Best Buy Bans Use Of Merry Christmas In Stores

Don't worry, Duzey. It's abundantly clear where you stand. As a non-Christian, let me assure you that I don't lump all Christians together any more than I do all Muslims, women, blacks or Canadians.

The Annual War Begins!

Some put up trees, because it's fun and it's not a Christian tradition anyway.
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No, the point of "Happy Holidays" is quite simple: if everyone can celebrate, everyone can buy presents and send cards and have parties! Jews, Christians, and Muslims can all get lots of stuff at the mall, and drag a few atheists in along with them!
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Perhaps they just really need that Christmas pat on the head so they can tell themselves that somehow, in some way, that new DVD player has something to do with Christ taking on the burden of their sins.
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I would think that devout Christians would be eager to hear it called "holiday" time, because the incredible chasm between our big consumer frenzy and the actual teachings of Christ is so striking. Do they really want the spectacle of people being trampled in rush to get a great deal to be associated with their holiday?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

See that wasn't so bad

People need to grow thick skin when it comes to petty trash like holiday greetings and stop complaing everytime someone says the Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays

Seriously, who gives a fudge what someone says....deal with it, it's the U.S. right? The last time I checked we're supposed to be some sort of melting pot......so yeah, I guess you might expect to see and hear things other than what you may or may not agree with. And maybe you'll get offended, if that happens you need to stfu and remember what I just said..or, erm wrote

Shame on the companies for making a big deal and announcing all this trash, why can't they just change from Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays without putting out a friggin' public service announcement.

This holiday season will be my first in five years to spend back in the states with my family and friends....and I'm not about to let a bunch of PC BS ruin it for me.

There's more important things to worry about other than what greetings that Best Buy decides to use this year......yeah, Amazing

[edit on 29/11/2006 by SportyMB]

Originally posted by SportyMB
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

See that wasn't so bad

People need to grow thick skin when it comes to petty trash like holiday greetings and stop complaing everytime someone says the Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays

Seriously, who gives a fudge what someone says....deal with it, it's the U.S. right? The last time I checked we're supposed to be some sort of melting pot......so yeah, I guess you might expect to see and hear things other than what you may or may not agree with. And maybe you'll get offended, if that happens you need stfu and remember what I just said..or, erm wrote

Shame on the companies for making a big deal and announcing all this trash, why can't they just change from Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays without putting out a friggin' public service announcement.

This holiday season will be my first in five years to spend back in the states with my family and friends....and I'm not about to let a bunch of PC BS ruin it for me.

There's more important things to worry about other than what greetings that Best Buy decides to use this year......yeah, Amazing

[edit on 29/11/2006 by SportyMB]

/cheers SportyMB

Originally posted by SportyMB
Shame on the companies for making a big deal and announcing all this trash, why can't they just change from Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays without putting out a friggin' public service announcement.

It's because they thrive off of the Drama so people that can't control their actions and feel offended will have something to complain about.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
This is my way of saying that I love everyone even my enemies and I don't Care if I offend you or anyone, Ever! It's also a way for me to wish good cheer to everyone. You say Happy Holiday's to me then I'll say, Merry Christmas right back at you with a Smile!

This is my last post here and I think I've been pretty nice as a Christian while posting.

What bothers me most is that slowly but surely Christianity is being driven out. Many say that Christians are being intolerant but there comes a point where we have to stand up and say enough! Every little battle that Christians lose like this add up and before you know it Christianity (which this country was founded on) is driven completely out of mainstream America. That's why little things like this do matter! It’s getting to the point where you can’t even mention Jesus without offending someone. The funny thing is that bowing to downright demands of other Faiths is all the rage lately. I just heard that they banned a long time sponsor connected to the new movie “The Nativity Story” from an annual CHRISTMAS festival! Why? Because they didn’t want to offend anyone! Talk about twisted!

I have nothing against anyone and I'm in no way trying to offend people but I'm not going to compromise my Faith (not religion) for anything.

