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Focus on the Family Focusing on Holiday Wording
Categories: Holidays, Religion & Spirituality, Shopping
Do you buy your kids Christmas presents or are they, as they are in our home, simply "holiday gifts" (or perhaps even "solstice gifts", if I'm feeling particularly ornery.) If you're more into the former than the latter, then James Dobson and his group Focus on the Family has some important information for you. No, it's not what toys your kids will like or even which toys are safe. It's not even where to get the best deals in these lean times. Instead, they want you to know which retailers are pro-Christmas.Yes, they've compiled a shopping guide that groups stores into three categories: Christmas-Friendly, Christmas-Negligent, and Christmas-Offensive. The first group proudly uses Christmas-specific phrases such as "Merry Christmas" in their catalogs and advertising. Christmas-offensive retailers, on the other hand, have "apparently abandoned" Christmas, choosing instead to use more inclusive, secular phrases such as "Happy Holidays". Negligent retailers waffle back and forth, using Christmas some of the time.
Now, I suppose some people might actually care about such things, and, I have to admit, all else being equal (price, convenience, etc.), I might be more inclined to patronize a store that doesn't try to force the owner's beliefs on me, but it really doesn't matter enough to bother checking some list to see which stores cater to my whims and which don't. How do you feel about it?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Uly 11-19-2008 @ 9:11AM
I think James Dobson needs to get a life.
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Amanda 11-19-2008 @ 9:52AM
Not this again! In a year where so many more people are unemployed and falling behind, it would be nice to see organizations such as Focus on the Family to focus on issues that actually effect families rather than this nonsense.
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LS 11-19-2008 @ 10:23AM
You know, if this were a Jewish Holiday that had been seriously secularized, to the point of *banning* the original meaning in an educational setting (and by that I mean not telling people that "Christmas" did, indeed, start out as the Solstice celebration - none of it is ever acknowledged in schools), Mr. Dobson would be applauded for fighting this fight. But because it's a Christian issue, comments like "he needs to get a life" abound.
Christmas, as it's currently celebrated, has Christian Roots. Yes, it started out as a Pagan Celebration. Yes, it has incorporated other traditions ('Fr. Christmas' placing toys in children's shoes). But "Christmas" is the celebration of Christ's Birth.
What's wrong with a Christian Group putting out a list to its Christian members, and in a press release at large, of those stores that embrace the "meaning of the season"? Nobody is calling for a boycott. Nobody is saying that the stores that say "Happy Holidays" should be shunned. It's simply information.
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Uly 11-19-2008 @ 1:58PM
LS, if Dobson were running this exact same campaign, but substituting a Jewish holiday - or a holiday from any other religion - that he wanted specific greetings for, and saying that "Happy Holidays" was "anti-semetic" (or whatever religion he chose to say it was anti), I'd think it was just as silly and pointless as it is today.
Try not to assume so much.
SKL 11-19-2008 @ 10:35AM
Well, first of all, James Dobson has a right to his opinion and to express his religious beliefs. It's no secret that his thoughts are based in Christianity, and his audience wants to hear them anyway, so why should anyone else care?
Secondly, here's what gets to some people. This goes back generations. Here are these stores building up a market for materialistic Christmas stuff to capitalize on Christians' excitement about the Christmas season. Nobody can pretend that's not what it's all about. So a couple of generations get all caught up in Santa and Frosty and dozens of presents and pretties that have less and less to do with Christianity, but at this point, we're still talking about Christmas. The owners are getting richer and richer as Christmas gets more and more materialistic. Well, the owners are Jewish, so at some point they decided to switch to Happy Holidays in order to push their own agenda. So politically correct! By the time Christmas is banned in public squares and such, they are all ready for it, and they are making more money than ever.
It bugs people that these Jewish businessmen have been getting rich off Christmas and then trying to distance themselves from it. If you don't believe in Christ's mass, what business do you have pandering it to others? Is this not the height of hypocrasy?
Personally I shop wherever I find what I need, with a few exceptions. But I do understand why some people would be interested in James Dobson's list.
