"merry Christmas" Versus "happy Holidays"

[Treehugger]

This debate over which greeting to use as we near the celebration of Christmas is an important discussion that I wanted to begin. Of course, here on phatmass we may be a little biased...but please share your views on this matter.

Here's my two cents:

Holiday Controversy

As a high school student who is employed as a retail associate, the controversy of saying ‘Merry Christmas’ in a secular setting has sparked my attention. I believe that every individual, whether customer or employee, or employer should choose to say what is most comfortable and natural for them. Personally, I will be wishing those I serve a Merry Christmas. If someone wishes me a Happy Hanukkah, will I be offended? Of course not! No way! These greetings, the many that exist especially from varying faith traditions and even coming from within the secular market-place are all well wishes that are intended to spread happiness and joy. The words are not nearly as significant as the peace that is wished through the action of simply saying them. My hope is that we move beyond the semantics and learn to celebrate that we are different rather than homogenizing our greetings to the point that they bear less meaning to the individuals on both ends of the exchanging the greeting.

[HisChildForever]

The crazy thing is that many secular people celebrate Christmas - more as a family or global holiday than anything - with lights, the tree, presents, etc. So who exactly is being offended by "Merry Christmas"?

On a side note, I worked (also in retail) two days before Thanksgiving and someone told me to have a good holiday. After they left I realized - what the heck just happened? Now we can't say Thanksgiving?!

[CSLF]

[quote name='HisChildForever' post='1721385' date='Dec 7 2008, 02:53 AM']The crazy thing is that many secular people celebrate Christmas - more as a family or global holiday than anything - with lights, the tree, presents, etc. So who exactly is being offended by "Merry Christmas"?

On a side note, I worked (also in retail) two days before Thanksgiving and someone told me to have a good holiday. After they left I realized - what the heck just happened? Now we can't say Thanksgiving?![/quote]


I love that people don't realize that they're saying 'Happy Holy-days.' I guess we could take it to mean all of the holidays clumped together, Immaculate Conception, Christmas, Epiphany, etc. Besides, whether people are wishing a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah, they aren't exactly saying "I'll see you in church/synagogue." Personally, I'll take a merry, happy anything.

[Selah]

I know some people say "holidays" to include all holidays that are celebrated during this time...Christmas, Hannakah, Kwanzaa, etc.

[quote]I love that people don't realize that they're saying 'Happy Holy-days[/quote]

haha, so true

[TeresaBenedicta]

It's become engrained in our culture to be "politically correct". I heard story of this one lady, who would go up to our Grotto's daily Mass, and two days before Christmas, wished one of her friends a "Happy Holiday" right after Mass.

[Resurrexi]

I say Blessed Advent this time of year.

[Selah]

That's a good idea!

[Guest nvzbl]

Happy Holidays!

[Mari Therese]

I always say Merry Christmas, because I celebrate the birth of Christ. No one has ever mentioned be offended by my greeting. If someone wished me a Happy Hannukah, I wouldn't be upset about it. I think that sometimes we are all too worried about offending eachother, no offense

[doe-jo]

Merry Christmas!

[Guest nvzbl]

Happy New Year.

[Ash Wednesday]

[img]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h181/sk8r527/Bob_Barker_fail.jpg[/img]

[BG45]

As a Grad Student (working in retail), I wish the customer what they wish me. Most of them wish me a Merry Christmas.

[tinytherese]

I was just thinking of something like this earlier today. I go to a secular school but we do have a non-denominational chapel on campus for anyone who wants to pray there, where intersociety meets, and where some non-religious groups meet, often for the preparation of a school tradition or the celebration of one. Every year there's a chapel service for this one tradition called hanging of the greens, where we have a service and then go around the campus singing Christmas carols and putting Christmas wreaths around the campus.

Recently, some people from school were talking about how the chapel service involved Jesus too much and that non-christians and non-practicing-christians probably felt offended. Also saying that the event was supposed to be about the community coming together to decorate the campus, that we should have had people from different faith and culture traditions to come and speak about what they do for this time of year. I wouldn't have had a problem with hearing about other holidays and cultures speaking about what they do for this time of year, yet at the same time I think that some people may not have come to the chapel service anyway simply because it was in the chapel. Come on now when you think chapel don't you think christianity?

Besides, non-practicing christians may have felt offended by any practicing christians that would come up and speak about Christmas at an ecumenical service. Some practicing christians may have been offended by non-christians speaking about how they celebrate Christmas too as a fun cultural activity. So how can we avoid offending people? Besides when we went to decorate the campus we were singing CHRISTMAS carols and hanging up CHRISTMAS wreaths. If the idea of the event was to sing and decorate the campus afterwards then even doing that would be contradicting the secularism of the event.

[MissyP89]

I say Happy Holidays if I am speaking with someone unfamiliar. If I'm with a close friend, etc, I say Merry Christmas.

I have a few Jewish, Pagan, and atheist friends who obviously do not celebrate Christmas. I'm not going to wish them a Merry Christmas.

The other thing is that I think Happy Holidays is practical as it covers Thanksgiving, the new year, etc.