKwanzukka, but we don't quite have the history of waging war over religion that compares with the rest of the world.

tolerate each other

Oh, yea, forgot to mention I checked out the NYC 'department store windows' links in this post – awesome is another word that could be used to describe them. Thanks for the links.

Did you know celebrating Christmas was illegal when this country was first settled? Because of it's pagan origins. Jesus wasn't even born on Dec 25th but that doesn't seem to matter to "Christians." Or the paganness of it all.
I didn't celebrate when I was growing up and had a lot of people feeling sorry for me. Now that I have celebrated it it was all very anti climactical. I hate it just as much as ever. People are mean, rude and grumpy. They buy presents for people they don't like that they can't afford and then the people turn around and return the present for something else. It's all very stupid to me.
And I totally agree with the forced day off and using a floating day off for your own celebration.
Did you know that Wiccans can have an excused day off from school on Halloween so they can celebrate but Jehovah's Witnesses don't get excused because they don't celebrate even tho the whole school is celebrating? Who's in charge here?

Oh for heaven's sake — an American holiday? I wish the Christians would just reclaim their holiday from the commercialization and the "family time" meanderings and make it what it is — a Christian holiday celebrated by people born into the Christian tradition.

And by Christian, I don't mean the church-goers who self-identify as "Christian". My family isn't Jewish because we believe in God or go to Synagogue. We're Jewish because we were born that, and born into that tradition.

Frankly, growing up, NOT celebrating Christmas really helped put a fine point on what it means to be Jewish in my country (OK, Canada, but all the same stuff applies as to the US).

Thankfully, my kids know that Christmas is celebrated by Christians (my six year old actually believes that Santa is alive and real, but he just gets that Santa only goes to the Christian kids' houses), and we don't. We did a movie and Chinese food this year, just as I did every year as a kid when forced to take the day off.

Thanks for bringing your viewpoint front and centre. Hope your Chanukah was bright and cheery, and that your latkes were as tasty as mine.

Carla

Here, here, honey. I'm Jewish and I agree with you wholeheartedly on this issue.

I am a Christian, but I don't think Christmas is very Christian anymore. It once was, and can be for believers, but the way most of America celebrates it is pretty commercial. You know, the department store windows (which has nothing to do God arriving on earth as man to pay the ultimate price for our sins).

I have no problem with Corporate America changing the rules and letting people work when they want and celebrate their religious holidays when they want. I think some people will say that it's easier if we all take the same days off so that they don't have to continually figure out how to keep the lines running when half the staff takes their day on the same day.

I think there also would be great potential for people to feel pressured not to take Christmas off after all. Maybe that's a good thing … quit celebrating the holiday if it isn't truly a Holy Day for you!

My two (euro)cents: I'm not Christian, but appreciate the fact that my culture is in a large part based on an once-obscure Middle Eastern cult that got really big in Europe, for this reason or another. So I'm quite happy to celebrate an ancient pagan festival, winter solstice in fact, that my Christian neighbours choose as the birthday of the alleged Messiah.

Wow. It is amazing to see the wide differences in American culture enacted right here, in response to a blog post.

There was a Christmas poll, and I missed it? No!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Penelope, for the voice of reason in this post and the past years' posts. Another season, another 20 party conversations with people who say things like "but lots of Jews have Christmas trees."

I am a Christian, and I could not agree with you more on these issue.

I think it comes down to this: Christmas is one, maybe two, days of vacation. Hanukkah is what, eleven? Someone, somewhere, squealed about that being unfair.

It's a really shallow way to look at the problem, but I doubt it's any more complex than that. All the complexity arises from justifying the attacks against a perceived injustice, or business hoping to squeeze more time (money) out of it's employees.

Christmas is a Christian holiday…if you're not Christian, don't celebrate it. Quit whining about the holidays, etc. and go back to work.

I was working for a very diverse company in Wisconsin (we're talking employees from all 50 states and 40+ nations) and they followed a traditional holiday calendar, despite the fact that huge numbers of the staff worked odd schedules (not 8-5, M-F). The executives "discussed" moving to a Personal Time Off program but never did it.

I moved back down south and started working for a Catholic hospital who uses a Personal Time Off program and I love it. My family is Catholic so I do end up taking a few days around Christmas but I am not obligated to take any holiday I think is stupid (like Labor Day). It should be mandated that every business uses the PTO program!

That is a great idea. I use to work for a large company in Texas that had PTO but also gave traditional holidays. But it would be better to give those days as extra pto. Also time bank was a great way to control excess sick leave. More companies need to get on board!