What's all this talk about a "holiday" ?

[Wiregrass Willie]

I've been watching cable news this morning and they are all talking about Black Friday sales and shopping in general. What I can't understand is their constant reference to "holiday shopping". What holiday ? We just had the Thanksgiving Holiday. Surely they can't mean that. Did they mean Ramadan ? Or Hanukkah ? Or Guy Fawkes Day ? Or Bastille Day ? Apparently not. Nobody shops enough for those days to amount to anything.

Could they possibly be alluding to the most important holiday in the Western World ? Then why don't they just say CHRISTMAS !

It's odd that these Corporate atheists resent mentioning the day that profits them the most. I wonder if -- when they close the shop at night -- all of their family gathers around the cash register and lustily sings -- "What a friend we have in Jesus" !

[slackmaster]

1. Christmas advertising season starts in late August in most of teh USA

:argh:

[baldguy]

2. Hollowgivingmas - a two month celibration

With seleral "holidays" characterized by hollow, meaningless giving.

[MadHound]

3. Or it could simply mean that they're being inclusive,

You know, since there are many holidays upcoming, as you pointed out, that they are simply trying to be more inclusive. But God forbid, if somebody doesn't mention Christmas on TV, it's some sort of atheist plot or something:eyes:

Oh, that's right, being tolerant an inclusive are quaint little passages in the Bible, but they aren't actually put into practice by many Christians.

[Wiregrass Willie]

17. I'm trying to be inclusive

Which means I want to include the 80% to 85% of Americans the "holiday" users are leaving out.

[MADem]

4. Well, Jews DO shop for Hannukah. They really do.

They contribute a decent amount to those corporate coffers, and to leave them out isn't fair. I suppose they could say "Christmas and Hannukah" shopping, but that's six syllables and three words, when you can do it in three syllables and one word...

[kestrel91316]

5. Thank you. I suspect in my community there's just as much Hannukah

spending as Christmas spending. The stores all have blue and white and gold decorations so as to include the Jewish community. It's not just about Christmas here.

[kdmorris]

7. I live in South Florida

much of the spending today is likely to be for Hanukkah.

I personally don't go anywhere near any store today unless I absolutely have to, or there really is something that I want.

[frogcycle]

6. Glad you are there looking out for us, Willie

can't let that war on Christmas go on without proper indignation!

[Wiregrass Willie]

21. Just keeping a lookout for OUR heritage n-t

[kdmorris]

8. The most important holidy in the Western World

How do you figure that? Did you take a poll? Because last I checked, Christians think that Easter is the most important holiday in the Western World, while Jews seem to take Yom Kippur pretty seriously, more seriously than Hanukkah.

Corporate atheists... :eyes:

[rug]

9. It will be the most important holiday in the western world until 1/20/09.

[kdmorris]

13. Amen, Brother!!!

Truer words have not been spoken.

[Buns_of_Fire]

23. Bush-B-Gone Day! Shop now! Avoid the rush!

:party:

[Wiregrass Willie]

20. Easter is the big day for Catholics

And I love that tribe.

But most Protestants seem to like Christmas. Best I can figure about 65% of Americans are Protestant. 17% are Catholic. 2% are Jewish. So that leaves a large pile of about 16% that we will call either "other" or "undecided". I suppose "undecided" sounds more inclusive.

[msongs]

10. christianity would wither and die without the annual greedfest & santa clause bribery of kids

seems to me all this spending on themselves and themselves and themselves is against the core teachings of their prophet.
so here are the masses out buying toxic cheap things made by heathen slave labor in honor of their favorite conspicuous consumption event whose key symbols are all pagan. is there not some sort of contradiction in all this?

Happy BUY NOTHING DAY today, btw!

Msongs

[MindPilot]

11. "Corporate atheists"?

Exactly what do you mean by that?

[BlueJac]

12. Corporate atheists.........

it this another right wing talking point? Sounds like to much cable news to me!

[iamahaingttta]

14. Hey Willie? Some of us...

...don't give two shits about Christmas, but enjoy the spirit of giving during the season. In my clan, most of us have birthdays between Halloween and New Year's and we get together on Dec.25 and exchange birthday presents. We also chip in together and donate a chunk to various non-profits. Your friend Jesus is never mentioned. We do decorate a Saturnalia Tree. We like it that way.

Your pal,

The Totally Anti-Corporate Athiest


(p.s. - Guy Fawkes Day SHOULD be the most important holiday in the western world!)

[Wiregrass Willie]

18. I'll drink to that most any day :-)

[TahitiNut]

15. I'm seeing this everywhere.

[Breeze54]

16. The MSM is a retailer?

:shrug:

Retailers advertise on TV but the newscast people are just being PC.
There is more than one holiday coming up in the USA in the next month.
That's why they use the generic word 'holiday' instead.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Several reasons and they are all historical

1.- Until the late 19th cnetury Chirstmas was NOT a big deal in the US. Hell, in the North some folks beleived it to be quite the pagan holiday.

2.- It became the buying fest it did, starting in the 1920s

3.- THere is an effort underway right now to commercialize Hanukah and Kwanza and guilt Americans into giving gifts during the holidays

Never mind that Chirstmas was a relatively MINOR holiday in the calendar and that Hanukah is a minor holiday.

[AndyTiedye]

22. Have a Swinging Saturnalia

and a stellar Solstice
and a cool Yule
and a happy Hanukkah
and a krazy Kwanzaa
and a wonderful Christmas
and a great New Year