[09:33] Summer: seriously, this whole “merry christmas” vs. “happy holidays” thing is beginning to piss me off. why is it such an issue this year?

[09:38] Keaven: i have no idea

[09:39] Keaven: i guess the religious right has a really big head and think they can do what ever they want now

[09:39] Keaven: though, -I- have always had a problem with it…. but not to THIS extent

[09:39] Summer: i have gotten like 20 emails from the [filtered] group about how this is CHRISTMAS and christ and don’t worry about offending the other religions but worry about offending jesus.

[09:40] Summer: my favorite is was “it’s a CHRISTmas tree” put up to show your love of jesus.

[09:40] Summer: i had to send back the history of the christmas tree.

[09:40] Summer: i couldn’t resist.

[09:40] Keaven: heheheh

[09:40] Summer: duh, people, it’s from the pagans and druids.

[09:40] Summer: nothing to do with christ.

[09:40] Summer: the three wise men didn’t stop to decorate an evergreen on their way to the manger.

[09:40] Keaven: really, the only people who should be fighting that battle are the germans, since they started it as a christmas thing.

[09:41] Keaven: hahahahahahahahaha

[09:41] Summer: but come on, boycotting walmart and sears cause they say happy holidays not merry christmas.

[09:41] Keaven: yeah.. that’s really silly

[09:42] Keaven: business can say whatever they want to

[09:42] Keaven: if they want to be all inclusive, what’s wrong with that?

[09:43] Summer: don’t those people have better things to do? arn’t there heathen to convert in antartica or something?

[09:43] Keaven: hahahahahahahahaha

[09:44] Keaven: what bothers me, as i’ve said numerous times before, is when people have “holiday” parties, and they use all christmas decorations, they sing christmas carols, dress up as santa and give out gifts… it really pisses me off that they try to APPEAR politically correct, when all they are really doing is having a christmas party.

[09:45] Keaven: if i were of another faith THAT would piss me off more, cause i might be led to THINK that it would be a non-denominational, all inclusive, holiday party for a large organization… then i show up and have christanity shoved down my throat

[09:46] Summer: but i really wonder, would they be just as offended if walmart had a bunch of separate messages? one “merry christmas.” one “happy hannukah.” one “happy kwanza.” one “good ramadan.” is that what they are after. there are a number of businesses that do that kind of thing now in other ways - like mcdonalds will shoot the same commercial - one with white people, one with black people (for BET and UPN) and one in spanish with latinos for telemundo. is that what we are coming to? that level of secularization?

[09:46] Keaven: whereas, if they just CALLED it what it was.. a CHRISTMAS PARTY, i would know not to bother showing up.

[09:46] Keaven: we’ll see…

[09:47] Keaven: just how far are we willing to go for ’separate but equal’ [roll eyes]

[09:48] Summer: i think you and i should go caroling singing anukkah songs. i know … 2.

[09:48] Summer: that’d be hanukkah i mean

[09:49] Keaven: heh..

[09:49] Summer: i dunno i’m just annoyed cause they are like this is such a holy day blah blah blah but lets have a fight and cause controversy and ruin it.

[09:49] Keaven: the funny thing is that hanukkah isn’t a major religious holiday for the jews. we just hype it up so much in our efforts to be “sympathetic” to other religions.

[09:50] Summer: i know. the big days are rosh hashanna and yom kippur

[09:50] Summer: i’m just saying we should crash a “holiday party” with carols but sing hanukkah songs instead.

[09:50] Summer: to prove our point.

[09:51] Keaven: hehe

[09:52] Summer: and its so hypocritical. in the past they all screamed about “this shouldn’t be a commercial day, it’s not about santa and gifts” … now it’s “walmart has to say merry christmas!”

[09:52] Summer: what the fuck

[09:52] Summer: i got a card from one of mike’s cousins that summed it up nicely. it was a picture of santa claus kneeling at the alter.

[09:52] Summer: i mean. really.

[09:53] Summer: i mean at the manager, sorry

[09:53] Summer: now santa was apparently like the forth wise man. maybe he was just late for the photo shoot cause he stopped on the way to decorate a tree.

[09:54] Keaven: christmas is kind of like Presidents Day. Presidents Day isn’t actually the day any president was born.. its just the day we observe both Lincoln and Washington’s births since they happen the same month (and God forbid we have two holidays in the same month)… Christmas is the same thing. Jesus was not born in the winter… it was more like late spring, early summer. This day is no more “holy” than Presidents Day. Its not the actual day of Jesus’ birth.. its just the day that we’ve set aside to observe it. its so stupid. If they want to split hairs, there’s far more in the corner of this NOT being holy.

[09:55] Summer: course i’m also in an extremely bitter mood about the holidays in general.

[09:59] Keaven: i’m sorry

[09:59] Keaven: i liked your ideas from last year… about sending out Solstice cards… “you can’t say you don’t believe in the winter solstice!” you said.. that’s so true, and very funny.

[10:00] Summer: oh my god

[10:00] Summer: i forgot about that?

[10:00] Summer: that’s a great idea.

[10:00] Summer: help me remember that next year.

[10:20] Summer: woohoo. i got ANOTHER email. called “the real reason for the season” - i deleted without even reading.

[10:21] Keaven: hahahahaahaha

[10:22] Summer: unless the body of the email is “the reason for the season is that it was a little bland so i added some salt and paprika” then it’s just going to piss me off.

[10:28] Keaven: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[10:28] Keaven: that’s great