Young and Employed » Miscellaneous http://youngandemployed.com Perspectives on business from young marketing and public relations professionals Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:56:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Happy holidays, I mean merry Christmas, I mean… http://youngandemployed.com/2009/12/07/happy-holidays-i-mean-merry-christmas-i-mean%e2%80%a6/ http://youngandemployed.com/2009/12/07/happy-holidays-i-mean-merry-christmas-i-mean%e2%80%a6/#comments Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:44:16 +0000 Francisco http://youngandemployed.com/2009/12/07/happy-holidays-i-mean-merry-christmas-i-mean%e2%80%a6/ Over the past few years the media has brought up the “war on Christmas” at the beginning of every December. The theory goes that in an attempt to be politically correct individuals and businesses have stopped wishing people a “merry Christmas” and instead use the more ambiguous “happy holidays”. Some pundits take offense to this secularization of a holy day while others merely wish to be more inclusive. To be honest the whole war on Christmas concept is lost on me. First of all, for many Americans Christmas is no more a holy day than Halloween.   Instead it is a day for presents and family and I am ok with that. For some it means nothing at all and is just another day. Who am I to tell anyone what they should be celebrating and how. If you consider yourself a Christian and wish to celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday that is fine too. After all that is what the holiday started as. Many of these pundits are stirring up controversy simply for the sake of controversy itself. I don’t believe for a minute any of these television personalities cares about America losing its identity as a Christian nation, what they care about is ratings. I do however believe there are individuals who care about Christmas as a Christian holiday and who take real offense to being wished a happy holiday instead of a merry Christmas.  These people have the right to celebrate a Christian Christmas if they wish (that is the meaning of a freedom of religion, freedom to practice whatever you want even if that is nothing). So when someone get offended when I say happy holiday I shrug it off. After all it is their right to be offended just as it is my right to not celebrate Christmas.

So what is the problem? Well the problem comes when you are working with people who become offended. The truth is no matter what you say someone will be offended. What if they don’t celebrate Christmas at all? What if they are Jewish or Buddhist or Hindu, or even (gasp) atheist?

What to say?

An individual’s decision to celebrate a holiday is a personal one and not one that we discuss often as is their religion or belief system. In the US we do not walk around with patches that advertise our religious beliefs. America is very diverse and as such there are a lot of different beliefs. Saying Happy Holidays means we are including everyone, not just Christians who celebrate Christmas. It also includes New Years so you are acknowledging the season not a specific holiday. Thus, this is what I would recommend saying. If someone shows offense and says “merry Christmas” back as a way to announce their preference, make a little joke. Say something like “I never know what people prefer, there are too many holidays to keep track of.” Do not get dragged into a debate about the  de-Christianization of America (especially at work) it just isn’t worth it.

As for those of you who get offended, I have one suggestion – lighten up. I do not consider myself Christian, I do not believe in Christ and therefore Christmas to me isn’t a religious day. In fact I don’t really celebrate Christmas any longer. I use the day off as an opportunity to celebrate my family (which I love) and to reflect on how lucky I am to live in a country where I am not hanged because of my religious (or lack thereof) beliefs as well as my other “blessings”. That said, I do not get offended when someone says Merry Christmas to me. I know they are just trying to be pleasant so why be angry. It should be the same way when someone wishes a Christian happy holidays. Remember, this person is just trying to be nice and wish you happiness!

I was going to write about gift giving at work as well as the office holiday party but I feel this post is long enough already. I will write separate posts on each of these issues. In the meantime I would like to hear your thoughts on the whole “happy holidays”/”merry Christmas” debate.

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]]> http://youngandemployed.com/2009/12/07/happy-holidays-i-mean-merry-christmas-i-mean%e2%80%a6/feed/ 2 The Fun Theory http://youngandemployed.com/2009/11/03/the-fun-theory/ http://youngandemployed.com/2009/11/03/the-fun-theory/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:01:29 +0000 Francisco http://youngandemployed.com/?p=254 Question-surveyMy Friend Hisham posted a video of The Fun Theory (sponsored by Volkswagen ), and call me extra sensitive, whinny or plain girly, but I teared up looking at what some brains a lot of creativity and experience can accomplish. Maybe it was the music, the great ideas behind it, or maybe I’m PMS (I’m a guy!), but on the other hand it may be my inner creative, smart and experienced professional feeling jealous of these marketing geniuses behind the videos.
I paid my dues, went to college, grad school, work hard, and keep on learning as much as I can every day, yet knowing that I’m doing better than most is no consolation for me; I want more. I want to feel useful 24/7, I want a challenge, a team, a job well done, and someone to notice it.
I want to think that most of us feel the same way. This professional society where we go to school and learn ONE and only ONE thing prevents us from reaching our potential, yet the comfort of it makes it almost impossible to leave. One thing I learned when I was working for a company named after me, is that when there is no one else to do the job, you will learn how to do it. One day I was making a website, the next a white paper, and before the end of the week I was programming a GUI; heck I also learned how to make the best Egg, Ham and Cheese sandwich in the world; because there was no one else to do it.
Do we all need to go to such extreme measures in order to feel competent, challenged and successful? Shouldn’t this attitude be prized somehow by our employers? I guess the fact that I didn’t get laid-off when 30% of the company did back at the beginning of 2009, means they notice some of that attitude in me; but how long would that last?
I need and want more, more out of myself, but I also have the psychological burden of wanting someone to notice (and pay me for it). What can I do, if every project accepted does not present a challenge for me, and the ones that would are too scary for management to approve?
I ask the more experienced readers; what would you do?

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]]> http://youngandemployed.com/2009/11/03/the-fun-theory/feed/ 2 Welcome to the Young and Employed Blog! http://youngandemployed.com/2009/06/17/welcome-to-the-young-and-employed-blog/ http://youngandemployed.com/2009/06/17/welcome-to-the-young-and-employed-blog/#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:27:22 +0000 admin http://youngandemployed.com/?p=3 This blog will feature posts about what is like being in your mid 20s and early 30s and working in business. It will include funny stories from our daily work lives, as well as our thoughts and perspectives on how to get by in business when you are younger than most of the people you work with.  Please check back often so we can share out thoughts with you. Our hope is that this blog will spur lively conversations so post your comments and thoughts as well.

Thank you,

Jess and Frank

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