The Biblical origin of Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ and the celebration thereof. Gift giving is dated right to that night when those Wise Men brought gifts for the Savior. Any other reasoning is moot.

I can tell you one thing, if I walked into a Jewish bakery on the 25th day of Kislev or thereabouts I will be very respectful and glad to walk up to the counter and say Happy Hanukkah!

Be Well & God Bless

OK, I was raised Christian, pretty strict I might add but have looked into many faiths. So take this as you wish, Christian or not.

You can't tell just by looking at someone what their religion is. Cat Stevens is a Muslim, Sammy Davis Jr. was a Jew, Oral Roberts is a Christian, really? Oops, small joke there.

Do the people at BB determine what to wish of each and every customer before they speak? Man, that long lineup just got doubled. To heck(it's the holiday's, I'll be nice) with that. I've got some holiday cheer to get to.

BTW, what if you got it wrong? What if a BB employee wished, oh, say FF a Happy Hannukah? I think there might be something just short of a nuclear reaction in the store. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Now, Happy Holidays covers EVERYONE that celebrates a Holy day at this time of the year. Everyone has been nice to everyone else, we all go on our way and have a little glow that we touched someone. What's wrong with that?

With that being said, I wish ALL of our members and visitors here at ATS a HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON.

Originally posted by jbondo

What bothers me most is that slowly but surely Christianity is being driven out. Many say that Christians are being intolerant but there comes a point where we have to stand up and say enough!

The Biblical origin of Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ and the celebration thereof. Gift giving is dated right to that night when those Wise Men brought gifts for the Savior. Any other reasoning is moot.

Christianity is not being driven out. If you want an example of being driven out just have a look at some of the anti-islamic threads and posts here and you will see an example of when someone is looking to drive something out. Its just that Christians are looking to drive themselves in and to be the centerpiece and its not just about Christians. Im Christian and I am free to practice whatever i want in my home, in my church, or in any type of religious gathering. I do not need to force myself on someone else to make a point and i don't need to be in a public place or in a courthouse or in a public school, I don't even need a church to practice my faith. If such things are a necessity to you in order to practice your faith , then I really don't know what to say for you.

If Im not mistaken the 3 wise men brought gifts to Jesus Christ himself and I don't remember hearing about Mary receiving anything, nor anyone else. I would think the Son Of God would be entitled to recieve such things but it doesn't mean we are all entitled to the same.The Santa Clause ritual was what brought about this gift giving and not the birth of Christ.

Originally posted by intrepid
BTW, what if you got it wrong? What if a BB employee wished, oh, say FF a Happy Hannukah? I think there might be something just short of a nuclear reaction in the store. Correct me if I'm wrong.

You've got a good point there. At my work place, I wouldn't want to take that risk, and anger a customer because I automatically determined what faith they are, based on their looks.

The wisest decision an employer can make, when faced with a situation like this is to have their employees greet everyone with "Happy Holidays," which is what BB is doing.

With that being said, I wish ALL of our members and visitors here at ATS a HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON.

This thread has taken the predictable turn into the accusation that Christians want to keep the holiday to themselves. They have even been accused of being intolerant.

Best Buy sees fit to instate a policy that prohibits the words Merry Christmas in their advertising. No one asks why such a policy is necessary in the first place.

Nativity scenes are banned, prayer moment is banned, some want the words Under God out of the Pledge of Allegiance, flight attendants cannot wear a visible cross around their neck etc. etc. And people here cheer it on in the name of "inclusion".

It's supposed to be a season of warmth, of happiness and joy. Yet corporations choose to exclude the greetings that a significant segment of the population use? And when I say that I will protest in my own way, by boycotting that store, an atheist tell me to volunteer at the soup kitchen, as if his lack of beliefs somehow trumps my religious beliefs?

