Opening a can of worms Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays
Just for conversation and I'm wondering what people think. One of my FB friends posted this whole long post about Christmas and how people are taking the Christ out of Christmas (it went on and on and on) and the very last line is what got to me - she went off about not saying "Happy Holidays" but wishes everyone a "Merry Christmas".
I am Jewish, I have always wished people a "Happy Holidays" unless I know 100% what holiday they celebrate and they I give the holiday greeting (Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, etc). The way she made her post just rubbed me wrong but I know that is because my holiday is the minority holiday. I didn't say anything to her and have no intention of saying anything - just wondering how others feel on the whole holiday greeting thing.
I am the first to admit that I am sensitive around this topic and have always made a point to be aware of what I say to others about the holidays and such. (i have always bought Happy Holidays cards since I send to both my Jewish and non-Jewish friends - this is the first year ever that we got Happy Hanukkah cards and are sending them to everyone and I feel funny about it).
Re: Opening a can of worms Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays
My cards usually say Merry Christmas. We are Christian, so I don't think it is 'wrong' to have that on there....just like you sending the Happy Hanukkah cards.
When I worked at Old Navy 10+ years ago there was a big deal made out of us telling customers "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas." I remember one little old lady telling me, "It's Christmas, honey. You can tell me Merry Christmas."
I understand respecting everyone's religion/traditions, but some people get too wound up over a simple well-wish. I think it is the thought/gesture that counts, especially when they don't have a clue as to your religious preference.
I say "Merry Christmas" because I am a Christian. It's not that I'm trying to be insensitive, but that's my belief, and it's why I celebrate in December. I would expect someone with a different belief to greet me in their own way (Happy Hanukkah, for example).
ETA: Like PP, I will say "Happy Holidays" if I'm talking about Thanksgiving + Christmas + New Years.
I'm Jewish as well, so I tend towards "Happy Holidays" but I don't clutch my pearls if someone says, "Merry Christmas" to me. I do think people who rant about the "Christ being taken out of Christmas" because people say "Happy Holidays" have a bit of a stick up their butts--IME, they they tend to be the same people who refer to basic human kindness as "Christian values" and see the world through a very narrow lens.
I always say Happy Holidays. Why would I want to wish you a Merry Christmas if you don't celebrate Christmas?
I grew up in and now live in a very diverse area where a good number of the people I encounter in any given day are probably not Christian. My in laws have commented that everyone in their area still says Merry Christmas, probably because that's what 99% of the population around them celebrates.
Here at work we have to say Happy Holidays.
I tell everyone outside of work " Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah"
Why would I wish you a Happy Hannukah if you don't celebrate it? That's weird. I would wish you a Merry Christmas if I knew you were some denomination of Christianity. But unless I know you well, I probably wouldn't, so I'd just say "Happy Holidays" with the best of intentions and leave it at that. :-)
I admit that when I select my card for the year, I am worried about sending a Christmas card to someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas. However, I think the people I am sending it to that don't celebrate it know me well enough to know that I wish them a Happy whatever-it-is-they-celebrate.
As for greetings in the store, I don't really care that I am not wished a Merry Christmas, but instead Happy Holidays. I take the Happy Holidays greeting to encompass all holidays at this time of year since there are so many, some of which I celebrate and some which I don't. I am glad to be treated in a friendly way.
Thankfully none of my friends or family are douchebags that have to make a stink over everything. DH's brother doesn't celebrate Christmas, but we still send him a Christmas card (we do photo cards) in which I write happy holidays or something like that. Everyone on my list gets the same card. If I had someone that caused a stink about it, I'd opt not to send them a card.
Christmas 2011
This drives me batty. You can be a good person no matter what your faith.
I'm thinking my holiday greeting this year may be: good tidings to yoooou
without the merry christmas
and my cards, as of lately, have been way too trendy to state merry christmas. we're talking happy everything, peace, joy and love, may your holidays be merry and bright. "Good tidings to you" may be a go on the card this year
oooo maybe I'll dress the boys up as little Dickens characters.
this is one of those arguments that irritates me to no end...and I'm not really good at articulating why!
this whole season of Christmas in America and it's traditions are almost entirely the result of Charles Dickens and The Coca Cola Company's clever marketing. Call it solstice, yule, christmas, whatever. Saying Merry Christmas in the 21st century pretty much has nothing to do with Jesus. And saying Happy Holidays doesn't make you an atheist. If you also celebrate the birth of Christ, then rock on! If you celebrate Hannukah, then go for it! Who cares what anyone says to you. It's a greeting of goodwill-take it and move on with however your family celebrates whatever it is that you celebrate.
For real.
I don't care what people say to me, and I put Merry Christmas on my cards some years. Other years I do something else (like Happy Holidays or whatever). It just depends on what I feel like.
To me, the "Christmas" I am wishing people is the federal holiday filled with Santa, trees and presents that embraces consumerism. The religious holiday is entirely separate, and I celebrate that at Church and with various other activities w/ my family. I don't know - the two are so separate to me, I don't even associate religion with most of the holiday season anymore anyway.
Alex (11/14/06) and Nate (5/25/10)
"Want what you have, do what you can, be who you are." - Rev. Forrest Church
Anyway, I'm always in a dilemma about this. I grew up in a town with Jewish people making up over 30% of the population and went to a university where it was closer to 50%. I now live in Texas where many people (friends) are insulted by Happy Holidays cards and upset if I don't say "Merry Christmas," especially my clients. The last year or two, I've sent out Merry Christmas cards to everyone including my Jewish friends but only after I asked them if it bothered or offended them. They all said they didn't care and were just excited to see the pics of the kids and such. I guess I could get a small set of cards that I could send to my Jewish/Atheist/Pagan/whatever friends, but that's a whole extra set to buy/organize/keep track of. I will say that I am frustrated that my goal with my Christmas/Holiday cards is to offend the fewest people possible. It just seems wrong and silly. I just want to wish everyone a happy holiday season (whatever holidays they may or may not celebrate) and tell them that I love them and miss them wherever they live. It really shouldn't be this complicated.
This is exactly how I handle it. I really don't get the argument of making a greeting based on what the speaker celebrates. Isn't the greeting intended for the recipient? To me, saying "Merry Christmas" to someone who does not celebrate that holiday is the same as me walking around saying "Happy Birthday" to someone else when I'm celebrating my own birthday.
This is always an issue in our house because my DH is one who goes around wishing strangers a Merry Christmas and doesn't see anything wrong with it, and he gets annoyed when I order holiday cards that do not mention Christmas specifically.
Unless I know for sure what a person celebrates, I say Happy Holidays. I am Jewish and send Christmas cards to my friends who celebrate Christmas and of course, Chanukah cards to my family and friends that celebrate Chanukah. we get a lot of cards around the holidays but we do not receive "Merry Christmas" cards.
and i agree with this:
"The only thing that bothers me is when someone is offended, or even annoyed, by Happy Holidays. Because not everyone does celebrate Christmas and if you are annoyed because someone else is trying to be inclusive then you're an a$$hole."