Christians mad about holiday stamps

[chissprincess]

patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/11/24/us-postal-service-mailer-doesnt-mention-christmas-and-the-christian-outrage-machine-lights-up/

washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/22/usps-ad-holiday-stamps-omits-christmas/

Summary: Despite the fact that the US Postal Service (USPS) clearly sells religious-themed Christmas stamps on their website (three obviously religious ones alone on the first page of holiday stamps), their latest holiday mailer represented their holiday stamp collection with a Hanukkah stamp, a Kwanzaa stamp, and a stamp featuring a gingerbread house. Christians are upset. USPS issued an apology.

It should be noted that the mailer only includes the newest holiday stamp designs, not every single holiday stamp design they have...and while I don't know for sure because I can't remember the last time I got a USPS mailer, I'm pretty sure that's not a new thing.

I often find myself wondering what the world would be like if the energy that goes into being outraged over really trivial things went into something more useful, like feeding the hungry. I mean, it takes a lot of time and energy to be that mad about things like this or the Costco Bibles-as-fiction incident.

(Wasn't sure if we care about Patheos or Washington Times knowing about FJ traffic, so I broke those links, but I doubt USPS cares.)

[GeoBQn]

I just got into letter writing list year, so I was excited about the Chanukah stamps until I saw that they weren't getting released until one week before the holiday. I'd never be able to use them that fast.

[darkplumaged]

Get some real problems, you whiny bitches.

(Directed to Persecuted American Christians, of course, not FJers.)

[Trynn]

Today I was in a bookstore listening to Christian Christmas carols. Even as an agnostic I enjoy them, and then I stopped to think; what if I was Muslim/Jewish and had to listen to this? How would I feel then?

I swear these "poor persecuted Christians" have no idea how priveleged they are.

[Loveday]

I'm waiting for the outrage over the Harry Potter stamps that just came out the other day (I bought three sets along with a set of religious Christmas stamps 8-) ).

[doggie]

Is there anything some Christians don't get mad at? I swear being pissed off and feeling persecuted seems all some Christians ever feel. to get worked up over a stamp is just pathetic.

[snarkyjan]

Is there anything some Christians don't get mad at? I swear being pissed off and feeling persecuted seems all some Christians ever feel. to get worked up over a stamp is just pathetic.

Doggie, taking umbrage is a cottage industry for them.

[Peas n carrots]

My eyes nearly rolled out of my head. Oh, the horror.

[August]

Gingerbread houses are a christmas thing.

Today I was in a bookstore listening to Christian Christmas carols. Even as an agnostic I enjoy them, and then I stopped to think; what if I was Muslim/Jewish and had to listen to this? How would I feel then?

I swear these "poor persecuted Christians" have no idea how priveleged they are.

Why does the music matter? Do you complain when they play non- christmas music? I love being in other countries at important times of the year to see all the celebrations. I'm not offended if someone says Happy Hannukah to me. I think it's more offensive when people pat themselves on the back for being so egalitarian when they call their celebration held on the 20th December and decorated with trees and gingerbread men and santa a 'holiday' party. It's not a holiday party, it's a Christmas party but you want to contiue in your own personal traditions without actually changing anything, so you slap a misleading label on it. That way everyone shuts up and you can continue on your merry way without actually changing anything. Like a board of directors calling the leader a chairperson andthen settling back and continuing as normal.

Let me guess that not one of these businesses who carefully put a menorah next to their Christmas tree put that menorah up last month and will swap it for the Chirstmas tree next week. No, they'll put them both up together for Black Friday and take them both down after the 25th December, because the menorah isn't actually any attempt to celebrate Hannukah, it's a magic anti bad publicity token that you put next to any Christmas tree to negate the tree.

[micatite]

Why does the music matter? Do you complain when they play non- christmas music? I love being in other countries at important times of the year to see all the celebrations.

