Thanks To Sears for acknowledging Christmas

Saddly it is not that way for sears Canada. Who does not want to
"offend" anybody with the words Merry Christmas. Except for the small
printed words Christmas Wish in the wish book. But this is printed
very small as if Christmas was a bad word. For sears it is I guess. I
would still continue to boycott sears. Shop at Wal Mart as they do use
the words Merry Christmas etc.

Christmas has one purpose. That is celebrating the birth of our Lord &
Saviour. Marketing Companies have taken full advantage of this day.
And the consumers have helped them out. Our nation has gotten carried
away with being politically correct. As a nation we should accept one
anothers differences. Not scream and yell, Oh, I'm offended someone
said Happy Hannakah to me. Just Grin and look them straight in the eye
and say Merry Christmas, Or what ever holiday is special in your
heart. This nation was built on christianity, So People get over
it!!! As for me I will stick with the companies that support the true
meaning of christmas. So MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of YOU at SEARS!!!!!!

"I will continue to shop at Sears for as long as Sears continues to
use the phrase "Merry Christmas"."

News Flash! Sears killing babies.

Oh, but they do say "Merry Christmas" and you DID promise to shop
there as long as they do that... so no worries on the babies.

I think that VH1 came up with the perfect solution to this last year
with the following phrase:

"Happy ChrismaHanahKwanza!" :)

OK, while everyone gets their panties in an uproar I would just like
to add my support for the phrase.
I'm not Christian. I'm not even close.
But Christmas isn't about just Christianity anymore than it is just
about shopping.
It's a season and a time for remembering family and loved ones that
far predates Christ. It was originally a Roman holiday where people
would lay out food on their tables and then go around to all their
freinds and family members homes and eat a little bit fo teh food they
left out and leave a small gift.

To some the phrase is meaningless, to others it has great meaning.

Personally I like it a lot better than have a happy holiday. I don't
care if I am greeted with Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukah, it just
seems more personal to me and less generic or "politically correct".

People need to get off the high horse of political correctness and
start remembering basic values don't come from a religion, they come
from people and traditions.

Hey Sarah,

Happy Channukkah!

For saving me from having to post this very information.

Here's all you need to know when my friends and I shop there this
Christmas:

My friend Lisa is Christian so wish her a Merry Christmas. David
celebrates Kwanzaa. You'll recognize him because he's Black, BUT my
other Black friend, Bob, celebrates Christmas (try not to get them
mixed up). Janice was Catholic but converted to Judaism so give her a
Happy Hannakuh. She said she doesn't mind if you wish her a Merry
Christmas, but only if her husband isn't there. Bill is Latino and
Catholic. He prefers Merry Christmas over Feliz Navidad, but he
probably won't get upset if you say that instead (not totally sure
about that though). Susan is an Atheist. You can wish her any of the
above EXCEPT Merry Christmas. I don't know why, she just doesn't like
it. I'm an Atheist too, but I want you to wish me Happy Easter just
because I think that would be funny.

So make sure you have all this straight. I don't want any of my
friends to get offended.

Thanks Sears,

I'll make it a point to shop there this holiday, er I mean, Christmas

Personally, I want to start an activist group to get rid of Santa! I
take offense of the way he calls me a Ho Ho Ho whenever I walk past
him! He does not know me!! How dare he!!!

It's the one time of year people concentrate on goodwill, kindness and
generosity. The one time of year songs about Jesus and about hope and
love and peace are played and sung and pondered everywhere. The one
time of year people are focused on giving instead of getting. It is a
time set apart, unlike any other time of year. It doesn't have to be
about spending your life's savings, only if you choose to make it that
way. It's very sad to me the cynical unhappy responses to Christmas I
am reading in some of these letters. How much better to rejoice and be
glad, especially if you are a Christian! It's Christmas! Jesus has
come! Hope rules!

and agree to disagree?? We all have different beliefs about this
subject. I think Merry Christmas is fine, but I think Seasons
Greetings or Happy Holidays is more appropriate. Both Seasons
Greetings and Happy Holidays would cover everyone, there are a lot of
different holidays going on from now until the end of the year. I do
not feel that most people would be offended by Merry Christmas, even
if you are not Christian. I also do not think that it is fair to
expect every service person you see to address you with the proper
greeting...ie, Happy Hanukah (sp?), Happy Kwanza, Merry Christmas etc,
etc.

You can't make all of the people happy all of the time, no matter
which phrase you choose to use, you may unintentionally offend
someone, unfortunately that is the nature of the world we live
in....so I spoke my peace on the subject. Let me just close by
wishing everyone Happy Holidays (does not matter to me which one(s)
you celebrate), and please be safe in your merriement!