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CLM 11-19-2008 @ 11:08AM
Wow, where did the Jew-hate come from? I'm pretty sure that the retailers in the US have all kinds of backgrounds. As I recollect it, the happy holidays thing started because it finally occurred to people that other religious holidays celebrated by US citizens fell into the same season and that maybe it was a bit myopic to only wish felicitations on one group.
Amanda 11-19-2008 @ 11:23AM
SKL - Your post is just a bit anti-semetic. How do you know that all the business owners who say "Happy Holidays" are Jewish? For all you know, it could be that business owners see the importance of being inclusive to all of their customers during the holiday season and recognize that other holidays are celebrated this time of year. They may also recognize that non-Christians may also celebrate Christmas.
Like it or not, Christmas is much more of a secular holiday now than a religious one. While some people may still emphasize only the religious aspects of the holiday, most other people combine both or celebrate a secular version. And like it or not, business' first concern is to make money. You make the most money by being inclusive to all groups, and if that means saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" to your customers, then that is what they are going to do.
It is perfectly within the rights of Focus on the Family to make this an issue, but with everything else going on in the country right now, this seems silly.
ninainindia 11-19-2008 @ 10:59AM
I am not religious at all but I don't understand that there are people that have a problem with Merry Christmas or christmas trees. For me it has no connection to religion although of course I know what the holiday is about for Christians.
Why can't we all accept that we are not all the same and we do not all believe the same thing and just respect each others (non) beliefs?
So I will shop wherever I happen to walk inside and find something I like, but even though I'm not religious I might not shop at that place where they are being "politically correct" by avoiding the word Christmas because I hate political correctness!
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CLM 11-19-2008 @ 11:04AM
Is it just me, or is it weird that a religious leader is hyped up about how retailers handle this holiday? I mean, really, for him, this should be a religious observance, right? So why would he care how the secular celebrate it?
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Amanda 11-19-2008 @ 11:26AM
CLM - The reason Focus on the Family gets so wound up about this is because they do care how the secular celebrate Christmas. It's not enough for them to have beliefs, they have to make sure they can force them on everyone else.
LS 11-19-2008 @ 11:47AM
Last time I checked, Focus on the Family isn't "forcing" their views on anyone. They have a private mailing list, which people are free to subscribe - or unsubscribe - to. They occasionally put out a press release about one issue or another that they feel strongly about, which newspapers can then choose to print, or not. Finally, the consumer can choose to read and follow FotF's information, or the consumer can choose to reject that information.
None of that sounds like "forcing their views"... any more than anyone else putting information out there. Last time I checked, although it's seriously under attack, the First Amendment still applies.
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Jenni 11-19-2008 @ 1:05PM
Exactly!
I also, however, find it odd that so many non-Christians are set to be included in this holiday (and Easter is included in my argument). This is 100% a religious holiday, the birth of Christ. You can't change that! If you don't like it, then don't celebrate it.
Happy Thanksgiving, Happy New Year, Merry Christmas. I like to hear any of those things. I don't balk when I hear someone say Happy Hanukka either.
I'm willing to spread my Christmas cheer to everyone; and I'm willing to have them spread their religious cheer to me. It isn't meant to force my beliefs on anyone; it's strictly to say, "Hey, I'm joyous and this is why!"
I don't think that someone who wished me a Happy Hannuka is trying to convert me to their beliefs; don't think that just because I say Merry Christmas to you that I'm trying to convert you.
I like that people are fighting back; it's our right to. It's also your right to NOT look at the list. They aren't going and pinning it to your door, they aren't saying you can't shop at these places; they are only saying that, if you so choose, here is a list that you can look at.
Jenni 11-19-2008 @ 1:12PM
Exactly!
I also, however, find it odd that so many non-Christians are set to be included in this holiday (and Easter is included in my argument). This is 100% a religious holiday, the birth of Christ. You can't change that! If you don't like it, then don't celebrate it.
Happy Thanksgiving, Happy New Year, Merry Christmas. I like to hear any of those things. I don't balk when I hear someone say Happy Hanukka either.
I'm willing to spread my Christmas cheer to everyone; and I'm willing to have them spread their religious cheer to me. It isn't meant to force my beliefs on anyone; it's strictly to say, "Hey, I'm joyous and this is why!"
