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Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

I know this has probably been asked a million times but what greeting do you prefer...Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or other? Do get offended by any of the holiday greetings? I automatically say Merry Christmas without thinking much about it but the other day it hit me how little meaning any of these greetings have. It's basically the same as saying "Hi, how are you?" polite but kind of pointless. Anyway...Merry Everything and Happy Always!

Mindi 3 Dec 23
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23 comments

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4

I have atheist, Muslim, Jewish, and pagan friends so I say Happy Holidays. To me, saying Merry Christmas is assuming someone is a Christian.

3

Happy Chrismukah.

3

Whatever floats your particular boat .

No - none of the well wishes really bother me. Not worth getting bothered over !

Lately I've taken to simply saying "same to you", with a smile. Seems to work ok.

And I'm always cautious about asking certain people "how are you ?" - unless I really want to hear their litany of ailments and dire woes of the world !

3

I say happy holidays but if someone says merry christmas to me i will say it back.

3

baaaaaaaa humbug though thanks anyway. I have a dog called humbug as he was born about now 6 years ago.

3

Anything is fine with me when it comes to receiving. When giving, I say Merry Christmas to people I know celebrate and mostly say Happy Holidays or something else if I am not sure.

3

Happy Holidays!

3

When I say Merry Christmas in my mind I'm being completely non-religious. For pretty much my entire life Christmas has meant getting together with family, exchanging presents, eating tasty and rich food and playing games. Other than The Charlie Brown Christmas Special it had no religious significance whatsoever. However if I know that someone is of a different faith I might say Happy Holidays. It's not something that I think about too often.

2

It's not really a big deal to me either way. I usually return whatever is said to me. If I say it first, it's usually happy holidays. I've never had anyone get upset over it yet. The only times I've ever seen anyone make a fuss over it is on social media platforms. There is a weird sense of anonymity that people get there. For some reason, they'll say things there that they probably wouldn't say in public to anyone's face.

Duke Level 8 Dec 23, 2017
2

I'm a happy holidays person. But I loved and went to school in a heterogeneous community. I was also raised very near Dearborn, MI which as the largest Muslim community outside the middle East, so happy holidays was always just more inclusive.

On a personal note, I don't understand why people are offended by the use of happy holidays. As a non religious person, I may not wish people a merry Christmas, but also not telling people to go f**k thenselves, as I'm equally inclined to do. Actually this may become my new holiday standard response.

2

Happy Holidays for me.

2

I will reply merry Christmas if someone say that too me, If I initiate it then just happy holidays.
I'm comfortable in my beliefs and values.

johns Level 4 Dec 23, 2017
2

I personally say Merry Christmyth.

1

I honestly don't care. Merry Christmas, happy holidays, feliz navidad, or anything else are all the same to me. The person saying it is wishing me well and that's all that matters. I typically respond in kind.

d_day Level 7 Dec 24, 2017
1

I usually just say Happy Holidays but if the other person leads with Merry Christmas, I'll follow suit and return Merry Christmas. I don't have to feel offended to wish someone a good holiday even if I don't celebrate it. I do take a stance if I say Happy Holidays and someone corrects me to say " No, it's Merry Christmas". I usually reply to that with "Axial tilt is the reason for the season and the solstice was celebrated thousands of years before your bastard child of God", or maybe I just say that in my head and smile and nod...

1

have a great day

1

Have a Satisfying Solstice and a Logical New Year!

If I don’t know someone’s religious path I say Happy Holidays, only if I know they are Christian do I use Merry Christmas.

CS60 Level 7 Dec 23, 2017
1

Boxes or briefs? Depends!

Depends on the situation, not opposed to either.

0

Happy Holidays is safe!

0

I dislike the whole "Hi, how are you?" thing too. There is often not time to talk about how someone is out in the world. I know I am a grumpy person sometimes and that might give me insight into the best way to approach people. I prefer just "Hi".

0

I say Merry Christmas if they are christian, if they arent or I am unsure I just say have a nice holiday.

0

Happy holidays as most of our friends are humanist, atheist, pagan, jewish.

0

It depends on the person. For most folks its Happy Holidays but if it's somebody I know and am friendly with I will answer their Merry Christmas likewise. If they're somebody that thinks there's a war on Christmas, it most certainly will be a Happy Holidays or just a grunt.

gearl Level 8 Dec 24, 2017
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