Please please please can we not start this again!? I'm an Athiest
living in the bible belt and the Christians RUINED CHRISTMAS LAST YEAR
in my area. NO ONE in my area complained about the phrase "Merry
Christmas", and yet the Christians made my entire area a hostile place
to live in.I don't care, no one I know cares if you say "Merry
Christmas"! Is faux equality worth ruining everyone's Holidays again?
And yet how is someone like Sarah W. saying she is beyond words in her
happiness not supposed to get under my skin?

Can't we all just stop giving a damn about this "issue"?

I am also a Sears associate. Did you all ignore the other employee on
PURPOSE? All the signs in Sears say both Merry Christmas AND Happy
Holidays!

ONCE AGAIN..They say BOTH Merry Christmas AND Happy Holidays..

Why anyone would 'boycott' any business for this reason is beyond me.

This is a good discussion, but under no circumstance will profanity or
personal attacks be tolerated on PFB. Please stay on subject, and
think twice about your choice of language.

Also, to those who feel the need to push the envelop: do the community
a favor and set up a profile. This way we can facilitate the
transparency this community deserves, and allow each member to assess
the broader spectrum of contributions you have made.

I did a search on Yahoo! for Holidays in December. I got this list:

Advent
Boxing Day
Christmas
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Festivus

Hanukkah
Kwanzaa
New Year
Saint Nicholas Day
Santa Lucia Day
Winter Solstice (Northern Hemisphere)


So there is more than Christmas. There are probably more than are
listed here. For this reason, alone, it should be "Happy Holidays!".
Yon never know what Religion (on none) a person follows. "Happy
Holidays" covers just about everything.

Besides, if you really read what Christ was like, he fits more of a
Buddhist than a Christian: Wore Robes. Wore Sandals. Gave everything
he had to other. Sounds like the Dali Lama to me.

Thank you, Sarah, for bringing to my attention that Sears is using
"Merry Christmas" this year. I called KMart in my area yesterday to
let them know I will go out of my way to shop there because they, too,
are using the word "Christmas" in their advertising. I believe Sears
and KMart are owned by the same company. I refuse to spend my
Christmas cash at any store that refuses to say "Christmas" but puts
up "holiday trees" in September and spends countless dollars in
advertising to get my "holiday shopping" done in their stores! I did
this last year, too, and felt very good about putting my money where
my mouth is and standing by my principles.
Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas, everybody!

Am I the only one who really doesn't care either way? Merry Christmas,
Happy Holidays whatever... Just have a safe and happy time of the
year!

The word Christmas is taken from Christ + Mass. And that means the
DEATH of Christ.

A little odd considering it's SUPPOSEDLY the date set aside for the
BIRTH of Christ, right?

Jesus wasn't even born on December 25. It doesn't matter when He was
born, only that His sacrifice on the tree takes away sin.

If it truly were a Christian holiday (which it's not), how many
atheists do you think would celebrate it?

With so many winter time hollidays I think it's silly to force X-mas
on everyone. Just say Happy Hollidays. It includes everyone,
especailly when there are stores already pouring on the Merry X-mas
and it's not even turkey day yet. So a nice Happy Hollidays would be
welcomed and not so annoying to those of us who celebrate x-mas but
prefer to be all inclusive.

Dear Sears,

I find it so nice that you've taken time out of your business business
of selling lawnmowers, bras, and Clinique to recognize my birthday.
Little old me, gawsh, I'm flattered.

I can't think of anything that makes me feel all special inside as
people celebrating my birthday by buying toolkits that will never be
used, second-rate lingerie, or sneaker (not Nike, cause those sweat
shop folks seem offended that we're K-Mart).

I died for your sins and it was well worth it, yesiree, to see you all
spend, spend, spend.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

J.C.

So if an employee says something else, such as "have a happy holiday
season," or "Happy Chanukah" to a man wearing a yarmulke, you're not
going to shop there again?

Chanukah and Kwanzaa (sp?) are celebrated near or at Christmas, and I
know Chanukah is a gift-giving holiday (albeit a minor, relatively
unimportant Holy Day) to compete with Christmas. People also have
birthdays in December, so there is shopping associated with that.

I have to admit, if a clerk tells me, "Merry Christmas," I just say
"you too." I need to think of something peace-oriented to say this
year, in response.

Back to online shopping for "Happy New Year's" cards I go.

Christmas. Christmas. Christmas.

No, can't say I've ever heard of the concept you call "Christmas."
Well, maybe I should do what I always do when I see a word I don't
know. I'll look in a Sears ad.

Those wonderful Sears ads have taught me all kinds of words and
concepts I didn't know before.

