<p>The only time I ever did a religious card was the year D1 was born. She was born a few days before Christmas and I sent out a card saying “For unto us a child is born” and everyone loved it. Usually I do a winter scene with as much foil and glitter as I can find.</p>
<p>I always think of sending a card for an event that the recipient doesn’t celebrate as being like giving the person best wishes on my own birthday.</p>
<p>My Jewish roommate sends a Happy Holidays card/letter. Our holiday greetings have said various things over the years (including greetings in German one year), usually something generic as we celebrate Christmas, but are not Christians, but lately they’ve been New Year’s cards anyways since I never manage to get most of them out before the holidays!</p>
<p>I usually buy cards that say “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings” since I send to people with diverse beliefs.</p>
<p>One year I sent H to Costco with the family picture and he ordered cards that said “Merry Christmas” which were not the ones that I asked him to order. Oh well…</p>
<p>We are not offended by receiving “Happy Holidays” type greeting cards. but we do find it off-putting and somewhat offensive when we have, on occasion, received very religiously-themed Christmas cards. These have usually come from some business connection of DH’s. This has always seemed very inappropriate to us, not to mention insensitive.</p>
<p>We have quite a few friends who are Jewish so years ago we decided to only get non-religious cards i.e. May the Holidays blah blah or whatever.</p>
<p>I love getting Christmas cards and holiday letters from my Christian friends and neighbors. I love Christmas…we always go to a movie and a chinese restaurant afterwards. I send out either Happy Holidays or Chanukah cards to everyone, Jewish or any other religion, who I feel would like to hear from me and see a current photo of my family.</p>
<p>I’m jewish, it wouldn’t bother me at all, but it would definitely bother my mother.</p>
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<p>Word.</p>
<p>(10 ch</p>
<p>If I got a Diwali or Ramadan card from a friend, I’d be touched that they thought of me at their holiday time. Where’s the insult?</p>
<p>Send them a “Happy Festivus” card.</p>
<p>Personally, I would prefer a hanukkah card to a “Happy Holidays” card even though I’m Catholic. “Happy Holidays” cards seem so generic.</p>
<p>Hanna - that’s a different issue. If the question is whether I would be insulted if I got a Hanukkah or Ramadan card, the answer is no. However, I still would not send my Muslim of Jewish friends a “Have a very Merry Christmas” card.</p>
<p>“i would not be offended to receive a happy hanukkah card from a jewish friend. i would be flattered that they thought of me as a close friend. i would hope the same would be true if i sent a merry christmas card to a jewish friend.”</p>
<p>I have Jewish friends who send me “Happy New Years” or “Seasons Greetings” cards. I’ve never had a Jewish friend send me a “Happy Chanukah” card. If one did, I’d wonder whether they sent me one by mistake. I’d be puzzled, not insulted.</p>
<p>I have some white friends who’ve sent me “Happy Kwanzaa” cards (I’m black). I’m touched that they took the extra time and thought to recognize a holiday that I celebrate.</p>
<p>I tend now to send “season’s greetings” or “happy New Year” cards to all of my friends, but when I used to send Christmas cards, I’d send “seasons greetings cards” to friends whom I knew weren’t Christian. It took only minor extra effort to do this.</p>
<p>doesn’t everyone have a december 25th on their calendar? i think that i can have a “merry” december 25th no matter what my beliefs are. i would not send an overly religious card to anyone that i thought would be uncomfortable. </p>
<p>december 25th is what it is and i would like to think that we could all celebrate the happiness of our fellow man on their religious holiday. i think if someone wished me happy hannukah, they would be doing so with all the kindness in their heart–they would truly want me to have a happy day. i would celebrate the day for what it means to them–not for how offended i might be. i think we should celebrate the beliefs and happiness of our fellow man and appreciate their sentiments of good will. </p>
<p>if i inadvertently wish a jewish acquaintance a merry christmas, i hope they understand the thought in my heart and that they could smile and be happy for me and my beliefs, just as i would think it kind if they wished me a happy hannukah.</p>
<p>wbow,</p>
<p>Yes, everyone has a December 25th, but I’ve never seen a “Merry December 25th” card. </p>
<p>Christmas != December 25.</p>
<p>If you’re sending a card to someone, you’re not doing so “inadvertently.” If you want a sentiment of good will, how about wishing people happy birthday on their birthdays, not on yours, offering congratulations when they get a big promotion, not when you do, and wishing them a happy celebration for the holiday they celebrate? The good will needs to start with you, the card sender; please don’t slough off and expect all the good will to come from people whose birthdays, promotions, and holidays you’ve completely missed!</p>
<p>As a Jew, whenever I get a Christmas card (and by that I mean one that has explicitly Christmas-related content, anything from manger scenes to dancing Santas), I feel like the sender hasn’t paid much attention to who I am, that I’m just another name ticked off a list. If the sender is my insurance broker, I don’t care; if the sender is a friend, I feel a little slighted. I like the idea of sending everyone a more generic season’s greetings card with an appropriate religious message added where needed. </p>
<p>And so long as we’re on the topic (and because I’ll no doubt forget to do it tomorrow night), I’ll wish a slightly early Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate the holiday!</p>
<p>and exactly how do you know the religious beliefs of everyone you come into contact with? </p>
<p>i am not talking about sending dear friends merry christmas cards when i know they are jewish. however, i don’t ask people i what their religious beliefs are when i’m introduced. i may not even ask after i’ve known them for a while. it is not important to me. therefore, i used the word inadvertently.</p>
<p>i have jewish friends, muslim friends, hindu friends, black friends, asian friends, christian friends, friends that have birthdays, friends who get promotions–and i am happy for all of them and i wish them the best whenever i can.</p>
<p>i am just asking for all of us to celebrate the holidays of all of our friends and acquaintances and to accept the good wishes of others with kindness–not anger or offense because someone has wished me a happy hannukah or a merry christmas.</p>
<p>People think too much about this. They’re cards. They show the sender has thought of you at an important time to the sender. That’s a good thing. Most people have switched to Happy Holidays cards but I don’t mind getting an old-fashioned Merry Christmas card because the sender has thought to send it to me. </p>
<p>Again, if the message is somehow conversion, that would be different but I only run into those people in person.</p>
<p>The “Seasons Greetings” cards are for those people whom you don’t know well enough to know their religion. </p>
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<p>If you send someone who neither celebrates Christmas nor recognizes December 25 as a day any different from December 12, then you are not celebrating their holiday. You are only celebrating your own and being indifferent to theirs.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t feel offended at all if someone sends me ANY holiday card, be it Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Chinese New Year, Happy Ramadan, Happy Diwali. Jeez, can’t we just get along ?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t feel offended either.</p>