"Happy Holidays" Offensive?

[Kaninchen]

Well, I’m happy to have a slice of stollen and a glass of prosecco with anybody but the whole thing does seem to be pretty desperate nowadays. I have practising Christian friends who enjoy their carol and Christmas services but they just seem swamped by the the great secular morass of buying - which seems sad to this particular Jew.

 

[Padres1969]

I don’t understand it either. You wish someone a bit of happiness and they get all bent of out shape. Makes no sense.

Of course, some people are always on the lookout for a way to be offended.

This. I’ve always found Happy Holidays to be a very appropriate thing to say. I’ve Jewish and Islamic friends who don’t celebrate Christmas, so saying Merry Christmas in a context where I’m wishing both my Christians, Secular, Jewish, Islamic, friends and acquaintances a good holiday season would be wholly inappropriate. Nevermind those I don’t know who may or may not be Christian.

Now in a context where I know everyone I’m speaking to is Christian (or secularly celebrating the modern secular Christmas), sure I’ll generally say Merry or Happy Christmas. But in most contexts I live in a diverse place and I’ve always felt it’s more appropriate to cover my bases, and Happy Holidays does that.

By the same token however if someone were to say to me Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanza or something along those lines I wouldn’t take offense. I’d be glad someone was sharing a holiday sentiment with me and leave it at that (as I hope they’d do if I wished them a Merry Christmas and they didn’t necessarily celebrate the holiday).

 

[meltzerboy]

This. I’ve always found Happy Holidays to be a very appropriate thing to say. I’ve Jewish and Islamic friends who don’t celebrate Christmas, so saying Merry Christmas in a context where I’m wishing both my Christians, Secular, Jewish, Islamic, friends and acquaintances a good holiday season would be wholly inappropriate. Nevermind those I don’t know who may or may not be Christian.
Now in a context where I know everyone I’m speaking to is Christian (or secularly celebrating the modern secular Christmas), sure I’ll generally say Merry or Happy Christmas. But in most contexts I live in a diverse place and I’ve always felt it’s more appropriate to cover my bases, and Happy Holidays does that.

By the same token however if someone were to say to me Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanza or something along those lines I wouldn’t take offense. I’d be glad someone was sharing a holiday sentiment with me and leave it at that (as I hope they’d do if I wished them a Merry Christmas and they didn’t necessarily celebrate the holiday).

Yet some people are always looking to take offense, so that even Happy Holidays may be scoffed at if one does not celebrate any holiday during this season. You cannot please everyone!

 

[Evan]

Maybe we could wish them “Merry Christmas, the Federal holiday” rather than “Merry Christmas, the Christian Holy day”.

List of Federal Holidays: ca3.uscourts.gov/2017-federal-holidays
according to the US 3rd Circuit Court in 2017

Date Holiday
Jan 2 New Year’s Day
Jan 16 Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Feb 20 Washington’s Birthday
May 29 Memorial Day
July 4 Independence Day
Sep 4 Labor Day
Oct 9 Columbus Day
Nov 10 Veterans Day
Nov 23 Thanksgiving Day
Dec 25 Christmas Day

 

[Padres1969]

Yet some people are always looking to take offense, so that even Happy Holidays may be scoffed at if one does not celebrate any holiday during this season. You cannot please everyone!

And those are the type of people I tend to remove from my life as quickly a possible or avoid altogether if possible. If being told Happy Holidays gets you that bent out of shape you’re likely not worth my time to interact with

 

[Peter_J]

This. I’ve always found Happy Holidays to be a very appropriate thing to say. I’ve Jewish and Islamic friends who don’t celebrate Christmas, so saying Merry Christmas in a context where I’m wishing both my Christians, Secular, Jewish, Islamic, friends and acquaintances a good holiday season would be wholly inappropriate. **Nevermind those I don’t know who may or may not be Christian. **

There’s the rub: some people have decided that “Merry Christmas” is offensive unless you’re saying it to someone you know to be Christian.

 

[Reuben_J]

I do not have much chance to wish a stranger ‘Merry Christmas’. I do that in the church and to people whom I know are Christians.

If I am in a multi-religious city, I would not wish a person merry Christmas if I do not know his/her religious affiliation.

But I can understand for those in the sale or hospitality services - if a customer bought some Christmas items from your shop, I think it is simply just being nice and thankful to say merry Christmas after receiving the payment or giving him the items.

Personally if a person of different religion, perhaps in his enthusiasm for his celebration, wishes me his religious greetings, I would feel flattered and let him has his feel nice factor. If I don’t know him and it is just a casual one time encounter, I would not even clarify to him that I do not belong to his religion.

I agree that for those who object to those religious greetings probably have deeper hurt which got to do with complicated inner healing and I think they have a problem.

 

[LightBound]

I have never been able to understand the hoopla over the phrase “Happy Holidays”. As near as I can tell it originated from an Irving Berlin song from the 1942 musical Holiday Inn, which starred Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. It was also the film that introduced the song “White Christmas” to the world.
(I actually prefer the movie Holiday Inn over White Christmas by a slight margin.)
Anyway, the point of the song had to do with the plot. Bing and Fred starting an Inn in Vermont that was only open on holidays. It had nothing to do with minimizing Christmas. It grew into a greeting that acknowledges the holidays from Thanksgiving to New Years.
What is wrong with that?
What is wrong with the politeness of acknowledging the holidays of other religions?
People seem to forget it was Irving Berlin, a Jew, who wrote White Christmas.

Happy Holidays Offensive?
Apparently so, according to this post on another thread. If this is his response when someone wishes him well, I don’t want to know what it would be if someone cussed at him or gave him the stink-eye!!

forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=14365017&postcount=4

 

[John_Lazarus]

Thankful I live in rural Ireland!

Here we say MERRY CHRISTMAS and often the reply is MANY HAPPY RETURNS which is usually associated with birthdays, hey appropriate enough !

No, what they mean is, that when you bring that hideous tie that Aunt Curmudgia gave you back to the shop, may your refund go smoothly and cheerfully.