[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: What's wrong with "Merry Christmas"?

[Sherry Gomes]

> Sherry:
> 
> I work in the admissions department at a well known guide dog
school in the
> US.  For years, and even more years, during the fall, the staff
would all
> get together and record a Christmas tape, each staff person
recording a
> personal greeting, and the tapes--actual records once upon a time--
go out to
> every graduate of the organization.  I'm a 32 year graduate of the
program
> myself, and every December, I would haunt my mail box waiting the
arrival of
> that tape.  Around ten years ago, they started calling it
the "Holiday tape"
> and then in the last couple years, it's become the "end of the
year tape".
> This was my second year on staff, and each year I have defied
political
> correctness and wished the graduates, happy Holidays, Merry
Christmas and
> happy New Year.  LOL.  The person who handles preparing the tapes
now says
> she wants the tape to reflect the staff's personal beliefs and
thoughts, so
> anyone can say, Merry Christmas, happy Hanukah or any other thing
they want.
> Or nothing, but hi grads this is so-and-so.  The interesting thing
is that
> the grads, even those who are not Christian, even nominally enough
to
> celebrate Christmas, mostly resent the descent in to PC-ism and
still call
> it "the Christmas tape".  Some of them felt so strongly about it
that they
> wrote to some of the people in upper management to complain about
it, and a
> couple of those people were atheists, Jewish or Buddha.  I've
finally
> trained myself to call it the Holiday tape, officially, but I will
never
> call it the "end of the year" tape!  LOL.
<SNIP>


Alla:

Okay, now this is bizarre, hilariously bizarre. Political correctness at its
worst as far as I am concerned. I am sorry Sherry dearest.


Oh Oh I love Merry Christmas and Happy New year, totally forgot. 
Heee, totally love to hear that.


Sherry:

Yes, you are right, political correctness run amuck!  holiday tape works
perfectly well for everyone.  I have a coworker whose religion does not
believe in celebrating Christmas or various other holidays, though she
considers herself a Christian.  But she finds the name End of the year tape
ridiculous.  We who know her and respect her, do not wish her a merry
Christmas or buy her presents or anything like that.  I wished her a happy
couple of days off and a happy new year and told her I'd give her something
special at some other time of the year, just because.  She liked that.

Sherry