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Riverwillows

"Happy Holidays" vs "Merry Christmas"

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So it's nearing Christmastime (and Thanksgiving is coming up for us Americans) So I thought I'd appear and state my current opinion on this topic, which is probably the same as last time I was here *Looks up* Oh, wait, no it's not

 

Still do the whole "and you" thing. But I'm back to being upset about "Happy Holidays." And pretty much for the same reasoning given in the above post. Actually, I'm thinking every time I hear Happy Holidays Ima respond with Appropriate Remark... Certainly sounds like something I'd do

 

Also, Season's Greetings, as I recall, isn't so much a way of avoiding mentioning a specific holiday as an older, in fact a bit outdated, Christmas well-wish. Which is to say, when it says "season" it means Christmas, not winter. Could be wrong, but I think I recall seeing that somewhere

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Personally, I don't care what people say to me as a well wish. It's the thought that counts.

 

I am sick of the militant merry vs happy people of both sides. I wished a lady happy holidays once, as it was before thanksgiving and I thought I'd cover both holidays. It looked like she was planning on taking a tire iron to my head, and she complained to management. Bank teller = most thankless and tortured job I have ever had. I've had the happy group yell at me for presuming what they celebrate too and, "forcing my beliefs on them." Ironically, I don't celebrate Christmas myself.

 

This season makes me want to just hide from people. I'm glad I work more behind the scenes and fix things now.

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(speaking as a Christian who celebrates... well Christmas...)

 

Personally, I prefer Happy Holidays, unless you know for sure what someone might be celebrating-- like, I'll wish my friends a happy Hanukkah and they tell me merry Christmas, since we know what's what. But for at the store or fast food place or something, unless there's a solid tip-off, I just go with the one that could cover everything from Christmas to Festivus xd.png

 

(Season's Greetings isn't too bad either, but I just feel like a card then x3 But I guess it's different depending on what words people tend to use, I can see how happy holidays sounds ridiculous to UK folks xd.png)

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Greet people in your particular tradition. If they don't like it, it's their problem. If you know what their holiday is, greet them in that if you feel like it.

 

People will get offended at anything soon we'll be told to walk around with duct tape across our lips and not utter a word.

 

I mean saying "have a great day" to someone who's dog just died isn't going to go down well.

 

I say seasons greeting, happy holidays, merry christmas - whatever.

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I celebrate Christmas but if someone said "Happy Hanukkah!" or anything like that I wouldn't be offended at all. Sometimes I'll say Merry Christmas and sometimes I say Happy Holidays. I think it's a silly thing to be offended over a greeting.

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I personally don't care. But I usually try to make the effort to remember to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" if I don't know what the person celebrates. I don't celebrate the religious aspects of Christmas (not Christian) so to me it's just a fun day to eat good food, get&give presents, and hang out with family. smile.gif

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I say Happy Holidays to strangers/those whom I don't know what they celebrate because I feel it encompasses everything happening during that time, even the other meaning of "holiday" that refers to vacations, as many people like to travel and go on vacation during that time (though it's usually to visit relatives and celebrate a holiday).

 

If someone gets offended...whatever, I wasn't trying to be rude. I was trying to encompass everything because I don't know what they personally celebrate. I don't know them. I'm not a mind reader. And I think forcing ME to specify a certain holiday is much more rude, as it assumes there aren't others who don't celebrate that holiday and/or assumes I celebrate a certain holiday (I do celebrate Christmas, but I'm not going to tell everyone Merry Christmas because I know some people just don't celebrate it and I'm not super into the religious aspect of it at all anyway). Sometimes I just reply with "you, too" because that way it seems to not trigger anyone at all.

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I just say "Merry Christmas" because it's a reflex now and I've pretty much always said that. Never had anybody get offended. If they did get offended, I'd probably give them my best "WTF?" face, and apologize and say "Happy Holidays."

 

Although "Happy Holidays" just sounds kinda weird to me...but then again, my family always celebrated Christmas, so I guess I've been trained to think Christmas is normal.

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I think I replied here in the past, but these days, I prefer, "Happy Festivus!"

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I don't care either way.

Especially since christmas here seems to have absolutely no religious tie ins anymore even aside from the rare nativity scene.

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I just say Merry Christmas, no-one has ever been offended or said something about it. I don't understand how people can make such a big deal out of two words, I mean, really? If you celebrate a different religion thats great, good for you! I said Merry Christmas as it is a wish of good health, long life, peace, or generally a good wish for you. Why complain that someone wished you well?

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I just say Merry Christmas, no-one has ever been offended or said something about it. I don't understand how people can make such a big deal out of two words, I mean, really? If you celebrate a different religion thats great, good for you! I said Merry Christmas as it is a wish of good health, long life, peace, or generally a good wish for you. Why complain that someone wished you well?

Not sure. When someone tells me "Merry Christ's Mass", I'm quite indifferent... as in "Why should I care about that Mass"? "Happy Holidays", for me, is warm, nice and inclusive.

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I'll celebrate anything. So if you greet me with a holiday that isn't a part of my culture, I'll be delighted and have another chocolate xd.png

 

Oh - Happy New Year. Unless it isn't for you...

 

It all gets so silly. Inclusiveness means accepting all of them, not demanding others not "offend you" by mentioning theirs.

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Here's my two cents.

