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Why is Christmas a National/Federal Holiday?

spanky

spanky

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New Year's Day/Secular..check.
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr./Secular..check.
Washington's Birthday/Secular..check.
Memorial Day/Secular..check
Independence Day/Secular..check.
Labor Day/Secular..check.
Columbus Day/Secular..check.
Veterans Day/Secular..check.
Thanksgiving Day/Secular..check.

Christmas Day/A religious event celebrating the birth of Jesus
 
spanky said:
Monday, January 2* New Year's Day/Secular..check.
Monday, January 16 Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr./Secular..check.
Monday, February 20** Washington's Birthday/Secular..check.
Monday, May 28 Memorial Day/Secular..check.
Wednesday, July 4 Independence Day/Secular..check.
Monday, September 3 Labor Day/Secular..check.
Monday, October 8 Columbus Day/Secular..check.
Monday, November 12* Veterans Day/Secular..check.
Thursday, November 22 Thanksgiving Day/Secular..check.

Tuesday, December 25 Christmas Day/A religious event celebrating the birth of Jesus
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Because its a time everyone can agree they want off, and a time when few people go out to places like the DMV. Ya its religious, but so what its not a big deal.
 
spanky said:
Monday, January 2* New Year's Day/Secular..check.
Monday, January 16 Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr./Secular..check.
Monday, February 20** Washington's Birthday/Secular..check.
Monday, May 28 Memorial Day/Secular..check.
Wednesday, July 4 Independence Day/Secular..check.
Monday, September 3 Labor Day/Secular..check.
Monday, October 8 Columbus Day/Secular..check.
Monday, November 12* Veterans Day/Secular..check.
Thursday, November 22 Thanksgiving Day/Secular..check.

Tuesday, December 25 Christmas Day/A religious event celebrating the birth of Jesus
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Fine. I think the ACLU should step up and forbid public schools, federal and state employees from allowing this paid religious holiday. As to the rest of us? It's none of anyone's business.
 
Christmas has become pretty secular.
 
It's cultural at this point. I'm fine with Christmas being a national holiday. It's not like they made all Christian holidays national holidays.
 
MaggieD said:
No, it hasn't. It's a religious holiday.
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It is a religious holiday, but you can celebrate "Christmas" without observing the religious aspect of it at all. Especially in this country, where the main focus presents, and getting together with family, good food, Santa for the kids, etc. Since generally everyone has the day off, most everyone ends up doing some of these things, whether they are a Christian or not.
 
Wiseone said:
Because its a time everyone can agree they want off, and a time when few people go out to places like the DMV. Ya its religious, but so what its not a big deal.
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There are many Jews in this country who resent that they don't get and oftheir holidays off with pay.
 
Wiseone said:
Because its a time everyone can agree they want off, and a time when few people go out to places like the DMV. Ya its religious, but so what its not a big deal.
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Why not Chanukah or Ramadan?
 
spanky said:
Why not Chanukah or Ramadan?
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Obviously because they aren't as popular, from the Federal government's perspective it makes more sense to have a holiday when the majority, not the minority, don't want to come to work and just stay home or spend time with family anyway.

You know the answer, I don't know why you are asking the question. If you disagree and think we should have all or none of these holidays, Hanukah or Ramadan, then fine but don't pretend that you can't understand why its Christmas only.
 
Wiseone said:
Obviously because they aren't as popular, from the Federal government's perspective it makes more sense to have a holiday when the majority, not the minority, don't want to come to work and just stay home or spend time with family anyway.

You know the answer, I don't know why you are asking the question. If you disagree and think we should have all or none of these holidays, Hanukah or Ramadan, then fine but don't pretend that you can't understand why its Christmas only.
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So you're saying it's a holiday because the majority of religious Americans are christian?
 
Thanksgiving started out as a religious holiday, but has become more secular over the years. And so has Christmas.

As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nation-wide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God".[16]
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Thanksgiving - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
spanky said:
So you're saying it's a holiday because the majority of religious Americans are christian?
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That's kind of how our government works. You know, for the people, by the people and whatnot. There are a plethora of examples of how the will of the american public has directed the way in which our country has went.
 
MaggieD said:
No, it hasn't. It's a religious holiday.
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i'd argue that it's also a major consumer event. a significant portion of the yearly retail sales occur around it, and we're a seventy percent consumer spending based GDP. the least we can do is give people a day off to open all of the **** that they buy.

as for the religious angle, winter festivals have existed since time out of mind; each new one placed on top of the old. Christmas was probably placed where it is to make Christianity more palatable to pagans worldwide.

Yule - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saturnalia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

some others :

Solstice Holidays - Winter Holidays Celebrating the Winter Solstice
 
Chaddelamancha said:
That's kind of how our government works. You know, for the people, by the people and whatnot. There are a plethora of examples of how the will of the american public has directed the way in which our country has went.
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Again, you're basing your defense of the holiday on the fact that a majority of religious in America are christians. Why not just declare christianity the official religion of the US because a majority are christian?
 
spanky said:
Again, you're basing your defense of the holiday on the fact that a majority of religious in America are christians. Why not just declare christianity the official religion of the US because a majority are christian?
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If there was enough people rallied to the cause we probably could. But I don't think that there is enough support for that. However, the support for Christmas to be a federal holiday probably outweighs the support of doing away with it.
 
spanky said:
Well, Jews and Muslims have a God as well. You notice Washington didn't say Jesus.
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And you will notice there is quite a few of us who celebrate Christmas as waiting for a fat man in a red suit to deliver us goodies, not celebrating the birth of any savior.
 
Chaddelamancha said:
If there was enough people rallied to the cause we probably could. But I don't think that there is enough support for that. However, the support for Christmas to be a federal holiday probably outweighs the support of doing away with it.
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You prove my point.
 
Chaddelamancha said:
And you will notice there is quite a few of us who celebrate Christmas as waiting for a fat man in a red suit to deliver us goodies, not celebrating the birth of any savior.
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Why should waiting for a fat man to deliver goodies be a national/federal holiday?
 
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No one is forcing you to observe the Christians holiday of Christmas :shrug:

I'm sorry that a religious holiday is recognized nationally and that people get the day off at a time when the vast majority of people, religious or otherwise, will celebrate and spend time with their families.
 
digsbe said:
No one is forcing you to observe the Christians holiday of Christmas :shrug:

I'm sorry that a religious holiday is recognized nationally and that people get the day off at a time when the vast majority of people, religious or otherwise, will celebrate and spend time with their families.
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That's not the point. If what you're saying is the motivating factor why not have a couple dozen more paid holidays? Every worker would vote for it.
 
digsbe said:
No one is forcing you to observe the Christians holiday of Christmas :shrug:

I'm sorry that a religious holiday is recognized nationally and that people get the day off at a time when the vast majority of people, religious or otherwise, will celebrate and spend time with their families.
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So why not Chanukah, Ramadan or the high holy days of the Hindi and Bhuddists?
 
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