Well, guess what? I choose to be offended by the words Happy Holidays. Why? I don't need a reason, but if you want one, it's JUST BECAUSE. Merry Christmas, on the other hand, makes me happy. So, in order not to offend me, or anyone else, we should just cancel all celebrations, including birthdays and weddings. No happiness allowed here in the great barren, sterile, secular, antiseptic United States of America!

The hypocrisy is appaling.

Disgusted, Very Disgusted. To think this computer i have was bought from them. You know. i respect anyones faith. whatever you believe in or dont believe in. you got a holiday for it, fine good whatever. even tell me the "greeting" you use in your other religion. i dont care. its fine, your getitng to express your rights. but dont...... dont, Dont mess with my christ! Its Christmas.... Christ Mas. whats that again..... CHRIST MAS. on my calender it says CHRISTMAS it even got all those other religions days on it. but the day the county shuts down, damn near it. the holiday that 60% of america gets off on is CHRISTMAS!!!!!! and it insulting! if you dont like the Christ in Christmas. dont celebrate it. there is a solution. stop buying gifts, kill the Christmas shopping season. then nobody will have to worry about it. And that person who said "Merry Christmas" was an insult to his Lord Satan... Then he dont know his lord satan. Satan gives me a Christmas Present every year! yes whoever you are your a idiot. ur Satan comment offended my Lord Jesus! haha take that.

just so you know... i dont go to church, i have hair longer than your mother, i drink, i play devil music and cuss worse than 3 whores and a naval fleet. but i love Jesus. really i do. with that in mind i'll take your Flak, but i'll wish everyone MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!! TO ALL!!!!

Edit: Swearing and censor circumvention removed.

[edit on 30-11-2006 by intrepid]

Originally posted by intrepid
What if a BB employee wished, oh, say FF a Happy Hannukah? I think there might be something just short of a nuclear reaction in the store. Correct me if I'm wrong.

FIRST - I said I wasn't going to post again so your post about/or to me was not appropriate.

SECOND - YOU ARE WRONG - you asked to be corrected if you are wrong.

THIRD - If someone wished me a Happy Hannukah I'd be TOLERANT and say 'thank you, enjoy your holiday'. I'd be TOLERANT .. unlike those who are NOT tolerant and can't stand hearing the words 'MERRY CHRISTMAS'.

When Best Buy bans the words 'Merry Christmas' they are being INTOLERANT. It isn't the othe way around.

Originally posted by Duzey
Christianity is about following the teachings of Christ. Christ taught tolerance and inclusion.

He taught the TRUTH. The TRUTH is that it is CHRISTmas and that most people in America who are out buying gobs of items are out buying CHRISTmas presents. To ban people from saying 'Merry Christmas' is NOT being tolerant and is NOT being inclusive.

You have it backwards.


Now ya'll stop addressing anything to me. I said I wasn't going to be back on this thread.



[edit on 11/30/2006 by FlyersFan]

Originally posted by jsobecky
This thread has taken the predictable turn into the accusation that Christians want to keep the holiday to themselves. They have even been accused of being intolerant.

I think the best response to this is a quote by FF:

Originally posted by FlyersFan

Originally posted by Duzey
Tolerance and inclusion is what Christianity is supposed to be about.

No it's not. Christianity is supposed to be about saving souls ... not 'toleration'.

Originally posted by Rasobasi420
Does it matter what holiday the celebrate?

I'd rather they didnt' 'celebrate' anything. Either get it right or don't do anything .. and since they can't get it right they should not do anything at all.

Best Buy sees fit to instate a policy that prohibits the words Merry Christmas in their advertising. No one asks why such a policy is necessary in the first place.

Because it's obvious. They're adverizing to more than just the Christian population, so an all inclusive greeting is prudent.

It's supposed to be a season of warmth, of happiness and joy. Yet corporations choose to exclude the greetings that a significant segment of the population use? And when I say that I will protest in my own way, by boycotting that store, an atheist tell me to volunteer at the soup kitchen, as if his lack of beliefs somehow trumps my religious beliefs?

