Do you say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays"?

General Faith
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Summary

The debate between saying “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” centers around honoring Christ’s birth versus inclusivity during the season. Share how you approach this tradition and why.

#MerryChristmas #HappyHolidays #SeasonalGreetings #FaithAndCulture #HolidayTraditions

DALL·E 2024-12-05 14.30.21 - A festive and symbolic image showing two holiday cards lying side by side on a wooden table. One card features 'Merry Christmas' with traditional Chri
DALL·E 2024-12-05 14.30.21 - A festive and symbolic image showing two holiday cards lying side by side on a wooden table. One card features 'Merry Christmas' with traditional Chri1792×1024 517 KB

Do you say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”? This simple greeting often stirs passionate opinions, especially during the holiday season. Some feel “Merry Christmas” reflects the true reason for the season, emphasizing Christ’s birth, while others prefer “Happy Holidays” as an inclusive term that acknowledges the many celebrations at this time of year.

What do you think? Is one better than the other, or does it depend on the situation? How do you decide which greeting to use?

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You know, I would be automatically inclined to say I would say “Merry Christmas”. I think the shape the world is in today I would more likely prefer to say in response, “and God bless us all”.

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I say Merry Christmas and God bless you.
I’ve had folk ask why I say it, it gives me a chance to give my testimony.

What I get an angst about is when people write or say merry Xmas. It is so wrong on many levels. It gives me another chance/reason to remind the person that Christmas is about Christ.

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Retired retail cashier here.

I had an interesting encounter while working. Many stores ask their employees to say Happy Holidays to customers as it is perceived as less potentially offensive to people of other beliefs. MY employer never asked us to do so. So I would always wish my customers, “Thank you for shopping with us and Merry Christmas!”

One day, I had thanked a customer in this way, and she paused and asked in a lilting Hebrew accent, “So, and what if I am Jewish?” I smiled and with a small bow said, “Then I would pray that the blessings of my Lord Yeshua ben Joseph (Jesus, the son of Joseph) be with you and your family, Shalom!” She smiled, placed her receipt in her purse and said, “And Merry Christmas to you Sir.” and walked away.

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All to say, MOST people don’t really care, or they certainly don’t get bothered about it one way or another. In my 23 years working in retail, I think I have had maybe three times where someone made an issue of it (my story above being one of these). The other two weren’t people who were offended themselves, but rather people who felt they were “advocating” for the rights of others!

So they aren’t offended, they are just saying something because someone else MIGHT BE offended.

Speaking only for myself here; if someone came up to me and greeted me with whatever a proper greeting would be for Hanuka or Ramadan, and they are intending it as a good thing, I would smile and accept their greeting. I might even wish them a Merry Christmas in that same manner. There are just too many people who are fearful of offending, that they fear having JOY.

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I agree. Most folks don’t care, and where I live, say it back. If I know someone is of another religion I will say “Have a nice holiday “ which isn’t anti Christmas, but is being neighborly and polite.

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Hi,
“Happy Holidays” worships and honors the holiday.
“Merry Christmas” worships and honors Jesus.

That is my perspective.
Blessings

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I’m generally appreciative. However, there are folks that zero in on my kippah in our very non-Jewish area to wish me Merry Christmas in a very passive-agressive manner. Why intentionally make someone feel bad just because you feel that your holiday is more meaningful.

I told the older lady that I hope that her Christmas is as blessed and meaningful as Chanukah is to us.

A proper greeting is "Chag (pronounced khag, like you are trying to hack your throw with a K) Chanukah (kh at the beginning) Sameach (kh at the end). Basically kh/ch is a hard gutteral kh anywhere you see it.

Chag (Holiday) [insert Holiday like Chanukah or Pesach] Sameach (happy).

Chag Sameach is generic for any holiday.
Shabbat Shalom or Good Shabbos for Friday/Saturday.

Light a candle for the IDF hand hostages this Chanukah.

תודה (Todah/Thanks)
שלום עליכם (Shalom Aleichem/Peace to you)

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You have a very loving heart. I hope that Christmas is as much a blessing to you as Chanukah is to us.

