Why bother calling it "The Holidays"?

[joseph821]

They *are* including other holidays, just not enough to OP's liking.
1. They include Hanukkah in the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks show
2. They have a band playing Hanukkah music
3. They play Hanukkah music over the PA in DCA, and on Mater's
4. They sell Hanukkah merchandise
5. They offer a twist on Hanukkah food at the Festival of Holidays booths
5. They offer baked items in Hanukkah colors
6. They have Hanukkah crafts
7. They have a description of the history of Hanukkah (and other holidays) in DTD.
8. They have Hanukkah themed store windows.
9. They even offer Hanukkah Disney Parks wallpaper for your phone.

View attachment 816364

View attachment 816366

View attachment 816365

View attachment 816367

View attachment 816372

Thank you!! That is quite a lot for Hanukkah.

 

[JayDavis]

And its a small fraction compared to whats offered for Christmas.

Here is your ONE shirt option. While there are hundreds of Christmas shirts.

 

[JerrodDragon89]

And its a small fraction compared to whats offered for Christmas.

Here is your ONE shirt option. While there are hundreds of Christmas shirts.

They are a business

They sell what people buy, Disney would sell a MILLION t shirts of whatever sells but Christmas is king in the States for Merch

If you want to see more other Holiday shirts,m then buy up what they have now and they will expand.

I've been going to the parks since the 90's when I was a kid and they have WAY more Christmas Merch now then back then, why? People demanded it and then bought it and now they sell more and more each year to meet the demand

 

[joseph821]

And its a small fraction compared to whats offered for Christmas.

Here is your ONE shirt option. While there are hundreds of Christmas shirts.

Complain to Disney.
Christmas is the dominant holiday religious and secular aspects in America based on population, religious affiliation and American culture.
Hanukkah is represented.

 

[Aspencreek]

We'll be in the parks next week. Now I'm curious to see the holiday decorations/gear variety.

 

[Lisa24jks]

They are a business

They sell what people buy, Disney would sell a MILLION t shirts of whatever sells but Christmas is king in the States for Merch

If you want to see more other Holiday shirts,m then buy up what they have now and they will expand.

I've been going to the parks since the 90's when I was a kid and they have WAY more Christmas Merch now then back then, why? People demanded it and then bought it and now they sell more and more each year to meet the demand

It's this. 100%. Yes, we go to Disney for the magic. But Disney does their thing for the money. They've always had Christmas stuff, but it's become even bigger because it's a HUGE moneymaker. Look at how much bigger Halloween has grown over the years. I remember it used to just be like, "Welp, here's a pumpkin, Happy Halloween!" and now it is a HUGE DEAL. And it's all because they realized people will happily crack open their wallets for those holidays.

If the Hanukkah merch starts selling out, then they'll make more. If it doesn't, they won't. Money talks.

Sure, that's the cynical take, but it's also the right one.

 

[LKing]

And its a small fraction compared to whats offered for Christmas.

Here is your ONE shirt option. While there are hundreds of Christmas shirts.

Hundreds of Christmas shirts is an exaggeration. I haven't counted the ratio in the parks, but looking at Shop Disney, there are less than 30 Christmas designs and five Hanukkah designs.

For what it is worth, I was just at TJ Maxx. They had two designs of Hanukkah wrapping paper and more than 50 different Christmas designs.

 

[AprilsZoo]

This makes me wonder...if their "holiday" stuff in the parks...does it ever skew religious at all? I feel like the Christmas stuff is all secular, like mentioned above. Makes me wonder if they purposely try not to include much in the way of religious beliefs.

It was a really, really long time ago… and I can’t remember anymore if I bought it at the parks, at a Disney Store in the mall, or at K-mart (there’s the indication of how long ago this was) but I had a Disney nativity set.

It got several parts broken over a few moves, and I eventually got rid of it. I remember I looked at Goodwill for a few years hoping to find replacement pieces, but never saw anything… as I recall, I actually donated my remaining pieces to Goodwill in case anyone else was looking for them.

As I’m writing this, I can remember Minnie & Mickey as Mary & Joseph… I remember Goofy and Donald as 2 of the wise men and Pluto was a sheep or something… but I just cannot remember the others.

 

[LKing]

It was a really, really long time ago… and I can’t remember anymore if I bought it at the parks, at a Disney Store in the mall, or at K-mart (there’s the indication of how long ago this was) but I had a Disney nativity set.

Years ago we had this Disney menorah. It got so much use that, sadly, it eventually broke.

 

[joseph821]

Years ago we had this Disney menorah. It got so much use that, sadly, it eventually broke.

View attachment 816393

Very cute!!

 

[Tinkaboo]

As today was my last day in the parks, I can tell you that ETSY offers more clothing options than the parks. EVERY STORE HAS THE SAME STUFF.…so disappointing. Maybe three REALLY CHEAPLY MADE spirit jerseys, the fabric is so thin it probably won’t last 5 washings. I have jerseys from 2017 to present day and the older ones are much better quality. The one that was velour (not a Christmas one but black with castle) was $100! There were only about two choices of women’s t-shirt, one that comes to mind is Daisy and Minnie delivering presents. So while it LOOKS like there are tons of CHRISTMAS options….its all just more of the same.

