Quote:
Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate
There was a similar story in the Calgary Sun recently, but here is the original from Ottawa:
http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/National...69701-sun.html
I know the guy that wrote the article and I know what he was getting at. Christmas is a crazy time in Canada, far more so than in the United States. We just go overboard on the parties and food and drink and celebrating with families and friends. If such a thing is possible. Now we at Statistics Canada have the last work day before Christmas as "Kids Day" and all parents are to bring their kids to work. Each division does different things. Some bring in a Santa, some bring in Christmas cookies and a punch bowl, one division I worked in brought in Snappy the Christmas Dog who dressed as Santas elf and did tricks.  Now I understand where the guy is coming from... we have employees of all races and religious backgrounds. There are Jewish employees, Muslim employees, Sikh employees and, like myself, Athiest employees... all of whom would not wish to bring their children in to see Santa. So, keep them home you say. If you don't want to bring your kids to see Santa, you don't have to. But this is the ONLY day of the year where kids are allowed to come in. If we allowed kids in for Hanukkah, the end of Ramadan celebration, the Sikh festival of light and every other major religious holiday we'd never get any work done (no typical Albertan jokes there... I work harder at Stats than I ever did at any of my 4 private sector jobs  ).
The money for these things typically come out of the social committe funds, so all employees contribute to the events by buying food at bake sales or pizza lunches or craft sales. So all employees are chipping in money for Christmas decorations and Christmas events, which I don't think is fair. I think his suggestion was a decent one. Have Santa in one corner of the office floor and a magician in the other. Let the children of other religions have some kind of event as well.
But the fellow who put the article on our internal network has been ripped limb to limb and has been getting many threatening e-mails. Real threats of violence against him by supposedly Christian people. And now the media is piling on and ridiculing him.
I know that those that were angry saw this as an attempt to usurp their holiday and water it down to a P.C. non-Christmas. But I don't see how bringing more people into the celebration destroys the holiday. This isn't about not being able to say "Merry Christmas", it's about including all people in the holiday celebrations.
I've been known to be wrong before; this is just my opinion. We welcome yours. |
Let me say that, as a Muslim, I really don't care how companies, including mine, choose to celebrate Christmas. I have been working in the same place for four holidays now and never went to a Christmas party. Not because of my religious background, but because the people in my company throw lame parties and they won't let us bring our significant others.
I actually tried to introduce an idea in my former company that they give two days off to non-Christian workers each year to celebrate a religious or atheist holiday or two. Panicking, "they" had meetings about it and I had to shut up.
One thing that does bother me, though, are the people who are purposefully ignorant and try to do this lame proselytizing thing, escpecially around Christmas.
In any case, I am OK as long as I am left alone and I get my time off on both Eids.
My late grandmother told me that my former country had a great "diversity" system in the
1920s. Muslim businesses didn't work on Fridays and Muslim holidays, Jewish on Saturdays and their holidays and Christians on Sundays and theirs.
On another note, St. Nicholas is probably turning in his grave seeing how many people "worship" him instead of his boss during the boss' birthday celebration.