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There is a history behind Xmas and it isn’t bad. It comes from a circa 1020 CE and is short for the Greek letter “chi” which is translated to an X and mas was short for the Mass of the Catholics. It meant “Christ’s Mass” and was a common shorthand by Christians in the period. Today’s Xmas is a vestige of that.

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Depends who I’m talking to. If someone isn’t a Christian or otherwise doesn’t celebrate Christmas, I wouldn’t say “Merry Christmas” to them. I made this mistake at Easter too with a Muslim guy I was talking to. It’s better to just love people than pick this really awkward and meaningless battle.

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Hi,
To those of you who are Jewish, why does Merry Christmas offend you if it does not apply to you?

If you wished me Happy Chanukah, I would not be offended.
Now perhaps I am biased because I believe in a God that grants miracles. So I believe in that miracle as well.
If God can do this, what stops Him from coming to us in human form, dying for our sins, and granting us eternal life if we believe in Him.
Jesus called Himself the Messiah.

John 8:58-59 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. KJV

John 10:30-33 I and my Father are one.
Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. KJV

Why did the Jewish leaders pick up stones? If He wasn’t Messiah, He was committing blasphemy by saying He was equal to God.

Jesus did Messiah-like tasks.
So,by faith, I believe He was/is/and ever will be, the Messiah, my Savior.

You don’t have to believe in Jesus. Nobody is trying to convert you by wishing you Merry Christmas. Further, there is no disrespect intended by my using the phase… Merry Christmas comes from the overflowing of joy in my heart.

Blessings

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Last comment to this discussion for me.

Humorist Dave Barry made the observation:

In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it “Christmas” and went to church; the Jews called it “Hanukka” and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy Hanukka!” or (to the atheists) “Look out for the wall!”

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I say Merry Christmas

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It’s likely that very few people, particularly those who are not of the Catholic tradition in particular, are even aware of Christ’s mass, or Cristes Maesse- from which the familiar term ‘Christmas’ originates.

A mass is a service that celebrates the communion, or the eucharist-- a commemoration of the word being made flesh. The practice is where we get the twelve days of Christmas, leading up to Christ’s mass being held on Christmas Eve, to memorialize the birth of the Christ-- the word of God being made flesh-- Emanuel… God with us.

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Joe,

For the most part, it doesn’t offend. Most of the people who tell me that have a warm and loving heart and a heartfelt season greetings are always appreciated. The ones that are a bit offensive are the ones who are over the top and make a point that only their holiday matters. The ones that I’m talking about are the ones who you could see shouting from their soapboxes that the Jews killed Jesus and are evil. However, I do not like hatred of our fellow man no matter where it is directed.

We are all part of the human race.

You bring up a lot of questions, and I don’t mind answering them, but there’s a lot to unpack. The short answer is yes, we believe in miracles: Chanukah is a celebration of a miracle. You can read about it in a Catholic Bible. We do not consider it a part of our canon because of when it was written, and it was considered to be more of the writer’s perspective of the events like the writings of Josephus.

We also believe that Hashem is unchanging, as He has said, and our Savior, as Isaiah tells us. We also take Hashem at His word when we are told that He was not a man. I once thought, how could the Jews be so blind as to miss something that happened 2000 years ago? However, much of the Tanakh has to be explained away or interpreted differently than what is written for the writing of the Apostles (I usually don’t call them the OT and NT, not to be offensive, but give to give them credence; calling one set “old” indicates that it is no longer valid). The only other choice is that Hashem lied in telling Abraham that the covenant was eternal, that He is not a human, and that He doesn’t change. If He does lie and the Tanakh is no longer valid, how does one know which one is and where to stop? The Koran? The Book of Mormon? The KJV (, which initially included the Apocrypha)? The Protestant Bible?

In the church, I was taught that the church across town was left out when Hashem was giving OUR church the gift of insight to interpret the Bible, but luckily, our elders and ministers were blessed with that ability.

I read with an open mind and asked questions that the preacher either could not answer or that he blew off.

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Personally, CHRISTmas is about the birth of our savior Jesus Christ! I always say "Merry CHRISTmas. If someone is offended by my “blessing” of this special occassion,IMO they are too senitive and need to learn a little respect for others. AZfterall, His name IS in the Greeting, is it not? God Bless you all!