 

I don't have a problem with "Happy Holidays", I think it fits just fine. I don't like it when people force it down others throats for saying "Merry Christmas" "Happy Hanukkah" instead. I say "Merry Christmas" not to offend anyone, I say it because that's what I celebrate and I mean sincere good wishes with that. If someone else were to greet me with "Happy Kwanzaa" or "Happy Hanukkah", I'm not going to be offended either. Last I checked, all these holidays were about celebration, coming together, good will/wishes etc; why would I be upset if someone was wishing me that with their holiday of choice?

 

Again, just my two cents.

Merry Christmas/Happy New Years to everyone

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I use Merry Christmas as my default. It was how I was raised and while my faith has strayed from what I was brought up, that part hasn't. I do have friends who follow all faiths and interact with them on a daily basis. They do not get offended if I wish them Merry Christmas, just as I don't get offended when they reply with Happy Hanukkah or whatever. I believe it is wishing good will and is not trying to jam religion down peoples throats.

 

I do get annoyed while out and about and a random stranger will wish me a Happy Holidays. PC crap annoys me intently and I would much rather just know where someone stands vs someone who just comes across as unsure/undecided. It's what you believe ... own it, be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Soyal, Winter Solstice or whatever.

 

If someone gets offended, then they are offended. If someone is offended cause I am wishing them good will ... life is too short for me to care.

 

 

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To be polite, I always just say "Happy Holidays"

If someone says "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanuka" or "Yay Have a Nice Bare-Tree Snowy Season" I'm not going to get all pissed off at them or anything, I just say "you too"

 

What really upsets me is when I say "Happy Holidays" and said other person gets all pissed off at me and says "Merry Christmas" and storms off. I don't know who you are, what your religion is, who you live with etc. So I am going to say "Happy Holidays". Heck, even with my closest friends I just say "Happy Holidays"

 

I'm just trying to be polite cause I don't know who you are! I may celebrate Christmas, but that doesn't mean you do, so how am I supposed to know?

 

I'm just going to start saying "Yay have a nice bare-tree snowy season" dry.gifxd.png

Edited by Clya

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I don't have a problem with anything, though I'll tailor my wishes to whoever I'm wishing something to if I know what they celebrate. Not wishing someone happy [name of holiday they celebrate but you don't] isn't any different from not wishing them happy birthday because *your* birthday doesn't happen to be on the same day.

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I tend to use "Merry Christmas" as a default, though I am not Christian. It's just the default thing to say and I do celebrate a version of Christmas so...

 

But I obviously have no problem with Happy Holidays. If somebody says "Happy Holidays" to me first, I usually respond in kind, since I try to accommodate people's preferences.

 

It annoys me when people get all bent out of shape over the issue. I wouldn't be offended if somebody said "happy Hanukkah" though I don't celebrate it. I just take things in the spirit which they were intended.

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I like happy holidays because it's all-inclusive and it covers new years. For me it has nothing to do with being politically correct. At this point people are so convinced that 'happy holidays' is some sort of war on christmas that it has become less politically correct to say it anyway.

 

I'm just acknowledging that there are other holidays in december and that other people celebrate them. Personally I'm an atheist and I only 'celebrate' modern christmas because of my materialistic catholic family that gets pissed off when I don't want to do the gift giving crap because they are more concerned with getting gifts than actually spending time with each other.

Edited by Syaoransbear

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I am so glad that people here think exactly I do. biggrin.gif That's correct. People such as parishes and religious authorities shouldn't push people to say Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays. The person is free to express his greeting as how he likes it and as how he believes in. I don't see any fault however, for a Christian to greet a non Christian Merry Christmas. That is also true in reverse (e.g. a Jew wishing Happy Hanukkah to a Christian.)

 

Anyway, we do not have much issue about this since majority of my country is Christian. And almost all the people I encounter are Christians (with some atheists). The atheists and agnostics would just go along with it and don't make it an issue. They do not go around saying "I don't celebrate Christmas as I'm not a Christian." It all is about respect and love- that's what the December holidays represent.

 

I would like to note that I feel troubled saying winter holidays as it's summer during December in the southern hemisphere.

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I'm Atheist and I still call it "Merry Christmas."

 

If someone says anything different than Merry Christmas, then, well, I get... happy! I don't really mind what others call it. I'm just happy that they went out of their way to say something nice and meaningful to me smile.gif

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I think the intent behind it is more important than the words. I'm not religious at all, but I say Merry Christmas. I just don't really like the sound of Happy Holidays.

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I say Merry Christmas. I also say Happy Holidays. If I don't know the person well enough to know what holiday if any they observe, Happy Holidays is good.

 

I have my own observance, but I respect all the other holidays around this time. Christianity is the new kid, many of the other holidays are eons older, based on ancient practices. I respect those.

 

I guess I don't really see the issue. It doesn't change my holiday, if someone practices something else, and being respectful and kind to others is a basic tenet of most religions, Christianity included. Tho it seems that many so called "Christians" forget that part.

Edited by Riverwillows

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If someone says Merry Christmas to you and you aren't Christian does it really offend you that much?

 

Christmas has nothing to do with Christianity it's all about giving and receiving gifts and Santa

 

Christmas makes people happy

 

So yes I will continue to wish people a Merry Christmas

 

If you don't like it you can

 

A: Tell me you celebrate x holiday and I will wish you a happy x

B: Avoid talking to me because you are no fun

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