I saw adults disneybounding as princesses or favorite characters, others in outfits such as Star Wars, even a Loki groupie, but IMHO I don’t want to see adults in costumes except on Halloween, princesses, princes, villains, whatever. It would be too confusing for children to see multiple Cinderellas and Belles bopping down the street after their makeover at adult BBB.

PS-the only thing I did buy (besides beignets) was the birthstone key keychain I was looking for! Thanks to all who helped!

 

[Tinkaboo]

Years ago we had this Disney menorah. It got so much use that, sadly, it eventually broke.

View attachment 816393

Ohmigosh, so cute !

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

And its a small fraction compared to whats offered for Christmas.

Here is your ONE shirt option. While there are hundreds of Christmas shirts.

A small fraction of the country celebrates Hanukkah while the vast majority celebrates Christmas.

What is interesting is 1/2 of the people who celebrate Christmas celebrate it as a non-religious holiday and all of the "Christmas" shirts I have seen seem non-religious as well. That would make the comparison you're making a bit apples to oranges.

Data:
https://apnorc.org/projects/happy-holidays-festive-or-stressful/#:~:text=This holiday season, 92% of,celebrate more than one holiday.

This holiday season, 92% of Americans will celebrate Christmas, 5% will celebrate Hanukkah, and 3% will celebrate Kwanzaa. Five percent will celebrate more than one holiday. Additionally, 81% will celebrate New Year’s Eve.

Among those who celebrate Christmas, 52% observe it mostly as a religious holiday and 48% consider it more a non-religious cultural holiday. Americans who attend church at least weekly are more likely to celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday than those who attend less frequently.

 

[BobaFettFan]

In DCA there was a musical family that celebrated Kwanzaa. That is 10000% more Kwanzaa than any other time in my life. I appreciated the experience.

 

[LKing]

PS-the only thing I did buy (besides beignets) was the birthstone key keychain I was looking for! Thanks to all who helped!

Great news! Where did you find it?

 

[Living42Day]

You could say the same thing about Kwanza, Bodhi Day, Sol Invictus, Immaculate Conception, and on and on. I don't believe Disney has any merchandise or decor for these holidays, so are they attempting to slight people of those faiths? I don't see any nativity scenes, but as a Christian I do not feel offended because I know that Disneyland is not attempting to cater to those who have religious faith.

Disney is a commercial entity, and as such follows trends of the consumer. I can see bringing complaints against a government organization for being non inclusive, but a for-profit business? Kohls and Macys have a bunch of Christmas trees and snowmen as decorations. Our bank has a Christmas tree in the lobby and garland decorations. Do you feel similarly about these businesses?

I'm not certain that your complaint is aimed in the right direction. If you are unhappy with the lack of Chanukah representation, your complaint is probably with the culture in the United States rather than specific organizations that cater to the majority of consumers.

 

[DontSpamMe]

Man. Of all the grievances I have with Disney I wish this was my numero uno.

I'm sure there are plenty of religions with less representation in the parks per capita than Judaism. If you are going to Disneyland for religious enlightenment, then you may be looking in the wrong place. I know nothing about the processional and why it exists, but as a person with differing beliefs, I assume it is a nod to the values of the founder who was a devout Christian and loved Christmas. Regardless, I have zero qualms with it. Nor do I feel Disney has any obligation to cater to my personal beliefs on the matter.

 

[LKing]

Kohls and Macys have a bunch of Christmas trees and snowmen as decorations.

Funny that you mention Kohls. I noticed that they had quite a bit of Disney Hanukkah merch on their website.



For those who celebrate and aren't offended by the color red.

 

[redleader74]

They are a business

They sell what people buy, Disney would sell a MILLION t shirts of whatever sells but Christmas is king in the States for Merch

If you want to see more other Holiday shirts,m then buy up what they have now and they will expand.

I've been going to the parks since the 90's when I was a kid and they have WAY more Christmas Merch now then back then, why? People demanded it and then bought it and now they sell more and more each year to meet the demand

Well said, well said. At the end of the day they are a for-profit business enterprise. They respond to demand. If they had produced equal amounts of merchandise for all other faiths/religions/holidays as Christmas and they didn’t sell, they would probably produce much less in subsequent years. And lets not forget….as a consumer, we can also vote with our dollars. If Disney was doing something I found disagreeable or inadequate and despite my pleas they did not respond as I liked….I would probably discontinue giving them my money.

 

[DharmaLou]

As someone who is agnostic, I think Disney gets the holiday season right. They include secular symbols - lights, trees, Santa but omit religious things like nativity scenes and menorahs. For those of us who aren't religious, I don't want to go someplace where it's broadcast all over. You can stay in the holiday spirit without focusing on specific religious aspects.