1. It's substituting a greeting that a significant portion of the population uses with a greeting that the entire population uses. How is that exclusion?

2. As is common among Christianity, since I don't profess a belief in Christ, you assume that I'm an athiest (heathen). I'm in fact not an athiest, but it seems that all that matters is that I'm not Christian huh?

Well, guess what? I choose to be offended by the words Happy Holidays. Why? I don't need a reason, but if you want one, it's JUST BECAUSE.

Well good for you. You can take offense in something that is in no way exclusive, but rather all inclusive. Are you offended that you are lumped in with other beliefs? That you are not made special? Well, Happy Holidays buddy.

The solution is Pretty simple, if you dont agree with the Bestbuyofascists change of rules, dont shop there, discourage all your friends and family from shopping there .......

When they could lose 10s of Millions of potential customers who Identify with Christmas because of Tradition or Religous beleifs they will then realise they may have screwed up !!

If there share price starts to tumble they will then Know they have screwed up !!


Power to the People !!

Very good point NumberCruncher. I think that the result of that will be a very minimal loss on BB's part, as most people will agree that it really doesn't matter. As a matter of fact, if this article hadn't come up on ATS, I'm willing to bet that none of the people who are all in a huff about it would even have noticed the HAPPY HOLIDAYS on their circular. in place of Merry Christmas.

Originally posted by jsobecky
This thread has taken the predictable turn into the accusation that Christians want to keep the holiday to themselves. They have even been accused of being intolerant.

So, you got the reaction you were looking for when you posted this topic then?

Nativity scenes are banned, prayer moment is banned, some want the words Under God out of the Pledge of Allegiance, flight attendants cannot wear a visible cross around their neck etc. etc.

None of which has anything to do with this topic, just an excuse to rant imo.

Well, guess what? I choose to be offended by the words Happy Holidays. Why? I don't need a reason, but if you want one, it's JUST BECAUSE.

Wow, the logic and tollerance is sure beaming through here.

Merry Christmas, on the other hand, makes me happy. So, in order not to offend me, or anyone else, we should just cancel all celebrations, including birthdays and weddings. No happiness allowed here in the great barren, sterile, secular, antiseptic United States of America!

This sounds just plain childish. "If I can't have MY way I'm taking my ball and going home."

The hypocrisy is appaling.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Originally posted by UofCinLA
It's freaking Christmas - OK..?? It a part of this country's beginning - deal with it, just like Thanksgiving....

[edit on 26-11-2006 by UofCinLA]

Actually Christmas was not celebrated by the Pilgrims. They would have considered it a Pagan festival.

The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston...

Source: kristinamh.blogspot.com...
This is a better source: www.mayflowerhistory.com...
I couldn't care less what greeting they give, I just smile and say "Thank You."



[edit on 30-11-2006 by Sparky63]

[edit on 30-11-2006 by Sparky63]

Originally posted by intrepid

Originally posted by LogansRun
But let me ask you this: As a Christian would you be offended if a Muslim were to wish you a happy ramadan? Or what about a Jewish person wishing you a happy hannekeu (I am not even going to try and spell this)? How about happy kwanza? Are you secure enough with your own self to accept this as good will regardless of who is saying it?

[edit on 27-11-2006 by LogansRun]

Wow man, well said. Do we understand the significance of those holidays? Probably not. Would we appreciate the intent? Not around here by the looks of it. :shk:

I'm rethinking. Again, well said.

THANK YOU! jeez..people are so petty..

anyways its sad that best buy does this for some extra bucks...but actually on black friday they did say merry christmas AND happy holidays to me haha.

Originally posted by jsobecky
This thread has taken the predictable turn into the accusation that Christians want to keep the holiday to themselves. They have even been accused of being intolerant.

