"Merry Christmas" vs. "Happy Holidays"

[zoogs]

What are the Omaha public schools doing?

[Stumpy1]

OPS elementary school teacher told me that if a student said "Merry Christmas" to a staff member, they were instructed to reply "Happy Holidays"

 

This was in the 90s

This is how it is at the school my wife teaches at.

 

The teachers have to decorate in a "Happy Holidays" theme because some parents went in and complained about the "Merry Christmas" theme because they do not celebrate Christmas.

 

There is one particular family that raised a stink about it along with having a Halloween party because they don't celebrate Halloween and it would offend their children. The Principal of the school told the family to get bent and he is not going to make every other kid suffer because of it. He told them to keep the kids home or they can go sit in the library during that class's celebration.

[JJ Husker]

 

OPS elementary school teacher told me that if a student said "Merry Christmas" to a staff member, they were instructed to reply "Happy Holidays"

 

This was in the 90s

 

This is how it is at the school my wife teaches at.

 

The teachers have to decorate in a "Happy Holidays" theme because some parents went in and complained about the "Merry Christmas" theme because they do not celebrate Christmas.

 

There is one particular family that raised a stink about it along with having a Halloween party because they don't celebrate Halloween and it would offend their children. The Principal of the school told the family to get bent and he is not going to make every other kid suffer because of it. He told them to keep the kids home or they can go sit in the library during that class's celebration.

I like this principal. We had a similar kid/family years ago that threw a fit over having a Halloween celebration at school. Our principal did the same thing, told them to check their child out of school during the party if they felt that was best for them.

 

BTW, I say Merry Christmas and I don't care what other people say. If somebody wants to wish me happy Kwanzaa or Hanukkah or holidays or whatever, I'm just glad they were thoughtful enough to express it anyway they choose. The only thing I have a problem with is when people or businesses try to suppress Merry Christmas or insist it be expressed as Happy Holidays. I figure let people do what they feel is appropriate.

[funhusker]

What are the Omaha public schools doing?

Not OPS but public school in Omaha area: my kids made gingerbread houses and wrote letters to Santa. Us teachers had an ugly Christmas sweater contest on the last day before break. We also had a potluck lunch with Christmas napkins. I'd have to double check, but I'm pretty sure our principal wished us a Merry Christmas in the email about the sweater contest...

 

There is a huge difference between "secular" Christmas and "religious" Christmas, I don't think many public schools dive too deep towards the religious aspect. People mad at the schools for having fun with the secular stuff are just plain rotten.

[Moiraine]

Just to play devil's advocate here:

 

If you were talking to someone in a yamulke or a hijab would you say Merry Christmas?

 

Maybe the reason schools and businesses instruct their employees to say happy holidays is because there have been employees in the past who purposely said Merry Christmas to people they knew didn't celebrate it to try to get a rise out of them. To take it a step further, maybe some employee somewhere said Happy Kwanzaa to every Black person they encountered, which would be kinda weird I think.

 

But the post early about teachers saying Happy Holidays in response to Merry Christmas seems silly.

[zoogs]

 

What are the Omaha public schools doing?

Not OPS but public school in Omaha area: my kids made gingerbread houses and wrote letters to Santa. Us teachers had an ugly Christmas sweater contest on the last day before break. We also had a potluck lunch with Christmas napkins. I'd have to double check, but I'm pretty sure our principal wished us a Merry Christmas in the email about the sweater contest...

 

There is a huge difference between "secular" Christmas and "religious" Christmas, I don't think many public schools dive too deep towards the religious aspect. People mad at the schools for having fun with the secular stuff are just plain rotten.

 

Yes. In fact, I don't think I realized Christmas was a religious holiday, growing up.

 

When it comes to policy like saying happy holidays, I don't know. It makes me think the driving force there is legal considerations, so if you want to blame someone, blame the lawyers, I guess.

 

But we do as a society have a firm resistance to having things "shoved down our throats" -- Christmas was most assuredly so, in my case. I can see why public institutions in particular do need to be very careful about the role they play in promulgating religious traditions. I don't mind the policy, either. It doesn't feel necessary, but on some level it's probably appropriate. I feel we could do a much better job in this country of maintaining religiously neutral governance, but there's a real obstacle to all that in so many people not wanting to.

[Enhance]

I wonder if there are more people actually offended by "Merry Christmas" or more people offended by the fact that someone might choose "Happy Holidays" instead.

I wonder this, too. If the roles were reversed and someone came up to me and said "Happy Hannukah," I wouldn't be offended at all, just more or less complacent because that's not the religion I follow. But, I really wouldn't care. I'd probably either say it back or just say "you too."

 

I personally don't understand the angst surrounding people not saying "Merry Christmas." If we had a designated religion, sure, but we don't.

