Wal-Mart: We're not afraid to say Merry Christmas

I am personally very happy to see this happen. The 'Happy Holidays' was never a Liberal thing, it was a corporate decision. Something to save them money. We took the grief for something that was always a conservative corporate decision.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/09/news/companies/walmart_christmas/index.htm?postversion=2006110909



Wal-Mart: We're not afraid to say Merry Christmas
No. 1 retailer has decided to abandon its generic 'Happy Holidays' greeting in favor of 'Merry Christmas.'
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Wal-Mart has told its employees that it's OK to once again greet shoppers by saying "Merry Christmas" this holiday season instead of the generic "Happy Holidays."

CNN confirmed that Wal-Mart will announce Thursday that it plans to use the phrase "Merry Christmas" in products and around its stores this holiday season.

The announcement comes a year after religious groups such as The American Family Association and The Catholic League boycotted retailers including Wal-Mart last holiday season for excluding the word "Christmas" from products sold in stores.

"We, quite frankly, have learned a lesson from last year," Wal-Mart spokeswoman Linda Blakley told USA Today in a separate report. "We're not afraid to use the term 'Merry Christmas.' We'll use it early, and we'll use it often."

I went to Target last Christmas and the cashier told me, 'Merry Christmas.'

It was much ado about nothing by the "anything to divide us" crowd, like O'Lielly and InSannity and Gibson anyway.

What is so wrong with Happy Holidays? It's inclusive. There is something seriously wrong with people who have a problem with "Happy Holidays". *sigh*

"Now give us all your fucking money."

makes baby Jesus cry.

Words like this should not be offensive. It is not a racial or ethnic slur and if people are not Christians... Well, we all know that Christmas is not really a Christian holiday anyhow. It is an ancient Pagan (Roman) holiday that was used to appease such people years back... They could say Happy Festivus and I wouldn't care! :D I love the feeling of good cheer and the hustle and bustle anyhow...

There are a lot of holidays around that time of year in several relgions (we can get into the sociology of that some time if you like). Saying "Happy Holidays" covers all of them. What the heck is wrong with being inclusive?

What the hell is wrong with thinking it is nothing more than semantics? Wal-Mart is only doing this for potential profit. They don't care about Christmas or Happy Holidays or Festivus for that matter! I never understood why people got their panties in a wad about "Happy Holidays," and I don't understand why you've got your's in a wad about "Merry Christmas."

ON EDIT: There are far bigger and more important issues to get worked up about...

maybe I'm just tired of all the little things people do that assume everyone is a christian...and if you aren't one, you should just shut up and get over it.

BTW, I know there are a lot of issues to get worked up over...and I am quite capable of multi-tasking. So I'll thank you to stop trying to decide for me what I should consider worth commenting on.

I wasn't telling you what not to get worked up over, but frankly your concern about this issue is just as bad as Christians who are concerned about the flipside of your arugment. I am, however, saying that you and them are getting worked up over nothing. Don't sweat the small stuff... When they start forcing people at knife- or gun-point to convert, then I will be right there to say, "Wait one dammed minute." I didn't mean to sound as if I was debasing your beliefs, but I do ardently feel that there are other things more worthy of your obvious intelligence and energy.

my perspective that it is better to be inclusive of everyone is somehow the same as fundamentalist christian nutjobs getting offended by attempts to BE inclusive...you have a seriously warped worldview.

My world view is just fine. When did I say your perspective of being inclusive is the SAME? When? Quote me.

Nevermind. Look. Let bygones be bygones. I'm not going to argue with you on this.

Inclusiveness is always better than exclusiveness. I think we can agree on that.

All the Best,

S&F

DUers seem to think they have when commenting on other people's emotional state. You haven't seen me actually worked up about something.

Here's your quote btw, "frankly your concern about this issue is just as bad as Christians who are concerned about the flipside of your arugment".

Anyway, I'm done. This has become pretty ridiculous.

sieg heil to everyone if they thought it would make them more $$

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

merry Christmas to you too!

I just wish they would wait until December to start doing it. By the time Christmas actually rolls around I'm so damned sick of it I'm grateful it's over.

Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa? :shrug:

should be one coming here soon. Heh. Buh bye Wally world.

;)

Thanks for your light-hearted attitude. Seems like some people are going to be with the Republicans when it comes to the "Airing of Grievances." Seriously though, make sure it is a good size pool. Maybe we can start a new tradition with pole dancing contests as well!

I'm not afraid NOT to shop at walfart, either.

and Happy Consumerism!!

I love Christmas. This is such a stupid 'issue'. Why can't employees say whatever the hell works for wherever they live.

I'm not a religious person and I don't mind when people wish me Merry Christmas. Heck, I do it myself. It's one of those generic greetings that don't really mean anything anymore. I love Christmastime, my kid loves it, and religion has nothing to do with it. :)

And a hardy welcome to DU. :toast:

:eyes: What a crock of shit.

Do I really want someone wishing me the happiness of Christ's supposed birthday if I'm not a christian? I have clients of all faiths.. shall I send them a holiday card with the manger on it?

You would think people would get how sensible and easy it is to be inclusive.

:hi:

if they're such big Christians? They must have a very small camel or a very big needle.

I DON'T GET IT!

If people are giving other people a warm, sincere, welcoming greeting, who cares if it's Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? I'm happy to hear either and I say both.

There is no "war on Christmas" and there never has been. That's one of those stupid made-up issues the right-wing came up with to try to swing votes their way.

It would be different if it was just innocent, but they actually thought this out. They KNOW better now. They know that not everybody is a christian, and they don't care. They'd rather insult every single non christian than lose their red-state christians. And way to go christians. You have successfully changed the greeting for all to the greeting for us exclusively. Bah Humbug!

Way back in the 50s and 60s, a lot of the Fundie types were upset that Christmas had become so commercialized and associated with shopping, presents & Santa Claus, that they were worried that Christmas was losing its meaning.

So, they started saying "Happy Holidays" as a way to separate all the commercialism from Christmas itself.

If these god-blinded heathens don't have the decency to let go of their own silly religion and do the right thing -- namely wish me a happy birthday on Christmas -- I'm not going to waste a penny on them.

Until they provide better working conditions and employee pay, and stop buying products from sweat-shops in China I won't shop at their stores, no matter what phrase they tell their customers during the holiday season.

I don't think store clerks should be in trouble for saying
Merry Christmas. Maybe it's becuase I grew up in the 80's and 90's, but
I see the word "Christmas" almost as a generic way of saying "holiday".

Either are fine by me. I also have no problem with someone saying, "Happy Kwanza"
or "Happy Hanukkah" or "Happy __________".


There are more important things for us to be worried about.

I do think this can be viewed as part of a larger issue. Inclusiveness is a good thing. For too long a vocal group on the right has been doing their damnedest to make inclusiveness seem like a bad thing. They coined the term "pollitical correctness" just so they could make fun of people who were trying to be courteous and inclusive and not offend people. I think it's important that we try to restore a respect for civility. That we explain to people why being considerate of others is the right thing to do. And it involves caring about and commenting on some things that may seem "little" or "unimportant" if you're in the majority, but that can pile up after a while for the people they affect daily.

It never hurts to be considerate of others.

And I agree that no one should get in trouble for saying something like "Merry Christmas", I think there is a way to kindly explain to people why some people might find it offensive. I honestly think the majority of people don't want to offend people...not even a little bit, especially not unintentionally.

And Wal Mart falling for it is reason #1,356,452 not to shop there. Not because they say Merry Christmas, but for simply giving credence to this idiocy.