Letter: Has Shrewsbury abandoned Christmas?
Monday 13th December 2010, 8:38AM GMT.
Letter: While walking through one of Shrewsbury’s shopping malls I found myself listening to the piped music for all to hear “Happy Holiday” repeated.
This morning I received five Christmas cards (complimentary) from a cancer charity asking for a donation.
Fine, but looking at the cards, four out of the five contained the greeting “Happy Holiday” and one “Happy Christmas”.
While I have long held the views that Christmas would be better held in June each year for all sorts of reasons, as we know December 25 is the date we celebrate the birth of Christ.
So is there some sort of religious appeasement creeping in?
To me happy holiday can mean anything.
In conclusion, a Happy Christmas to all Star readers.
B Banks
Ludlow
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Happy Holidays to you too Mr(s) Banks
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Surely to appease our brothers and sisters of other faiths we should be wishing each other a happy winterval? Nice to be inclusive!
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What has the wording in charity cards got to do with the notion of Shrewsbury abandoning Christmas?
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No, Shrewsbury hasn’t abandoned Christmas.
Can the next question be a little more taxing please?
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Not this again. Cards have a variety of different greetings because the Christmas period is the same time as several other religious or cultural festivals. It doesn’t mean that anyone is trying to get rid of Christmas. It’s about including others who perhaps do not celebrate Christmas, not excluding those who do.
And Winterval, as it has been pointed out ad nauseam, was a term invented to cover a large number of different winter events and festivals, not an attempt to replace Christmas.
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Yes BUT this was a Christmas card!!!!!
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If the cards in question said ‘Happy Holidays’, they are also suitable to give to people celebrating other festivals at the same time. I’m not sure what your point is. Surely the thing that defines a ‘Christmas card’ is a Christmas message, and if these charity cards didn’t contain one, they are not necessarily Christmas cards, but holiday cards.
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Where are the Christmas trees that are usually in the Square and the top of Pride Hill along with the nativity scene? The little blue lights would have looked ok if they were just placed here and there – but there’s hardly anything else but blue lights. There’s no variation at all.
I remember when I was a child, Shrewsbury made a real effort with it’s festive decorations but now it’s like they can’t be bothered. Christmas seems to get more downgraded each year.
If this is where ‘multiculturalism’ leads us -Then you can shove it!
Merry Christmas everyone!
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Helen,
I fear it has less to do with multiculturalism and more to do with massive budget cuts.
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When I was a kid we had real Christmas’s including snow. I think you will find if you ask your local councillor to investigate its your governments cutback (or threats of) that is going to turn this country into a nasty, cheap & cheerless, mean minded place where only the already rich can afford Christmas.
Multi-culturisms much more fun, probably costs money but you get so much more back from it to open your mind and enrich it. (or maybe you dont want that?).
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You are so lucky that you had real Christmas’s including snow. The current cutbacks mean we might not have any snow this Christmas. A few more years in power and they might even get rid of summer as well.
PS: you don’t need to be rich to be able to afford Chistmas – last time I checked the church didn’t charge anything to go in. And you can get a bible for free as well if you want to read some of the lovely nativity stories. Also doesn’t cost much to get the kids to put on a little play. That’s what its all about isn’t it?
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YOU NO I COUDNT AGREE MORE WITH YOU I USED TO LOVE DRIVEING THROUGH THE LIGHTS IN SHREWSBURY TO SHOW MY SONS BUT I DONT BOTHER NOW AS YOU SAY ITS ONE CHRISTMAS TREE WITH BLUE LIGHTS AFTER ANOTHER SO WHY DOES SHREWSBURY BOTHER IF THATS THE BEST THEY CAN DO FOR OUR CHILDREN TO LOOK AT .MERRY CHRISTMAS
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Why oh why do the Shropshire Star only ever report on Shrewsbury? They only report on Telford if something bad happens!!
And by the way, is this news?
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We must be reading two different versions of the paper. Mine is mostly about Telford and the odd place in Wales. Funny seeing that it’s the SHROPSHIRE Star.
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In the unlikely event that something good happens in Telford, be sure & let us know won’t you?
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headline…..Farmer Giles Tells Poor Anti Telford Joke Then Marries His Sister…..Try that one Shropshire Star..
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No, Shrewsbury has not abandoned Christmas, and any attempt by lefty tradition killers should be strongly corrected. Shropshire does well as a whole to keep the joyless and sour PC brigade at bay and long may it continue. Merry CHRISTMAS!
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who cares, xmas is now just commercial rubbish, anyhow christ was not born on the 25th its been scientifically proven now…
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It’s true, I’m a Pisces you know
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Pap, was it scientifically proven that he was born – just not on the 25th, or scientifically proven he wasn’t born and there is no christ just a lingering urban myth/legend
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The only ‘proof’ of Jesus’s existence is the bible, no other contempory record exists which is strange as the Romans were actually quite good record keepers and we know quite a lot about other contempory events. The current bible was put together after a conference and there was effectively a vote to decide what was included, hence the gnostic gospels which were omitted. This happened nearly 500 years after the time of christ. The bible shares a lot in common with other religious texts many of far older heritage. It takes themes and stories from across the ancient world. Anyone else see it as odd that Christmas is always a set day but Easter moves to accomodate the cycle of the moon?