[TGHusker]

I've actually have had customers/coworkers from the Islamic part of the world wish me Merry Christmas (and Happy New Year) in emails. My assumption, which may be wrong, was that they are Muslim at least culturally if not in active practice. They were wishing best wishes as a friendly jester knowing we celebrate Christmas in the USA. I have no problem returning the kind wishes on their holiday - it is the sharing of the human experience.

[TAKODA]

I say Merry Christmas, to everyone. My faith has nothing to do with how it is received. I am not imposing my will upon anyone and should someone take my good tidings in an offensive way, that is on them, not me. In my writings (e-mails, letters or other), I may say God Bless you with a wonderful Christmas, and again, it is done with heart felt well wishes. I know some might have an issue with it but again, I am not telling them they need to believe what I believe.

 

K, sera sera!

[huKSer]

Don't think Christianity has a monopoly on this.

 

I teach at a school where we get lots of children of international officers for a year or two. I try to learn to say "hello" and "good-bye" in their language. Arabic has two ways of saying hello, one between two true believers and another if an infidel is involved. (I kid about the infidel part, but there is a secular hello) Most are fine with either of the two but occasionally a student gets pissed off if I use the wrong one. Especially the Saudis.

[HuskermanMike]

Just to play devil's advocate here:

 

If you were talking to someone in a yamulke or a hijab would you say Merry Christmas?

 

Maybe the reason schools and businesses instruct their employees to say happy holidays is because there have been employees in the past who purposely said Merry Christmas to people they knew didn't celebrate it to try to get a rise out of them. To take it a step further, maybe some employee somewhere said Happy Kwanzaa to every Black person they encountered, which would be kinda weird I think.

 

But the post early about teachers saying Happy Holidays in response to Merry Christmas seems silly.

I would wish eveyone a Merry Christmas in the USA no matter what they are wearing. Sometimes I do say Happy Holidays, but I mostly say Merry Christmas.

 

If I told someone Merry Christmas and they had the audacity to lecture me about why I should not say that, at the end of the lecture I would tell them Merry Christmas again and walk away. I don't care what others tell me as it is the season of giving and being kind to others. This is what I am doing in this instance, wishing them well. I have the freedom to say what I want during Christmas living in a free country. No one has ever shut me down wishing someone a Merry Christmas but I know of people who have been lectured as I stated above. If they were super annoyed though I would just wish them Happy Holidays so I would not start something/make them more mad.

[Moiraine]

That's a little weird to me.

 

I think people who get offended by being told Merry Christmas if they're not Christian are weird/oversensitive.

 

But I also find it weird that people would tell a clearly Jewish/Muslim person Merry Christmas. Basically I'm saying people shouldn't be offended but it doesn't make sense telling someone you know is Jewish "Merry Christmas"

[Enhance]

 

Just to play devil's advocate here:

 

If you were talking to someone in a yamulke or a hijab would you say Merry Christmas?

 

Maybe the reason schools and businesses instruct their employees to say happy holidays is because there have been employees in the past who purposely said Merry Christmas to people they knew didn't celebrate it to try to get a rise out of them. To take it a step further, maybe some employee somewhere said Happy Kwanzaa to every Black person they encountered, which would be kinda weird I think.

 

But the post early about teachers saying Happy Holidays in response to Merry Christmas seems silly.

I would wish eveyone a Merry Christmas in the USA no matter what they are wearing. Sometimes I do say Happy Holidays, but I mostly say Merry Christmas.

 

If I told someone Merry Christmas and they had the audacity to lecture me about why I should not say that, at the end of the lecture I would tell them Merry Christmas again and walk away. I don't care what others tell me as it is the season of giving and being kind to others. This is what I am doing in this instance, wishing them well. I have the freedom to say what I want during Christmas living in a free country. No one has ever shut me down wishing someone a Merry Christmas but I know of people who have been lectured as I stated above. If they were super annoyed though I would just wish them Happy Holidays so I would not start something/make them more mad.

 

The problem is you're damned if you do, damned if you don't, it seems. A lot of businesses come under moderate yet routine criticism for saying "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays."

 

This is one of those things in life where I feel everybody should not care one way or the other. If someone tells me Happy Holidays my life will not change an inkling, and the same goes for most other people.

[Ratt Mhule]

I went to a Hanukah dinner last night with my girlfriend. According to some posters logic on here, I should have wished them all a Merry Christmas...

[zoogs]

Happy Holidays covers everything. Merry Christmas doesn't. It's not like they are mutually exclusive. I especially don't understand insisting on saying it on principle even to people you may know don't celebrate Christmas. Is that really wishing the other party well, or making a point for your own sake?

 

Christmas is still Christmas whether or not it is officially celebrated by everyone around us. And the latter need not be aggressively maintained. That is, as long as the goal is actually share in a communal holiday spirit encompassing everyone, and not to ensure the preeminence of the Christian December holiday in America.