I don't think that someone who wished me a Happy Hannuka is trying to convert me to their beliefs; don't think that just because I say Merry Christmas to you that I'm trying to convert you.
I like that people are fighting back; it's our right to. It's also your right to NOT look at the list. They aren't going and pinning it to your door, they aren't saying you can't shop at these places; they are only saying that, if you so choose, here is a list that you can look at.
Amanda 11-19-2008 @ 2:16PM
Jenni,
Like I said above, Christmas is no longer a 100% religious holiday. It has been secularized for sometime now. Sure there is a religious part to the holiday, but to say it's 100% religious is overstepping.
I am tiring of "Christians" acting as if they and their beliefs are being persecuted. Please, it's not happening, except in the imaginations of right-wing media and groups.
Baron 11-20-2008 @ 10:47AM
Yup, you are right! He is forcing things on us about as much as Roger is forcing his views on us (which, I don't think he is, but it would be beyond easy to say that he is using his own logic). We have the ability to make our own choices and, I am sorry to say, most people are sheep that are all to easily swayed by other people. Most of these sheep (I use that in place of idiots) think that everything is forcing them to do something, they just pick a path, follow along it and other paths that are presented are automatically seen as forceful and wrong. Oh well.
SKL 11-19-2008 @ 1:05PM
Why is it anti-semitic to point out that Jews are making money off a holiday that is against their religion? Or to point out that this is hypocritical? You could say Jews that promote Christmas are exhibiting anti-semitic behavior, but not that someone pointing out their behavior is.
People need to understand the difference between acknowledging a fact and having a bias. You can't have an intelligent conversation if everything you hear about someone in a particular group is written off as racist, anti-semitic, or homophobic.
Check and see who has owned the big department stores over the past century. Don't take my word for it.
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Uly 11-19-2008 @ 7:24PM
LOL, SKL! Selling products to customers isn't, to my knowledge, against *anybody's* religion.
Jenna 11-19-2008 @ 8:53PM
Christmas isn't "against" the religion of Judaism, it just isn't celebrated in that religion. Happy Holidays is more accurate and more open-ended - Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Years... that's a lot of HOLIDAYS - it's not all about Christmas, even for christians.
SKL, the assumptions you're making and the language you're using are straight up ignorant and anti-semetic. Though I don't normally agree with you, I was still surprised by the ugliness of your comments here. It just reminds me why I shouldn't be reading Parent Dish - it makes me all stabby. Just remember that Hannukah is EIGHT days of presents - so all those Jews hoarding their money in their corporate offices, controlling the world from their desks are spending a ton of money over the holiday season. They're stealing their "own kinds" money just as much as they're stealing the christians.
SKL 11-19-2008 @ 9:30PM
My comments are factual. Like it or not. I am not interested in being politically correct, especially if I'd have to distort or hide facts to do so.
Even if each Jewish person bought ten times as much as each Christian does for Christmas, they'd still be selling more to Christians. Last I checked, only 2% of the US population was Jewish.
Point is, if you want to capitalize on Christmas, don't hide the fact that it's Christmas you're selling. There is nothing wrong with "Happy Holidays," but why have they censored the word "Christmas" out? When I was a kid, they often used to say/write, "Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah." What's wrong with that? When the stores are filled on Christmas Eve, the customers are there to buy Christmas presents. "Happy Holidays" said on that day is either forced or the result of an agenda.
James Dobson doesn't believe in censoring Christ. Lots of people agree with him. That's the bottom line.
Oh, by the way, I'm part Jewish, am a religious free-thinker (have been to Hindu temples much more than churches in the past 10 years), and only one-third of my household was raised to treat December 25 as Christmas. I don't believe in censoring Christ. That hardly makes me an anti-semite.
jen 11-19-2008 @ 2:59PM
I've alway wondered why the Christian majority (of which I am one!) takes such offense to a cheerful greeting of "Happy Holidays" - I especially dread the way FOXNews, et al, have managed to take Christmas and turn it into yet another devisive tactic. "Happy Holidays" is actually the most factually correct greeting, as the "season" includes multiple holidays - starts with Thanksgiving and goes all the way thru New Years!!
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