Egypt4u

And YES it was all caps! Starting to feel in the mood for the season and personally I do not MIND saying "Merry Christmas." Saying "Happy Holidays" hasn't quite caught on with me.

In the USA, before I left there was an issue started on the east coast and some sort of official proclamation put out that nobody should have a "Christmas" tree. You can have a "Holiday" tree but those evergreen triangle shaped trees are not to be referred to as Christmas.

This has also started a debate now by several of the TV channels that there is an ATTACK on the Judaeo Christian tradition of Christmas.

Do you think there is and do you say Merry Christmas or are you Happy Holidays as that is what is now seemingly politically correct

MERRY CHRISTMAS and if anyone doesn't like the greeting .......... tough!

Never heard such a load of twaddle. bah Humbug
Merry Christmas Everyone

Same here - MERRY CHRISTMAS...........BUT honestly it has become a really BIG issue in the USA right now even to the extent that the State of Rhode Island can't have Christmas trees they MUST now have HOLIDAY TREES.

Have to say too even in my own office we were NOT to use the word Christmas. Might have offended some of the minorities or so I was told...........to which I then pulled the Canadian card advising "I" was also a Minority and in MY COUNTRY we say MERRY CHRISTMAS! Really nobody ever knew how to take me............I'll admit you kinda have to know me to appreciate what I'm saying but OMG really like I'm gonna give into such a stupid rule.........(can't say the word Christmas cause somebody in the office could/would be offended!)

I agree, nobody is going to stop me using what is essentially a Christian greeting at this time of the year. At any other time I have no problems with wishing people a happy Eid, Passover, 4th of July or whatever and will join in with the odd “Eid Mubarak” where appropriate, so why should anyone get offended when I use my own form of greeting? This is just another typical example of the PC and ethnic minorities brigade going overboard at any opportunity and it always results in more strife and anger, far from bringing various religions/ethnic groups together it just alienates people.

A good example is that we have a Black Police Officers Federation which is set up to promote positive discrimination in favour of Black and Asian Police Officers. What we don’t have is a White Police Officers Federation that promotes positive discrimination in favour of white policemen, it would be illegal and quite rightly so IMO. We can have all other variants within the police federation from ethnic to gay/lesbian and they are all deemed to be OK, but try setting up a White, Male, Heterosexual branch within the same organisation and wait for the ‘merde’ to hit the fan.

Maybe it’s my age, but when I see a policeman on the street I do not think about their ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual orientation, I just see a police officer. Neither do I stop to think that I am maybe causing them offence by wishing them a Happy Christmas or offering them a Smokey Bacon flavoured crisp or some other unknown breach of etiquette, I just wish all these people who find offence in every single action would just go away, “when in Rome” comes to mind.

@H - I'm the same. The words Merry Christmas do just seem to fall out of my mouth easily. I'm not thinking about it, not meaning anything other than a greeting that is so common to me that is just spontaneously comes. I really do not want have to stop and think, consider, complete a thorough analysis of all of what you are or could be prior to issuing my really genuine greeting. I have always hoped my greeting would be accepted in the same manner it is given. Nothing more, nothing less just a greeting appropriate to pre-Christmas times. You recognize ME as hailing from a Judaeo-Christian background and accept it. Nothing more, nothing less, no expectations from me on you and nor should you have any other expectations from me.

If I was approached on the street and somebody casually, smiling with warmth said to me - Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanza or whatever I'd smile back and reciprocate using whatever greeting they used or I might even say Thank you. Depending on the circumstances if I didn't know the greeting I might even query what it was and take the opportunity to expand my own knowledge and understanding of what the greeting signified.

I'll grant that if you're the one blue alien from plant ABC that introducing your beliefs/traditions might be a daunting but the RULE should be, for the rest of us, to issue a warm welcome, ask for knowledge of blue aliens and Planet ABC and encourage said blue alien to do whatever they want. The RULE, as now, should not be that the rest of us NEVER issue another word about our own beliefs and hide our traditions under the threat of sanction just so that the blue alien can happily practice what they want. Positive co-existence and inclusive acceptance should be the norm.

Good heavens! Happy Holidays is appalling enough. This is PC gone insane. Ignore the idiots proposing this and at all opportunities decry it far and wide!!!!!!!!!!!! Anti-PCers unite!!!!!!!!! What a truckload of B......T!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@WI - it is PC on STEROIDS gone stupid!!!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Personally I'm HAPPY on my Birthday and MERRY at Christmas

Just been doing some gift wrapping this morning and realised that we usually say Happy Christmas on the gift cards but Merry Christmas as a face to face greeting......at least we don't say Happy Holiday

Just found this on YT. It seems Happy Holiday has been the thing for a long time in the US. It is still a very happy Christmas song and RIP Andy Williams. Just hope the sound is better for you than it was for me?

That "Happy Holidays" song by Andy Williams is an American classic. And I have nothing against the Happy Holiday salutation I think we all should be able to say whatever seasonal greeting we want and have it accepted with tolerance.

I think the task should be to provide understanding if asked and socially society should be encouraged to ask, to talk, be open with questions so as to increase knowledge and understanding out of which I believe acceptance vs opposition will come.

OK then merry christmas , happy everything, and ...................... HIC !!!

You betcha - HAPPY and MERRY and JOYFUL and WONDERFUL and RED POINSETTIA CHRISTMAS to ALL