Any american nurses working in a hospital in the USA that tells staff they can no longer say "Merry Christmas"? Are there hospitals here in our country that are forcing their staff to only say "happy holidays" and not allowing them to say "Merry Christmas"?
I'm just curious if this is becoming an issue in the nursing profession? I recently spoke to some public school teachers here in Florida who told me they can say happy holidays but they can't say Merry Christmas. I have read that many department stores and other retail businesses are no longer using the word Christmas, but replacing it with Happy Holidays and Season's Greetings.
I haven't heard of this being a trend in any hospitals in my area, but very curious if this is taking place in hospitals in other states?
Hello, MAJOR athiest here, and *I* say Merry Christmas. *I* celebrate Christmas--it's a pagan holiday that was then overtaken by a different major religion and is now mostly secular holiday, except for those who still celebrate it as representative of the birth of Christ.
To me and to the many other nonChristians I know, Christmas is just a time to get together with family and friends, exhange gifts (sometimes), and eat good food. It's like other nonsecular celebrations--birthdays, valentines day, Thanksgiving.
If I suspect that someone isn't Christian, I'll say something appropriate to the situation: "Happy Holidays," or as in the case of the Muslim/nonChristian foreign students we sometimes get: "Enjoy your winter break!" Thought, frankly, the way we in America celebrate Christmas is so secular--the tree, the lights, the food, the time off work, the get togethers, and oh! yes! the egg nog!!--all my Jewish, pagan, atheist, and Muslim friends *still* celebrate Christmas, just like my godless family does. We just don't go to a Christian church on the night before or the day of.
So, no, our facility still decorates for Christmas, and anyone can put up any holiday decorations they like--a menorah, whatever. We have had no direction one way or another on what greeting we are supposed to use (though recently we HAVE been directed to "speak with a smile :icon_roll").
Well, seeing as I don't celebrate Christmas, I don't tend to say it. But if someone else says it to me, I reply in kind. No one says "Merry Christmas" to a nonbeliever in a malicious way, but it does reflect a certain arrogance (or perhaps a touch of being naivete) to assume it's something I want to hear. I wouldn't offer regards to any of the important Jewish holidays to people unless I know they're Jewish...because why would I?
Since much of the spirituality related to Christmas has been replaced with consumerism, the holiday still does not hold any meaning for me.
My family, like most Jewish families, goes to a movie and eats Chinese food on Christmas day. And I'm pretty sure we have a better time than most of the people stressed about presents and decorations and hams.
I'm Catholic, and you bet I say Merry Christmas to a christian patient. I also wish my Jewish patients a Good Pesach, and Happy Hannaka, and if I had someone who noted they were Buddist or Hindu, I'd google search to see if there was anything going on in their spiritual calendar that needed honoring. All I am doing is holistic nursing, which means you honor and respect the patient's belief system.
And all I ask in return is that people respect mine.
I've never heard this being addressed by anyone. They will, as soon as the Joint Commission demands that it be done, which will be probably eventually happen, under the guise of providing 'culturally competant' care...
I work at a Catholic hospital, so I don't think there have been any memos about what seasonal greeting to use. There are Christmas trees up all over the hospital. I personally am atheist, so I tend to just stick with my year round "have a good day." I'm not bothered by anyone wishing me a merry christmas, and I usually just reply "you too."
i always say happy holidays just to be on the safe side and by saying that i think it includes thanksgiving and new years too. we were recently decorating the unit and i made sure we put up a menorah (sp) and a happy kwanzaa sign with our christmas decorations.
I usually forget to anything of the sort, but when someone says "Happy Holidays" it makes me twitch. Not because of what they're saying but because I immediately assume they have been told by upper management to tell me this so I feel happy about being there. Kind of like when cashiers say "have a nice day" or "thanks for shopping with us" in their monotonous tone.
I MUCH prefer an honest/enthusiastic "Happy Solstice!" or "Happy Boxing Day!" or whatever than "Happy Holidays." Just because I don't necessarily celebrate your holiday doesn't mean I don't think it's nice when you offer genuine good wishes.
I do however get offended when people get offended with me for saying "Merry Christmas." I'm not prosyletizing so if they're ungrateful for my goodwill, then I take it back! :-P
As a non-christian, I do not celebrate Christmas (it's a Christian holiday, not an American one), however, that doesn't mean that I expect other people to censor their good cheer around me. I don't expect Christmas trees to be replaced by "holiday trees", please don't do it for my feelings! I'm at work even if it's not my holiday so a coworker can be home with his or her family. Enjoy your day, call it what you want, I'll even tell you to have a merry one and respond in kind when the comment is directed at me.
(I celebrate none of the above, so a slow and loud "happy hanukah" or "happy kwanzaa" does up the cringe factor.)
But no, I've received nothing from managment asking us to monitor our speech. Washing our hands is another story. We now have a lovely handwashing reminder poster in the bathroom!! Seriously - just the staff restrooms, not in the public ones.
I say Happy Holidays to patients and families. It's not that its more politically correct, I am just aware that there are people who are not Christian or Catholic.
What is the logic behind this? 70-85% of the American population is Christian. So we would rather not risk offending 15-20% of our poplulation as opposed to the rest? This is just some kind of logic that I have never understood...Can someone please explain this to me?
Personally, I Always say Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah...If I remember right, that's what this time of year has always been about!
queenjean
951 Posts
Hello, MAJOR athiest here, and *I* say Merry Christmas. *I* celebrate Christmas--it's a pagan holiday that was then overtaken by a different major religion and is now mostly secular holiday, except for those who still celebrate it as representative of the birth of Christ.
To me and to the many other nonChristians I know, Christmas is just a time to get together with family and friends, exhange gifts (sometimes), and eat good food. It's like other nonsecular celebrations--birthdays, valentines day, Thanksgiving.
If I suspect that someone isn't Christian, I'll say something appropriate to the situation: "Happy Holidays," or as in the case of the Muslim/nonChristian foreign students we sometimes get: "Enjoy your winter break!" Thought, frankly, the way we in America celebrate Christmas is so secular--the tree, the lights, the food, the time off work, the get togethers, and oh! yes! the egg nog!!--all my Jewish, pagan, atheist, and Muslim friends *still* celebrate Christmas, just like my godless family does. We just don't go to a Christian church on the night before or the day of.
So, no, our facility still decorates for Christmas, and anyone can put up any holiday decorations they like--a menorah, whatever. We have had no direction one way or another on what greeting we are supposed to use (though recently we HAVE been directed to "speak with a smile :icon_roll").