Well, what do you expect? You open this thread with a biased title and make a huge deal out of nothing. The only people that seem to be offended by this in any way happen to be Christian. The arguments and logic presented here in this thread by Christians lean toward the notion that the holiday IS only for them as FF pointed out, as it is a celebration of the birth of Christ, and that is it. Well, for those of us who celebrate Christmas for other reasons, how is that supposed to make us feel? THAT is stating that Christmas is only for Christians - so yes, Christians DO want to keep the holiday to themselves - that is what all this fuss is over.

As far as intolerance, the lack of acceptance for others beliefs is what makes you intolerant. The whole thing is absurd. For a nation made up of Christians, a lot of you sure dont act like it. FF said it best to illustrate my point "Kwanzaa is fake". Regardless of the origins of it and who may or may not celebrate it, it still exists. People do recognize it. Just as Muslims recognize Ramadan, and Jews Hannakea (I still cant spell this ), and christians Christmas, and non Christians Christmas, many other people Winter Solstice, etc etc etc...

This time of year shouldn't be monopolized by any one group of people. To do so will only alienate you from the rest of us that have learned to get along. People have cried in this thread that Christianity is under attack, I say you bring it on yourselves.

Originally posted by FlyersFan


Now ya'll stop addressing anything to me. I said I wasn't going to be back on this thread.
[edit on 11/30/2006 by FlyersFan]

[snip]

I will ask this again as NO ONE has answered it. Where did they BAN the words Merry Christmas?????!!!!???? Not one article have used that terminology. They decided to use Happy Hollidays in their ADVERTISING to include everyone else who celebrates the season. Let me spell it out for you again as you continue to miss this point - The decided to use Happy Holidays in the ADVERTISING to include everyone else. Where did they BAN the use of the words Merry Christmas??!!


(Mod edit: Warnable comments removed. Ho ho ho! -- Santa Majic)

[edit on 11/30/2006 by Majic]

Originally posted by jsobecky
It's supposed to be a season of warmth, of happiness and joy.

And "Happy Holidays" falls short of conveying that how?

Yet corporations choose to exclude the greetings that a significant segment of the population use?

Corporations may exclude the more specific Merry Christmas, but only to INCLUDE the more general Happy Holidays. I know you don't agree with the concept, but that's what it is.

Well, guess what? I choose to be offended by the words Happy Holidays. Why? I don't need a reason, but if you want one, it's JUST BECAUSE.

So, it's ok for you to be offended by Happy Holidays "just because", but it's NOT ok for anyone to be offended by Merry Christmas? I'm surprised you don't see the double standard there and are not embarrassed to be operating under it...

Merry Christmas, on the other hand, makes me happy. So, in order not to offend me, or anyone else, we should just cancel all celebrations, including birthdays and weddings.

I suppose that's one way to deal with it, but it's not the one I choose. It does seem like you're saying "it's either my way or the highway" here...

Saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" is like saying "I wish you joy and happiness"! instead of the more specific "Happy Anniversary" to a couple celebrating their anniversary.

Do you think the couple is going to be offended and mutter under their breath, "What a jerk! He said he wished us joy and happiness instead of more specifically wishing us a happy anniversary like he's supposed to! We won't be inviting him to the next anniversary party"!

That's exactly what you (and others) are doing. And I'm sorry, but that's how you sound. And the only reason I can find that it's different is because it has something to do with religion. People are SO offended by religious concepts that don't agree with theirs, I can't believe it.

There's just no need for this. It's just silly. Bill O'Reilly started this whole "war on Christmas" fantasy drama and I can't believe intelligent, logical people buy it. :shk:

I'm really trying to rile myself up here and pick sides, but I'm a little confused. Are we to both be offended by the crass commercialization of Christmas usurping the true reason for the holiday and simultaneously outraged by some of the most blatant commercializers' refusal to acknowledge Christmas by name?

Or is it perfectly ok to convert a solemn occasion into an orgiastic frenzy of commerce as long as some verbal, cursory acknowledgement of the Christian aspect is made?

Or something.

Discuss among yourselves.

Yoyus Yuletides.