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Your opinion: "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays"?

Sydian

fake your death.
33,379
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16
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Exactly. I mean, my family is Christian, but if someone were to tell us "Happy Passover" (wrong season, yes), I wouldn't be bothered (and frankly, my family celebrates it anyway).

To be honest, if someone came up to me and told me "Happy *insert holiday I don't celebrate*" that would be awesome. I would really love it if someone told me "Happy Hanukkah" you don't even know omg. I would just love that seriously.

Just a different phrase for once would be nice! lol
 
10,769
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14
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Does anyone really get offended when they hear "Merry Christmas?" (Personally, I hate Christmas, but I despise the music and commercialism and not someone's attempt at being nice, although really, to say something like "I wish people Merry Christmas. I don't care if they get upset." isn't really getting in the Christmas spirit, is it?)

I thought the controversy over this was about how people started saying Happy Holidays ('cause, you know, they realized not everyone follows Christmas and they were trying to be nice), but some people said "No! You're trying to destroy Christmas!" and got all hurt that not everyone in the world was saying Merry Christmas.
 

F1refly

Stuff and things
154
Posts
12
Years
I don't celebrate christmas per se. Here in South Africa, wether you're christian or not, we celebrate christmas. My mom thinks it's all just a money making scheme, I agree but I think it's the illuminati behind it. Nah, just kidding. The real truth behind christmas would probably offend christians so I shant say it out of good faith.

On topic: I say Merry Christmas as it's that time of the year so why not.

Off topic: I do however get offended when people say "Bless you" when I sneeze. I always say "Gesundheit" if anyone sneezes, regardless of religion.
 

Kura

twitter.com/puccarts
10,994
Posts
19
Years
My opinion? Someone is just wishing for you to have a great month or great time and new year.. so what should it matter what exact terminology they use?

I think I pretty much summed up what I wanted to say just like that hahaha
 

Kanto_Johto

Never glimpse the truth
818
Posts
14
Years
Does anyone really get offended when they hear "Merry Christmas"?
Yes. Whenever someone says "Merry Christmas" it sends me into fits of ungodly rage.

But in all seriousness, I say Merry Christmas just because that's the name of the holiday we celebrate. Happy Holidays is fine too. I had no idea there was controversy over a modified phrase. I'm assuming it's to do with religion and the like. Never bothered me though.
 
8,571
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This never really occurred to me too much until this year, when my store managers said that we couldn't say Merry Christmas to customers (only Happy Holidays), despite having Christmas trees and decorations all over the store. I don't understand what the big deal is, as it's not like I'm trying to offend someone by saying Merry Christmas, I'm just being polite and saying a kind gesture. I'd have absolutely no problem if someone said Happy Hannukah or Happy Kwanzaa or something to me, as they were just being kind, even if I don't celebrate the same holiday.

Not that it matters to me if I have to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, I just don't quite see what the fuss is about, I guess.
 

Spinor

<i><font color="b1373f">The Lonely Physicist</font
5,176
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18
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  • Age 27
  • Seen Feb 13, 2019
I was never really in the habit of saying "Merry Christmas", nor "Happy Holidays" after deciding against religion.

So, no, I don't say either. I'm a boring person. It doesn't bother me when people say either to me though. I just reply "you too". If I look white, I don't have any reason to expect that a white society would assume that I'm an atheist and politely say "Happy Holidays".
 

Frostweaver

Ancient + Prehistoric
8,246
Posts
20
Years
My opinion? Someone is just wishing for you to have a great month or great time and new year.. so what should it matter what exact terminology they use?

Pretty much that. I'm a Christian so I personally say Merry Christmas, but I'm not going to throw a hissy fit over my work that I must say "Happy Holidays" at work though. X-mas doesn't bother me either, seeing that really at the root of it, it has the same meaning and it's Christians who started that X to begin with.

Sometimes it's a matter of culture of what the country is found on, and rather if you still practice that religion actively or not, doesn't really matter. I enjoy the holiday/don't mind the name of many chinese/asian festivals too, even if I don't follow the religious aspect of those holidays.
 
27,733
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I have no preference as to how to refer to this time of year.. I do mostly say "Happy Holidays" though because its just a general reference to the holidays that occur around this time of year based on religion and because it isnt quite Christmas yet. However when it does get close I will begin to say "Merry Christmas". I also do say "Season's Greetings" on rare occasion but overall, I usually just say "Happy Holidays".

As for "Xmas", that doesn't bother me because the meaning of it is widely-known and if you're trying to type out "Christmas" and need some room (say on Twitter for example with a 140-character limit) I'll likely use "Xmas".
 

Bounsweet

Fruit Pokémon
2,103
Posts
16
Years
  • Seen Sep 17, 2018
I honestly don't care at all. I say 'Happy holidays' at work just because we have so many foreign customers it would be odd saying Merry Christmas to a woman in a hijab. But with my family it's always 'Merry Christmas,' which is odd for me since I'm not Christian yet I celebrate it, so meh.
 
