Virtual Christmas cards

[Candy115]

It is very nice that we can send virtual Christmas cards to hosts & guests, as we received one yesterday, BUT there are no offerings of Christmas cards that celebrate the real Reason for the Season, the Birth of Jesus....

[Sarah977]

There are many seasonal celebrations at this time of year for people of other religions and beliefs, having nothing to do with Jesus. Airbnb isn't a Christian platform- it's secular, inclusive and international. 

@Candy115

[Mark116]

@Sarah977  It would have been very easy for Airbnb to actually be inclusive, which would include at least one religious Christmas card option.  There are also Christians all over the world.  I'm not religious but leaving out a religious option on the cards is the opposite of inclusive. 

[Colleen253]

@Mark116 True, but I think 'happy holidays' covers everything pretty well, myself. I have no idea which of my guests celebrate which holiday. I'd rather just send a generic holiday card. The 'thank you' option is nice too.

[Sarah977]

And one for Hanukah, and one for pagan solstice celebration, and one for.....? And how would a host know which was the appropriate card to send to each guest? 

Seems to me like "Happy Holidays" or Happy Holiday Season" covers it all and doesn't run the risk of offending or excluding anyone's beliefs or lack thereof.  @Mark116

[Mark116]

@Sarah977  Maybe they met and conversed with them, maybe they had stayed over the 'holidays' previously so you would know that 'Merry Christmas' was the correct salutation.  I mean, there isn't even a 'Merry Christmas' option at all, let alone one with religious imagery, I think that is lame.  We are old, so we still send cards, and some people get Merry Christmas and some get Happy Holidays and some few get religious Christmas cards because we fit the card to the people.  I would actually love to see Ramadan, Kwanza and Chinese New Year and Hanukah cards as options as well. That is what inclusion to me means, not excluding everything except the bland secular, but I get that not everyone will agree.

[Anonymous]

@Mark116  The tale of Jesus' birth is a sore spot for the hospitality industry.  If only Bethlehem had had some Airbnb listings, maybe the fetal deity would've been born in a condo instead of a barn.

Seriously, though, I really doubt that most Airbnb hosts know their past short-term guests well enough to make an accurate call about which winter ritual (if any) they celebrate. At the end of the day, this is all just another way for Airbnb to stimulate more brand engagement, and if they injected religion into the corporate messaging it would probably go down about as well with guests as that whole "guest contribution" thing did with hosts.

[Lisa723]

@Candy115 surely you are aware that Christians co-opted previously celebrated solstice (and equinox) holidays that predate the religion by far? So the "reason for the season" thing is not actually true.

[Anonymous]

@Candy115  There's nothing stopping you from incorporating a religious message into your holiday greeting, if your interaction with the guest or host left the impression that this would be appropriate.

But for those who don't share your beliefs, it would be awfully weird to get a message about baby Jesus from someone you only know from renting a cabin.