Happy Holidays!

Are you offended that I didn’t say Merry Christmas?

According to statistics posted on the website of the Wish Me A Merry Christmas Campaign, 53% of Americans are offended when greeted with Happy Holidays.

I have to tell you that I am a little surprised by this. I’m not sure I trust the statistics in the first place but that seems like an awful lot of people. Are people really offended by this? I understand why people prefer “Merry Christmas.” I prefer that myself and I’m very pleased when people say it, but I’m not offended when people say something different.

Another statistic on the website states that nine out of ten people think it’s okay to say Merry Christmas. Saying Happy Holidys is a good way to keep from offending the one out of ten. If more then five out of ten are offended by this effort, do we drop in in favor of offending the minority? I think the answer is no. People who are offended by Happy Holidays simply need to lighten up. If it doesn’t exclude you, don’t be offended by it. Simple as that.

I just think people misunderstand the spirit of Happy Holidays. I know many people are worried about the war on Christmas, but I don’t think that is what this is about. Americans celebrate at least five different holidays in the space of five or six weeks. Happy Holidays is a way to acknowledge all of these holidays at once. Is there really something offensive about inclusioin? Years ago my friends and I used to say Happy Hanukwanzmas. Would that be better?

The merits of the campaign itself are a different issue entirely for me. When I first stumbled onto this site I was very irritated – mostly because of my thoughts above – but I came to see some merit in the idea or at least in a modified version of the idea. I do think more retailers should offer a friendly Merry Christmas under certain circumstances. A great example is when I stop to purchase my tree every year. It would be downright silly for the clerk to wish me Happy Holidays when I am clearly in the act of celebrating a specific holiday.

On the other hand, my experience tells me that this campaign could do without the buttons. I tend to say Happy Holidays sometimes, but I’ve found that people almost always respond with Merry Christmas if I say Merry Christmas first.

Merry Christmas!