2,377
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12
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  • Seen Aug 25, 2015
Either one is fine in my opinion. If someone says "Merry christmas" to me, I'll say it back. They both mean the same thing, seriously, it dosen't matter which one you use.
 

Frostweaver

Ancient + Prehistoric
8,246
Posts
20
Years
On the other hand, how people are petitioning the removal of an ordinary "Christmas tree" in cityhall during the Christmas season is just... ugh. So much for cultural and religious diversity and acceptance -_-; Do we have to go to celebrate no holiday what so ever, and rename everything to "Seasonal/Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter breaks" only? We really do have to draw a line somewhere between being considerate and being bossed around by some very vocal minorities...
 
10,769
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I don't understand what the big deal is, as it's not like I'm trying to offend someone by saying Merry Christmas, I'm just being polite and saying a kind gesture. I'd have absolutely no problem if someone said Happy Hannukah or Happy Kwanzaa or something to me, as they were just being kind, even if I don't celebrate the same holiday.
But really, is it a matter of your intentions or how they are perceived? Because if you are a person who does say "Merry Christmas" / is a Christian you're in the majority (in the US, UK, Canada, etc.) so you have a certain privilege. It doesn't really affect you if someone wishes you Happy Hanukkah the way it would affect a Jewish person to be wished "Merry Christmas." (For a parallel example, a black person having to hear racial jokes from white people about black people is not at all the same thing if you reversed it.) Of course it's rather a small thing to begin with, nothing that would really hurt anyone like racial jokes, which is why it still seems strange that people are so resistant to saying anything but "Merry Christmas."

I don't mean to single you out. Yours was just the first reply on this page.
 

TRIFORCE89

Guide of Darkness
8,123
Posts
19
Years
On the other hand, how people are petitioning the removal of an ordinary "Christmas tree" in cityhall during the Christmas season is just... ugh. So much for cultural and religious diversity and acceptance -_-; Do we have to go to celebrate no holiday what so ever, and rename everything to "Seasonal/Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter breaks" only? We really do have to draw a line somewhere between being considerate and being bossed around by some very vocal minorities...
Yeah. I mean, I don't find the Christmas tree particularly religious. I think it is a fairly secular way to mark the season. Nativities or some way of marking advent shouldn't be at city hall, but I don't see the problem with the tree
 

Synerjee

[font=Itim]Atra du evarinya ono varda.[/font]
2,901
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11
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I always say 'Merry Christmas' and it's nice to hear other people say it to me as well. Christmas is somewhat of a universal celebration/holiday isn't it? :)

My country has multiple religions. We celebrate other religious festivals such as Aidilfitri, Deepavali, Wesak Day, just to name a few, and we freely wish each other as such without any holding back. So there is no reason why 'Merry Christmas' should be changed to 'Happy Holidays' for my case. If so, the other festivals' greetings should follow suit (which is pointless and defeats the emotional attachment to the whole celebration).

And as for Xmas, I never use it. I'm a Christian, so the Christ in Christmas is very important to me. I always tell myself: Why take the Christ out of Christmas when Christ is the reason this celebration exists? (PS. No offence meant, plus this is a rhetorical question so you need not answer it lol.)
 
Last edited:
8,571
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14
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But really, is it a matter of your intentions or how they are perceived? Because if you are a person who does say "Merry Christmas" / is a Christian you're in the majority (in the US, UK, Canada, etc.) so you have a certain privilege. It doesn't really affect you if someone wishes you Happy Hanukkah the way it would affect a Jewish person to be wished "Merry Christmas." (For a parallel example, a black person having to hear racial jokes from white people about black people is not at all the same thing if you reversed it.) Of course it's rather a small thing to begin with, nothing that would really hurt anyone like racial jokes, which is why it still seems strange that people are so resistant to saying anything but "Merry Christmas."

I don't mean to single you out. Yours was just the first reply on this page.
Even though I now say Happy Holidays to customers and other people I don't know to be friendly, saying Merry Christmas before just came naturally, based on what people around me said when I was growing up. Even when I went to school, the student body was very multicultural, and everyone said Merry Christmas over any other phrase during the holiday season (including a couple of my friends throughout elementary and middle school who were Jewish and celebrated Hanukkah). And while it is better to say Happy Holidays as it can apply to everyone, I just think it strange where it's come to the point (like at my work, for example) that we've been forbidden from saying Merry Christmas, as if it was intended or being perceived as offensive.
 

Altomare

Purupuru!
114
Posts
11
Years
Merry Christmas for me, mainly because I'm Christian (and I'm used to it already). But if someone greets me with a "happy holidays," its alright with me.
 

Kikaito plush

Angeline plushxKikaito plush
5,557
Posts
14
Years
I am a "happy holidays" person as half of my family celebrate other winter time holidays. If someone wishes me a "merry christmas" I am okay with that too.
 
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