I think it could be the feeling of being run over the the Christmas sleigh/juggernaut. It's omnipresent and non-stop and if you're not a part of it, then you don't exist and who the heck do you think you are? Heck I'm Christian and celebrate the holiday and at times I still want to gag at Christmas song overload. So when the radio station switches (way, way the hell too early...November 15th? WTF?) to non-stop Christmas music (I guess they throw in the Hannukah song once or twice), I switch over to the oldies station.

So, yes, the stamp whiners get no sympathy from me and can get over themselves any time now. Maybe someone will gift them with a Clue-stick for Christmas.

Oh, and I want somebody to send me something with a Harry Potter stamp. That is all.

[Loveday]

I think it could be the feeling of being run over the the Christmas sleigh/juggernaut. It's omnipresent and non-stop and if you're not a part of it, then you don't exist and who the heck do you think you are? Heck I'm Christian and celebrate the holiday and at times I still want to gag at Christmas song overload. So when the radio station switches (way, way the hell too early...November 15th? WTF?) to non-stop Christmas music (I guess they throw in the Hannukah song once or twice), I switch over to the oldies station.

So, yes, the stamp whiners get no sympathy from me and can get over themselves any time now. Maybe someone will gift them with a Clue-stick for Christmas.

Oh, and I want somebody to send me something with a Harry Potter stamp. That is all.

November FIRST here in eastern VA, can you believe that? :angry-banghead:

And I can't wait to use my HP stamps--I think I'm going to use one to send a Christmas card to my fundie brother in law and his wife. :lol:

[jesusfreak]

Makes no sense.... like the OP said, there're three Christian religious stamps:

The Holy Family

Virgin & Child

Madonna & Child

Add to those the distinctively Christmas stamps:

Santa

Poinsettia

Evergreen Wreath

Tree Ornaments

Plus the Ginger Jingerbread stamp.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

I have some very traditional Catholic relatives who always send an explicitly religious card with an explicitly religious stamp to go with it. It seems to me that every year there is at least one stamp that has a stylized artistic image of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus on it, and that is usually the ones this relative goes for (their cards usually have a similar theme).

They're not the type to ever complain about a "War on Christmas" anyway, but I'm sure there are enough similar people out there to ensure there is always a good market for the "Mary and Jesus" stamp theme. No worries!

[August]

I think it could be the feeling of being run over the the Christmas sleigh/juggernaut. It's omnipresent and non-stop and if you're not a part of it, then you don't exist and who the heck do you think you are? Heck I'm Christian and celebrate the holiday and at times I still want to gag at Christmas song overload. So when the radio station switches (way, way the hell too early...November 15th? WTF?) to non-stop Christmas music (I guess they throw in the Hannukah song once or twice), I switch over to the oldies station.

So, yes, the stamp whiners get no sympathy from me and can get over themselves any time now. Maybe someone will gift them with a Clue-stick for Christmas.

Oh, and I want somebody to send me something with a Harry Potter stamp. That is all.

I think my head would explode if my radio station switched to xmas, even worse if it went for two months!

[GeoBQn]

I saw the first Christmas commercial air on TV in the first week of September. That would be bad just by itself, but it aired on a day when it was an unseasonable 101F in my town. I was ready to throw the TV out the window.

[doggie]

Just saw this today not sure what day it went up

[FloraKitty35]

It must be nice to not have a real problem. The USPS should release of series of stamps paying tribute to Divine, that should fuck with the fundies little brains in the same way that Doug Phillips is a tool did.

[RandomTrivia]

Just saw this today not sure what day it went up

The "fresh" trees have been at the grocery store here for almost a week now - last Thursday, at least. By my count, that's right at 5 weeks before Christmas, and most tree lots/stores don't water their trees. Fire hazard, anyone?

(I worked a few summers & winters at a Christmas tree farm. Fire-retardant spray or not, no way in hell would I buy a cut tree before Thanksgiving, and I'd go cut my own so I knew how fresh it really was. Good grief.)

[Vex]

I find it really perplexing how in America something like 80+% of the population identify as Christian, yet the whole 'secular vs christmas' thing is a massive issue.

