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Contact: Elliot Chan, Opinions Editor
™ opinions@theotherpress.ca

A whiny Christmas to all!

» The spirit of complaining about nothing

Elliot Chan
Opinions Editor
te, SM opinions@theotherpress.ca

t’s that special time of year

between Halloween and
New Year’s where people
start making a fuss about
decorations and salutations.
This year it’s no different.
We are still over a month
away from Christmas and
already we have two notable
controversies to discuss. And
the funny thing is, science and
religions are not even involved.

The one that received the
most attention is the Starbucks
“ted cup” controversy. When
it was first brought to my
attention that Starbucks
had released their annual
festively decorated trash—l
mean, disposable cups—I,
like most people, didn’t care.
Each year, the coffee retailer
goes out of their way to design
holiday themed cups, but
this year all that was present
was a simple coat of red. It
was minimalistic, and highly
offensive to some, apparently.
Starbucks, with an effort

to stay politically correct and
secular, decided that a simple
red would be a modest choice
for the brand. I agree. It is
nice to drink from a cup that
isn’t cluttered with clichéd
designs. Honestly, I barely
ever look at the cup anyways.
Why would I? It would just

remind me that once again they :

: thought my name was “Alex.”

I hope that next year

: Starbucks uses the same

: stupid red cup. Or better yet,
: they should just stick with

: the white cups that they use

: the rest of the year. After all,
: white is a Christmas hue.

The second controversy is

: even more absurd. It involves
: one of the largest payment

: processors in the world, PayPal.
: PayPal is known to frustrate a
: lot of people, but not usually

: in such a ridiculous fashion

: as their new commercial did.

: In the UK PayPal ad, a couple
: of children are left saddened,
: anxious, and concerned when
: their parents aren’t bringing

: any gifts home as the holiday
: approaches. Snotty little kids
: worried about their gifts, how
: touching right? The twist in

: the commercial is that the

: parents weren't carrying any

: gifts home, because they made
: online purchases and they

: were delivered without the

: children knowing—much like
: some Father Christmas guy.

Well, apparently PayPal

: broke the illusion for some

: British children. There is

: no Santa Claus! What I find

: interesting is that children are
: watching a PayPal commercial:
: at all. Moreover, if your children :
: are able to conceptualize the :
: idea of digital payments, they
: are probably too old to believe
: in Santa. Although, the idea

of invisible money does sound

 

: as fictional as a man who
: lives in the North Pole with a

bunch of elves and reindeers.
What corporations need to

: understand is that they can’t
: please everyone this time of
: year. If you put up too many
: decorations and play too much

(¥ Double negative

(Y Entertainers owe us the hits

(¥ Policing the police

And more!

: Michael Bublé, people are going
: to be angry. Then again, if :
: you don't make an effort, you

: get chewed out all the same. I

: didn’t grow up with Christmas
: being a big deal, it just

: happened around me. I’m not

: religious, and as an only child

Image via thinkstock

I never really had a problem

: with presents. Christmas to

: me is achance to get some rest
: and enjoy myself. The only

: thing I have to complain about
during Christmas is that most
: stores and restaurants are

: closed. That’s the real bullshit!

 

‘Merry Christmas’ shouldn't be taboo

» Don’t be ashamed to celebrate your holiday

Lauren Paulsen
Senior Columnist

r¢¢ hristmas” seems like it’s
becoming a taboo word
nowadays. Too many people
are afraid of insulting non-
Christians; therefore, certain
things are being renamed,
such as “Christmas Break”
becoming “Winter Break.”

over Starbucks’ holiday cups.

In my honest opinion, this is

all very silly, and I think a lot

of people agree with me.
Canada has been a

Christian-dominant country

since European settlers arrived

here many, many years ago. Asa

: result, it is not unreasonable for

: there to be a lot of Christmas-

: related stuff. If we go to another

: country, we don’t expect them

: to change their holidays because
: we have a different religion.

I’m not saying we shouldn't

: respect other religions. Canada
: is multicultural, and therefore
: a lot of different religions must

: coexist. However, I do not think
There’s even this big controversy :

that wishing anyone who isn’t

: Christian a “Merry Christmas”

: should be considered offensive.
: On the contrary, | have many

: friends who aren't Christians

: who enjoy it when they’re

: wished a Merry Christmas. I’m
: not offended when someone

: wishes me a Happy Hanukkah,

: or tells me to enjoy Diwali.
: Instead, it makes me feel happy.

I even have non-Christian

: friends who join in on Christmas
: festivities with me, such as

: exchanging gifts or making

: gingerbread houses. Christmas

: is about giving and should

: be enjoyable. I don’t think

: Christians should be so afraid of
: offending non-Christians, just

: as I don’t think non-Christians

: should be afraid of offending

: Christians. Stop this nonsense

: about holiday cups and enjoy

: the holidays, whichever ones

: you may celebrate or not

: celebrate, and don’t WOITy sO

: much about offending others.

  

Image via thinkstock