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joseph still aint happy about mary being a virgin and havin been up the duff by a god,…
people make christmas what christmas is.
as i always believe in christmas, and really enjoy the winter break.
lets face it its a religous night mare out there out the moment, with all faith arguing there faith is true, when you start killing in the name of faith its morally wrong.
as for the shopping centres in shrewsbury i should think its up to the owners of the centres to dress them how they choose and the council need to cover the 85000k spent on offices on shirehall. Bet that includes christmas decs.
merry christmas mr scrooge…Bah Humbug,
that was a good film for shrewsbury.
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It’s actually a polytheist ritual. Well, developed and adopted by many cultures across the globe, long before the christians gate crashed and imposed their will. Brought on to celebrate the passing of the shortest, darkest day of the year that they managed to get through without slashing their wrists from seasonal affective disorder and the advent of warmer more productive times.
Call it Yule, call it Christmas, call it big chicken dinner and flatulent afternoon. If you were to stop worrying about what it’s called, you never know you might enjoy it.
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Ahhhh, so for those of you complaining that all the lights are blue, the reason is to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Wishing you all a safe and happy winter solstice.
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who cares, Papa is right christmas is commercial rubbish, by the time it arrives it is a huge let down. The people who say it is all for the kids,let’s tell them the real message of christmas.
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The term Happy Holiday is another import from America,Happy christmas to all.
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Come and see my house in Westbury Road, lights on 1700 till 2000, bring the children and a donation for the Shrewsbury Hospice collection box.
Thanks for the plug.
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Did not Shrewsbury play host to the making of a Movie that depicted that venerable Icon of all that Christmas is About! .. a depiction of Charles Dickens “Christmas Carol” and were we not told that “He does not live in men’s hearts one day of the year, but in all days of the year.” – ‘Ghost of Christmas Present’ and Shrewsbury was chosen for this Movie’s sets because it has the character and appearance to portray the time period of the Novel! … so less of this Bah Humbug Happy Holiday’s nonsense and a Merry Christmas! .. God Bless us Everyone! ………..
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Shrewsbury should specifically shun Xmas and only celebrate Darwinmas. :0
We should have evolved from the German Royal family member’s influence in creating Victorian celebrations.
Anyway Darwin looks a bit portly, has a beard and could take on the Father Xmas bit which is the most important part of the whole thing other than mike’s[ big chicken dinner and flatulent afternoon] :)
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i came over from oz and took my 8 year old to see the lights turned on and was most disapointed to see they were all on and that it was not in the square,health and safty ! yet they had this event in the center of which you could see not a lot and hear not a lot and to me was a bigger health and safty issue.where was the christmas sprit? that we all know and love,happy christmas from australia everyone
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are you going to make a donation to that cancer charity for those five complimentary Christmas cards?
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The term ‘Happy Holidays’ has nothing to do with paranoid fantasies about multiculturalism or anything to do with appeasement. It is instead an Americanism, often used as an all-purpose greeting to cover all of the Winter holidays, including Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
The term ‘Winterval. was a slightly cheesy PR word used by Birmingham City Council to publicise a variety of events relating to the various faith groups within that city. It had nothing to do with banning Christmas – Christmas was the principal religious festival encompassed within it.
It’s ironic that there are those seeking to pin this on other religions and groups, when it’s far more likely to lie at the door of the US, who are surely the most malign influence on our culture. Look at the predominance of US fast food, the increasing use of Americanisms in our language, and above all our foolishness in joining them in their military and foreign policy adventures in recent years.
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Peter. As a frequent visitor to America, you don’t know what you are talking about. If you have never been at Christmas I suggest that you spend £600 on a 3 night stay, and experience the magic of Christmas in New York, you will soon change your mind. In all the shops everybody wishes you Merry Christmas, I have never heard any body say happy holiday or anything else.
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i have not long returned from the USA, everyone i met said happy holidays.
Happy Holidays everyone
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John,
To use a phrase that you frequently misquote – you are talking utter drivel (not ‘dribble’).
I work for an American company and at this time of year we are bombarded with Christmas greetings and corporate messages from across the pond. They almost exclusively use the term ‘happy holidays’. Happy Christmas or Merry Christmas are not unknown, but the predominant phrase is certainly ‘Happy Holidays’.
So no ‘PC’ plot, nothing to blame ‘multiculturalism’ for – simply another americanism that has come into our language…
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Christians shouldn’t celebrate Christmas;
Jeremiah 10:2-4 & Colossians 2:16-17.
Heathens Rejoice!
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the answer to the original question is no. christmas is what you make of it . i am lucky to have christmas lights all year round. red, red and amber, green, amber and back to red. as the man once said. may your god go with you.
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I don’t know where the police find the time to scurry around with their twinkling blue lights at this time of year but it’s most seasonal. Merry Yuletide Boys and Girls!
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Just a thought, did the Shrewsbury festive lighting require the services of a style consultant or did Maureen from temps decide that all the colours of the rainbow were suitable as long as they were exclusively blue?
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Shrewsbury’s lights are boring. Just one cold colour everywhere strung across the streets and on the wall mounted Christmas trees. Next year the council should bring back coloured lights. It would make the town look so much inviting.
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