"Merry Christmas" vs "Happy Holidays" in your city: Keep it civil... (Atlanta, people)

[lammius]

I don't understand why so many people get whipped up in a frenzy over Holidays vs Christmas. Christmas is popular but to assume that everyone on earth should give a damn about it is childish arrogance IMO. I don't assume the Christmas Nazis wish strangers a happy Diwali in autumn.

I like "Happy Holidays". There are so many holidays in so many traditions this time of year and I think it's nice to celebrate that. To me, thoughtful wishes are always appreciated

[TheTruth08]

I rarely hear Merry Christmas anymore when out at stores and even when talking to professors. It's awlays Happy Holidays. I don't mind.

[cityboi757]

Its about half and half here.

[Smtchll]

I hear "Happy Holidays" more here in Memphis but it doesn't bother me. I hear "Merry Christmas" when it's actually Christmas Day or Christmas Eve. I mean why would you say "Merry Christmas" to someone on December 17th? I don't tell people "Happy Easter" on Palm Sunday. To me "Happy Holidays" is like "Have a good next couple of weeks leading up to Christmas and New Years"

[adavi215]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

MERRY CHRISTMAS is definitely the standard (and always has been) where I live (Texas). I am not bothered at all when someone says -- usually required as part of their job in large chain stores-- "Happy Holidays". But I always reply with a good-natured "and Merry Christmas"!

Really, the only thing about "Happy Holidays" that irritates me in the least is that some businesses are so afraid of "offending" someone, that they specificially forbid "Merry Christmas."

Still -- at least around here -- even in the bigger national concers, "Merry Christmas" remains the general rule.

AND...even when "Happy Holildays" is given, and returned with a "Merry Christmas"? A sorta secret smile and wink is often given in RE-return. As if to say, "pssssst?...hey, I HAVE to say Happy Holidays. BUT...I wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS too!

So, with all that said? (cos I gotta exit here for the evening):

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


P.S. Like you say AtlantaG, this can be an interesting and friendly thread if everyone makes up their minds to keep it that way. I hope so!

At one company I used to work for we were definitely not allowed to say Merry Christmas. I guess for fear of offending a customer and getting sued. In Charlotte, you have the "Happy Holidays" greeting followed by folks correcting you and saying "Merry Christamas!" My mom is one of those people. LOL!

As for me, I worked retail for 5 years, so that should answer how I feel about the holidays. LOL.

[Irishtom29]

I'm not a practicing Christian but I say "Merry Christmas" because I resent that a religious holiday has been transformed into a secular buying frenzy. I suppose that saying "Merry Christmas" is my way of protesting corporate culture.

If we are celebrating something other than Christmas then we need a proper name for whatever it is we're celebrating. Like "Happy Spend Your Money Day". Or "Happy Don't Offend Any Potential Customers Day".

[machiavelli1]

I will always say Merry Christmas and on New Years I will say happy new year

[GLS2010]

I think retail employees shouldn't HAVE to say happy holidays like some companys require. It's a fact that the large majority of the us celebrates Christmas, which means the large majority of retail coustomers celebrate Christmas. So since most of the people who support a store celebrate Christmas they should say merry Christmas. And merry Christmas is a positive gesture whether you celebrate it or not, it's simply saying have a good day, I don't get offended when people say happy honuka to me on honuka. No ones trying to convert anyone, were simply just trying to celebrate our holiday like everyother holiday. Just because a small fraction of people in the us don't celebrate Christmas doesn't mean we should stop celebrating OUR biggest holiday to the full extent.

[coldwine]

I'm not sure which "holidays" are being celebrated in December at this point other than Christmas.

Chanukah and Ramadan both move backwards; I believe next year is the last year Chanukah will be in December for several years.

[atlantagreg30127]

The holiday season doesn't just revolve around December 25th, remember. We have Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Years, among others spread out over 2+ months.

In Atlanta we don't have tightly clumped neighborhoods of predominately similar nationalities like NYC, Chicago, or Toronto do. Folks are more mixed here into various neighborhoods. We have no little Italy or Chinatown, etc., but there are some neighborhoods where you do find more folks of a particular type than others. Around the top-side "Perimeter Mall" area for example, you're much more likely to have Jewish customers than you are Arbor Place mall on the more blue collar West metro side, etc.

So personally, for me, "Happy Holidays" isn't so much about political correctness, it's just about saving time and clumping it all into one greeting with the idea of, "Pick yours out and that's what I meant".