No, “Merry Christmas” can feel offensive to non-Christians because it assumes that we are Christian. I often say I feel about Christmas the way I feel about London — it’s my favorite city I don’t live in. I enjoy Christmas. I enjoy the music and I enjoy “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “A Christmas Carol,” and “Miracle on 34th Street.” I am happy to participate in other people’s celebrations. I have attended vespers and stuffed stockings with relatives. But I believe it is both insensitive and contrary to the founding principles of the United States to try to impose any religious holiday on people of other religions. The real “War on Christmas” is from those who want to turn it into a secular commercial extravaganza. The Christmas warriors should spend their time urging those who do celebrate Christmas to do so in a manner befitting the spirit of the holiday and leave those of us who do not worship Jesus alone.

I’m just wondering where people got their ideas From? Christmas, ok well from when I could actually form a thought and remember, all christmas was to me was when this guy in a red suit with white hair and a beard came somehow into my house and gave me presents. Sure we had a manger set up somewhere in the house but before I was about 13 I didn’t care who Jesus Christ was. But every other religious person who personally believed who Allah was from age 1, and don’t forget Jahova now everyone age 2 knows who that is right? Mohamed isn’t even God and who is the reason behind Kwanza? That’s a made up celibration not more than 20 years old.
I’m Christian and I respect everyone else’s feelings towards the holidays but this, “let’s put an end to Christmas” has to stop. I’m considering a lawsuit because my son (who’s caucasian) is expected to bring snacks this year for Kwanza to to school. Sorry we don’t celebrate that in our house. He might have to go do detention because he doesn’t have feelings for other cultures. Well, I will offer to go do detention because I don’t consider Kwanza a real holiday. It’s not my son’s fault if I don’t let him take snacks. I will go to school and do the detention only to show him that you take responsibility for your actions but sometimes you actions are based on your beliefs.
I’m getting real sick and tired of Politically Correctness when you can’t say Merry Christmas and You have to take down the Nativity Scene and replace it with a Menorah. I don’t feel good when my son can’t say ho ho ho, because he’s talking about prostitutes although he has no clue what a protitute is, as I was always under the impression you needed to know what you were putting down before you actually could.
The people all over this country today need to grow up and stop feeling bad because people believe in God, Mohammed, Yahwey, or whatever you call your redeemer. I don’t care how you get to your reward after you die, unless you need to kill someone to get it, but leave others alone if you want to be recognized. We are equal here now aren’t we? Isn’t that what the higher being wanted from us? I don’t know but I get this real strange feeling that if God had offered 26 virgins to follow him and die for him, we wouldn’t have any male chrisitans around today, so tell me how stupid is that promise from your Leader……
Can’t we just leave Christmas as it is today, a reason to open your store early, raise prices and only have one of every item on sale today in stock. Let’s let us who want to celebrate any way we want to let it go. I’ll still put my nativity scene out on my front lawn and none of my neighbors have any worry about what they put out there from me as it’s a free world here in America, or at least I thought it was.

Their take on why “Merry Christmas” can feel offensive to non-Christians? “Because after 2000 years, Jesus is still intimidating people.”
More like because after 2000 years Christians are still sticking their noses into other people’s business uninvited.
I don’t want to hear about what mythology you’ve adopted for yourself. I don’t care about your faux Mithraian, semi-Dionysian, hemi-Osirian deity nor whether he “died for my sins” or not. I don’t want to hear about your low sense of self-worth that forces you to seek affirmation from your sky-daddy. I don’t care what you think is going to happen to you after you die. I don’t care what you think is going to happen to *me* after you die.
Just back the heck off, Christians.

…and who is the reason behind Kwanza? That’s a made up celibration not more than 20 years old.

And in 1980 more years, Kwanzaa will be a 2000 year old made-up celebration.
Just like Christmas.
Relativity – it’s not just for breakfast anymore!

You know, I don’t understand why so many people have a hard time understanding why non-Christians would prefer for people to not say Merry Christmas to them. I’m Jewish and celebrate Hanukkah, but it would never even occur to me to go around saying Happy Hanukkah to every one I come across. I would only say it to people I knew celebrated it. Why is that so hard to understand? Personally, I don’t care if Christmas decorations are all over public places or if a store wants to have a ‘Christmas’ sale, after all most people in this country celebrate Christmas. But, I draw the line at having to be wished a Merry Christmas every 2 seconds at this time of year. I don’t like it because well number one I don’t celebrate Christmas and number two it puts me in an awkward position as how I should respond to it.

I just say “OK” and walk on.