The only problem is, if something doesn't appear in a Sears ad, it
must not exist.

I've never seen God in a Sears ad. So, I guess that means there is no
God. Never seen any references to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
Must not exist, either. What? You say there is a such thing as Mad
Cow Disease. No, there can't be. I didn't read about it in a Sears
ad. So it can't possibly affect me.

Sarah, it's very kind of you to write a positive letter to Sears
expressing your happiness with something they've done.

All this person has done is thank Sears for using the words "Merry
Christmas" in its advertising. I'm not understanding all the
controversy here.

Why is it okay for the hatefilled people of other faiths to protest
stores for saying Merry Christmsa and not the other way around.

Anyone that is offended by this is so narrow minded and whiny that I
wish I had their lives. I wish my life was as easy as yours that I'd
find this offensive.

I find Valentine's Day offensive. Should I get my panties in a bunch
every year if people wish me a happy one?

I know many people of Jewish, Muslim or atheist or whatever who are
more offended people assume they are offended by being wished Merry
Christmas than they would ever be offended by being wished it.

Just because a few narrow minded people who would whine about anything
are offended if wished a merry christmas is no reason to not say it.

I think it is great Sears acknowledges and uses the phrase "Merry
Christmas". The same with wal-mart and any others. They also say
Happy Holidays as well. Yes, we are in "the melting pot" which is
actually more of a salad, then melting pot, but that's neither here
nor there. However, it can not be ignored that we live in an Country,
better yet, on a Continenant that is by the vast majority one that
celebrates Christmas.
As an employee of a retail business, I have no problem saying Merry
Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa or whatever.
But as it stands, a safe bet is that whoever I talk to, they celebrate
Christmas, and NOT X-Mas either, but that's yet again neither here nor
there.

To quote Honest Abe, "You can please some of the people all of the
time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can
not ever please all of the people all of the time".

I grew up in "small town" Indiana. All of my friends celebrated
Christmas, I didn't know very many Jews, Catholics, etc. Anyone that
did celebrate a different holiday kept it pretty quiet and usually
gave in to Christmas "peer pressure" anyway. Boy was it a culture
shock when I moved to Florida and everyone celebrated their own set of
holidays. All of a sudden I was forced to start saying Happy Holidays
(if I wanted to say anything about the season at all) to everyone
walking by my office because you had no clue what holidays they
celebrated or what religeon they believed in. I certainly was not
offended when someone wished me a Happy Holiday season. As far as I'm
concerned that is the most kind thing you can say to someone because
it makes the statement "I don't care what religeon you celebrate, I
hope you have a wonderful time". What is wrong with that?

I don't understand why people can't grasp the concept that although we
have different religeon's we are all people. Everyone of us has the
right to have a Happy Holiday. Even if it simply means we get a few
days off to spend some much needed quality time with family. Let's
not forget that the world does not revolve around one person or in
this case, one religeon.

I am baffled over this?? Part of what makes this country great is it's
diversity!!! It truely is a melting pot, with many different people
off all different shapes, sizes, colors, backgrounds, and religions!!
I happen to be 1st generation American, both my parents immegrated
from other countries (Italy and Ireland), I happen to have been
brought up Roman Catholic and DO celebrate Christmas BUT not EVERYONE
in the US does!! How would you feel if you walked into a store and saw
nothing but channukah (sorry, i am sure I misspelled it) signs?? and
everyone that worked there wished you a happy Quanzaa?? I would be
willing to bet, you would feel completely EXCLUDED. A store that NEEDS
to have mass appeal to even stay afloat, NEEDS to try to keep ALL it's
customers happy, from all different backgrounds, not just those from a
christian background!!

So, now I pose a question........ All those that are against
businesses using other phrases than "Merry Christmas".... how do you
suggest that these stores keep those Wonderful hard working people,
who just do NOT happen to be christians happy.... OTHER than just
wishing everyone a "Happy Holiday"?????

Perhaps we should all just wear big signs that SAY what Holiday we
celebrate??


Once again, for the second post of the night... WHY do people feel
such a need to HATE????

will more than likely come from Fred's, Dollar General.

For other family, DONATIONS to charities like St. Jude and March of
Dimes takes the heat off of me.

My purchase of Chanukah gifts for my family will come from stores that
acknowledge that not everyone celebrates Christmas. I'm happy Sears
is acknowledging Christmas also, it makes it easy for me to know what
stores have no respect for my beliefs and therefor will not get a dime
of my hard earned money.

