[AmericanInTokyo]

A good, fun tactic, to really throw a person for a loop--who looks liberal to you out in public, say at the checkout counter (without being mean or nasty as that should not be the point), is to say, after "Happy Holidays"

'''Well, as they say in England, "Happy Christmas",

or

(Japan) "Merri Kurisumasu!"

(Spanish) "Feliz Navidad!"

(France) "Joyeux Noel"

You can show them that Christmas IS "Diverse", it is ony their words, actions and our popular culture in the US these days which is being narrow minded, mean spirited, and anti-diverse/anti-international.

Again, this must all be done well rehearsed, then natural and with true love.

Maybe its true, as Dennis Prager said, we can start to change the little, bad things about America bit by bit, one by one, out there... You and me! Have fun shopping (what's left of it) or at work....And, Merry Christmas.

[AmericanInTokyo]

There isn't a Japanese I know alive who says or would even entertain the idea of saying "Happy Holidays". That would come out something like "Yoi Saijitsu Wo". How weird sounding.

Nope! In this 80% Buddhist country, it is, has, and always will be:

"Merri Kurisumasu" (spoken) and "Merry Christmas" (written)

Essentially they don't have Kwanzaa and Chunukah to water down Christmas into "Happy Holidays". Everywhere it is "Merry Christmas".

How to you explain to the Japanese, who love Christmas and use the phrase freely, that they got from Christian missionaries in the 1800s and then American GIs from 1945, that it is no longer "Merri Kurisumasu"?

They must think we are all such idiots over in the US for surrendering such a beautiful holiday and holiday greeting, bit by bit, due to the complaints of an upset, hypersensitive and nasty 3% of us!

[OldPossum]

Thanks for your posts, especially the information on Christmas in Japan.

As for me, I am on the verge of surrender. The America I grew up in (I'm in my 60's) no longer exists. As my wife and I say, we were lucky enough to grow up in the best of times (tremendous gains in technology--especially medical advances--alongside our country's deep religious tradition, among others) but now it appears that those who hate this country's religious traditions have the upper hand and are not going to let go.

It is obvious from developments we see erupt every December that this is the way it is going to be.

I'm too old to fight any fights to try to restore that which is quickly slipping away.