Really??? I’m amazed. I believe in Christmas and I enjoy it, and i like it when people say Merry Christmas, but then again I BELIEVE IN CHRISTMAS. People need to remember what it is like to NOT be in the majority. Imagine what it would be like if people went around saying happy Hanukkah, would we, as people who celebrate Christmas be very happy about that? No we would raise hell! (even though we never want to go there). But there is something called tact and in the “Spirit” of Christmas don’t you think it is appropriate that we all have some. We still have holly and Christmas trees and carols playing in the elevators, so what if there are menorahs and what not peppered in, and we say happy holidays instead of CHRISTmas? Say Merry Christmas to friends and family who celebrate the day and happy holidays to those who don’t or you don’t know. Is it really that hard? God will still love us. http://www.godstilllovesus.org

I’m Jewish and celebrate Hanukkah, but it would never even occur to me to go around saying Happy Hanukkah to every one I come across. I would only say it to people I knew celebrated it.
I’m Catholic. And if you said “Happy Haunkkah” to me, I would take it in the spirit it’s intended – as a friendly and cheerful greeting – and not get hung up on which religion you mentioned. I’m always fascinated at this time of year at how many people get so embroiled in religious divisions, they ignore the sense of goodwill that’s behind all of these holidays.

And yet, to you as a Catholic Hanukkah doesn’t respresent anything that is offensive to/ or contrary to your religion, Jesus himself even celebrated it. But Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter can represent something quite different to Jews. For them they can hold memories of centuries of persecution and mass slaughter. For, say, a Hindu or Buddhist Christmas may be neutral, but it can never be that for a Jew.

Why oh why would I need to see Christmas decorations everywhere I go to appreciate Christmans.
Why oh why would I want someone insincerely wishing me “Merry Christmas”. Is Our Lord better served by insincere displays…or, by true devotion by his followers?
Peace!

1. We have no evidence that Jesus was born Dec. 25 … what we do know is that Mithrasmas was celebrated on that day … and that Pagan solar Gods were born on the winter solstice … and that the notion of ‘he rose on the third day’ is not just Christian, in fact it’s based on the transit of the Sun in the southernmost portion of the sky before its return north, a transit which lasts roughly THREE NIGHTS, and so the resurrection on the third day is based on an astrological calculation and beliefs that are based on astrology. This is well known. The Magi were also Persian priests / astrologers following a star, so that the authors of this modern version of the dying and resurrecting God myth were legitimizing astrology.
2. Jesus was born in Judea, where his birthday would have been marked according to the Jewish calendar, which I personally know nothing about and find completely irrelevant as a Westerner. Therefore, he couldn’t have been born in ‘december’ (which is a month in the Roman calendar). The Hebrew calendar doesn’t use december.
3. The ‘Christmas tree’ was originally a Yule Log, that is a Pagan mystical tree, the evergreen, which symbolizes life eternal to the Pagans. It’s actually associated with heathen spirituality. There is a rune named after the Yew. Yggdrassil is the Cosmic Yew, it’s the World Tree in Norse myth. The Cosmic Tree is a myth found in many or most shamanic traditions.
4. Chrismas is a holiday when everybody renders unto Caesar what is God’s. If people, even whose who were raised Christians, have forgotten its religious meaning, that’s because it’s the main consummerist holiday of the year. And so the universalization of Christmas, inevitably, secularized it. Common sense dictates that if people want a religious holiday, they should disinvite non-religious people, and people from other traditions! Otherwise you’ll have a transcultural ‘holiday’ which includes Kwanzaa, Chanukah, Ramadan, Diwali and others.
I don’t mind if people say ‘Merry Christmas’ to me, I’m a Hare Krishna and although it’s nice to be told ‘Happy Diwali’, I don’t expect it. So if I say Merry Christmas to people it’s because I know that it’s obvious that they’re Christians and that they’d appreciate it … otherwise I say Happy Holidays.
I like some of the traditions of Christmas, but honestly, it’s not that serious … to turn this into a political issue is misguided. It also makes me question the true ‘Christmas spirit’ of the person, in other words: would this person be hostile to me if they learned what my spirituality is? It means that you don’t really understand the Pagan origins of Christmas, that you think Jesus was born on this day and that you lack humility and want everyone in a secular society to show deference to a celebration which is religious, and not secular, and so it’s irrelevant to people who may not share your beliefs.
To people who believe as Christians, this holiday should be personal and not political, it should be about the appearance of Jesus in their personal lives, just as the festival of the birth of Krishna is to me.
Either way, to those who do believe as Christians, I say Merry Christmas!

You said; “I’m Catholic. And if you said “Happy Haunkkah” to me, I would take it in the spirit it’s intended – as a friendly and cheerful greeting – and not get hung up on which religion you mentioned. I’m always fascinated at this time of year at how many people get so embroiled in religious divisions, they ignore the sense of goodwill that’s behind all of these holidays.”
Personally, I’m not against public displays of the Christian Manger, as long as the Jewish Menorah, the Asatru Yule Tree (origin of “Christmas Tree”), Wiccan Pentacle and still more displays of other faiths are all permitted to be displayed together.
Why not have the Ten Commandments displayed in Courthouses across the nation? As long as the Buddhist 4 Noble Truths & 8 Fold Path are allowed too. Along with the Wiccan Rede and wisdom from all other faiths are allowed equal space for display.

Well said Saadaya. I am a “cradle Catholic” and have friends from just about every religious (and non-religious) tradition out there. When I know that particular orientation of the person to whom I am speaking, I usually wish them a blessed/happy/merry whatever is appropriate (Haunkkah/Diwali/Yule/Christmas/etc). If I don’t, I usually stick with something generic. I find that the older I get, the less I get caught up with the words and the more I care about the feeling and the thought.