I work for Sears. At my store, our signs both say "Merry Christmas"
and "Happy Holidays." That way, everyone who celebrates a holiday
coming up is acknowledged. We alternate our signing and have gotten a
lot of positive feedback so far. Just thought I'd pass on the
information since some of you wondered why Sears was just saying
"Merry Christmas." We are saying both to our customers.

I am a Christian and I avoid Xmas like the plague. It's a pagan
holiday, that's why. (No, I'm not a JW.)

I'm perfectly happy to call the latter part of December "winter
break."

If anyone should declare war on Xmas it's Christians. Jeremiah
10:1-5.

I have never understood this "controversy". If I were a devout
Christian, I think I would be offended to have the celebration day of
my religion's Savior turned into nothing more than a sales gimmick.
Also, if you believe Christmas to be a soley religious , albeit
traditional, celebration, then I'm afraid you are in danger of
creating a state religion. Bad idea, that. So please, practice your
faith. Keep your traditions. But don't confuse commerce with
religion.
As for the whole "Happy Holidays" thing, Christmas is one day out of
what has turned into a season that includes everything from the day
after Halloween to the day after New Years. When I work in the public,
I say "Happy Holiday" less in an attempt not to offend than attempting
not to get confused - after all when you are hearing Jingle Bells,
Thanksgiving is not what comes first to mind.

So....

You are proud and happy that Sears doesnt discriminate against you and
your beliefs and traditions.

But its ok that you and Sears disciminate against every other belief
and tradition?

For Heaven's sake, whether Sears or any other store uses "Merry
Christmas" in its advertising (and don't be fooled-that's all it is-it
really isn't a statement on the values that Sears' shareholders
espouse) has NOTHING to do with my faith and how I celebrate Christ's
birth. Are so many people that insecure about their relgious beliefs
that it has come to Christians needing store advertising to validate
the holiness of Christmas for us? It is just plain silly as far as I
am concerned.

Yes but what about the total slap in the face to people who have lost
their lives defending our country? Memorial Day is not even seven
months away and Sears has yet to do anything to recognize it.

For that matter, what about Hanukkah? If a one-day holiday like
Christmas merits a two-month "season," shouldn't the Hanukkah season
be 16 months a year?

Sears is a private company and should do whatever it thinks will
maximize its sales overall. However, I think a lot of the time when
people get put off, it is not by the fact that Christmas is recognized
but by the fact that we are flooded with it for two months a year.
For those people who appreciate it being recognized, is it really so
important that the country be sea-to-sea Christmas and that it start
the day after Halloween? Would a touch of subtlety and starting a
week before the holiday really be the end of the world?

So here's the thing about living in America...

You can't say anything without offending someone. If I say Merry
Christmas there is someone who doesn't celebrate it. If I say Happy
Holidays there is someone who doesn't believe in Holidays. You can't
make everyone happy all the time.

Not everyone celebrates Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah,
Kwanzaa, The New Year on January 1st, Birthdays, Easter, Rosh
Hashana... you get the picture... so you go about your life and when
someone wishes you Happy Holidays you politely say "I celebrate
Christmas. Thank you for the good wishes". Or you don't need to say
what holiday you celebrate. If you get offended over something as
simple as a store not using Merry Christmas then you must really have
nothing better to advocate for. Stores should use whatever
terminology the decision makers are comfortable with and adults all
over the US should realize that it isn't personal.

I'm not boycotting any store based on whether or not they say Merry
Christmas or Happy Holidays, but as a Jew, I find this whole boycott
of stores that don't say Merry Christmas very offsensive. We're a
country of many religions, and we only be acknowledging one.

I'll probably get called snarky too, but you have to keep in mind that
while this might be great for you, it might be offensive to those who
DON'T celebrate Christmas.

While I don't advocate taking PC-ism to the extreme, at this time of
the year especially, it's easy to forget that while most of us are
gearing up for Christmas, many others don't share the celebration of
Christmas as we do and could be made to feel left out or offended.

You clearly don't like your special holidays neglected or glossed
over, so please take that into consideration.

I think it would be better if you could support the store REGARDLESS
of what holiday they are promoting.

I am deeply offended by Sears. I am not going to shop there because I
choose to celebrate Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanza and New Years. How
dare Sears only choose to recognize one holiday in the holiday
season.
Why are they discrimination against the other holidays :)

What happened to Thanksgiving? Did we all skip a month?

Didnt we do this last year? I'm going to start only shopping at stores
that REFUSE to say Merry Christmas, just to balance out the idiocy.

If something so small as a business using Merry Christmas in their
advertising affects you so much, I feel sorry for you.

:) This is completely snarky of me, I know, but when someone wishes me
a Merry Xmas, I always respond with Happy Solstice. I'll acknowledge
your seasonal celebration as long as you acknowledge mine. :)