Wishing others a “Merry Christmas” – or any other holiday-specific greeting, for that matter – should not be a matter of controversy or cultural upset.
While “Merry Christmas” used to be a fairly casual December greeting, recent years have seen a significant public shift to the secular “Happy Holidays.” This is done in the name of inclusivity: since you can’t know for sure which holiday a stranger celebrates, neutral terminology is often thought to be preferable.
The goal of inclusivity is a noble one, and it comes from a good place. Yet, it misses a key component of the concept of a holiday greeting: the idea of spreading genuine, personal goodwill.
I would speculate that the vast majority of people who wish others a Merry Christmas aren’t doing so to cause harm or make others feel excluded. They’re probably just spreading holiday cheer in a way that makes sense to them, and in a way that aligns with how they celebrate the holiday season.
In a world increasingly focused on celebrating diversity, it’s counterintuitive to shut down certain holiday greetings and replace them with a neutral baseline for everyone. Holiday greetings should come from the heart, and that means the freedom to express whatever greeting makes the most sense to you.
Despite some claims to the contrary, wishing someone a Merry Christmas is not an invasive attempt to push one’s religion onto others. In fact, many people who celebrate Christmas don’t identify as Christians. A 2013 study found that 81 per cent of non-Christians in the U.S. celebrate Christmas, meaning not every person wishing you a Merry Christmas necessarily follows Christianity.
Anyone can celebrate Christmas, just like anyone can wish you a Merry Christmas. If someone wishes you a Merry Christmas but they’re not a believer in Christianity, it makes no sense to assert that they are trying to push the Christian religion on anyone.
It’s worth noting that this mindset should apply equally to each religious holiday. If someone wishes you a “Happy Hanukkah,” “Joyous Kwanzaa” or any other holiday-specific greeting, that should be taken as a pure gesture of goodwill and holiday spirit. It should be accepted and appreciated as such, even if the recipient doesn’t celebrate that particular holiday. As long as it’s clear that there’s no malicious intent, it should be received as a gesture of goodwill and nothing more.
Despite the holidays being meant to be a time for joy and togetherness, this is not the case for many people. The holidays can be one of the most stressful times of the year for many, a concern that’s entirely valid for a multitude of reasons.
In a time that can already bring so many stressors, there’s no need to arbitrarily manufacture another one. Being a killjoy when someone wishes you a holiday-specific greeting just adds to the already vast number of holiday stressors. It makes people feel the need to celebrate their personal holiday in private, rather than openly sharing what makes the holidays special to them.
The intent to normalise “Happy Holidays” as the default seasonal greeting comes from the right place. Despite this, discouraging others from using their personal holiday greeting is an unnecessary stressor that contradicts the free and joyous spirit that the holiday season aims to create.