Then in Australia, where a far lower percentage of the population identify as Christian, everyone always says 'Merry Christmas' at the stores during this time of year, and there are christmas trees and carols everywhere, and despite the fact that a large portion of the population aren't Christian there is no controversy whatseover over this stuff. Nobody is offended by 'Merry Christmas' and nobody would be offended by 'Happy Holidays'.

It just seems ridiculous to me. Surely there are better things to worry about for both Christians and atheists? What about all the other religions that have holidays this time of year and barely get a mention anywhere? I think they have far more to be upset about than atheists or Christians (for the record, I am an atheist).

[chissprincess]

Well, I think you're mostly seeing the vocal minority that gets offended by everything (on either side). Most of the people I know in real life who complain about non-stop Christmas music in stores or something are complaining because these days it pretty much starts the second Halloween ends and it annoys them. Some people do wish there would be a bit more equality, e.g. some Hanukkah music and/or non-Christmas music (secular or otherwise) mixed in with the Christmas music. They don't really care what holiday greetings other people choose to use and don't spend a ton of time thinking or worrying about which one they use. But we seem to have a great tradition in this country of the loud fringe minority getting worked up over things, and since they're loud of course they get heard, while everyone else is just kind of rolling their eyes at everything and trying to get on with life. For example, I personally would agree that it would be nice if malls had holiday music selections that acknowledged that Christmas isn't the only season here. There ARE people other than Christians in the country and their holidays deserve respect too. But you're not going to see me screaming about it on Twitter, being militantly pro-"Happy Holidays" or anti-"Merry Christmas," or pretty much any other over-the-top reaction.

[Arete]

So, this was me in the Post Office last week:

Me: "Can I see what Forever Stamps you have for the Holidays?"

Clerk: "Some cute ones this year."

Me: "I'll take 2 books of Poinsettias and one of the Air Mail wreaths."

Clerk: "There you go, darling."

THE END

[Andromeda]

I remember a few years ago when there was a horrifically racist chain email going around about the newly introduced Eid stamp. It was, of course, Obama's fault, and it was going to be the only stamp issued and there would be no Christmas ones at all, and so on. :roll:

[louisa05]

I have some very traditional Catholic relatives who always send an explicitly religious card with an explicitly religious stamp to go with it. It seems to me that every year there is at least one stamp that has a stylized artistic image of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus on it, and that is usually the ones this relative goes for (their cards usually have a similar theme).

They're not the type to ever complain about a "War on Christmas" anyway, but I'm sure there are enough similar people out there to ensure there is always a good market for the "Mary and Jesus" stamp theme. No worries!

I have some friends and relatives that always send explicitly religious cards. I always send them generic ones. In fact, if my main box of cards says "Merry Christmas" on the cards, I usually find extra ones that say "Happy Holidays" just for those people.

And I'm a church going Catholic. I just get sick of this "War on Christmas" stupidity.

[NoneandDoneinCali]

I'm a secular humanist with atheistic leanings, and I have to say that my problem with Xmas is mostly irritation at the incessant exposure to a catalog of about 15 holiday songs day in, day out. Around here, Xmas displays go up the week before Halloween. You can't set foot in a mall without getting tinsel on your sweater. There is constant pressure to BUY BUY BUY. It's freakin' overwhelming. Since I also intern at a temporary housing shelter, "Xmas fatigue" is a real thing - we are largely dependent on donations, and January and February are LEAN months for our clients because everyone has overextended themselves donating for Xmas (not that we aren't grateful, of course - every donation helps!). So our clients get these cheap, gaudy things or overpriced holiday food that quickly goes bad, instead of the things that might last longer and actually be useful.

Xmas, in moderation, can be a lovely thing, but I have to admit I'm one of those Scrooges gnashing my teeth the 16th time I hear Jingle Bells or "I said merry CHRISTmas! not Happy Holidays!" in a 24 hour period and just waiting for January 2nd.