to have never heard anyone ever object to someone wishing the a "Merry Christmas"?

[DrSeuss]

Has anyone, ever, heard anyone of any faith or none object to this? Even Richard Dawkins says it! My Muslim friends wish me Merry Christmas, Mayim Bialik of Big Bang fame wishes her FB followers Merry Christmas despite being an Orthodox Jew!
Surely anyone with half a brain accepts that someone is offering you their good wishes and just returns them? Or, if someone says, "Well actually, I'm Jewish/Muslim/whatever and don't do Christmas.", surely you just say, "Sorry, I didn't realise, have a good holiday."

So why the big deal about the fact that we should/shouldn't say it?

It's just that well known American minority namely Evangelical Christians making a fuss about their "persecution", isn't it?

It's not that saying merry christmas is offensive it's more that it's just annoying that everybody assumes that you celebrate it.

Exactly- and the eye rolling that follows if you don't.

People eye roll do they?

I always thought Americans said Happy Holidays as they celebrate thanksgiving around the same time, and holidays lumps that in with New Years etc for a general holiday season. Nothing to do with offence.

Gotta love the annual ‘people offended by Christmas’ stories. My Muslim ex loved Christmas more than anyone I know. It’s up there with the ‘employees can’t put decorations up cos of health and safety’.

Thanksgiving is a whole month before. I've never though it included thanksgiving.

In fact, last couple of years I've started to receive 'happy thanksgiving' cards.

People eye roll do they?

Try saying you don't do Christmas and see the reaction (if you are not obviously of another religion ) See the responses on here to my saying I don't do Christmas- scrooge , miserable, mean, raining on other people's parade.

I know lots of people who don't celebrate Christmas and have spoken with many about it and not one has ever said they've encountered eye rolly type behaviour. Sorry that you have.

Thanksgiving is a whole month before. I've never though it included thanksgiving.

You're right - it doesn't.

So your saying that if it was the 16th December and the staff at Marks and Spencer's were saying Happy Hannukkah instead of merry Christmas there wouldn't be a 'they're stealing christmas' response in the press.

"Merry Christmas" (or indeed "Happy Hanukkah" etc) said to an acquaintance is the same as "How are you?" You are not expected to answer with any information. The response to "Merry Christmas" is "Merry Christmas", just as the proper response to "How are you?" is "Fine thanks, how are you?" You do not give your own personal religious details to someone and neither do you regale them with medical problems.

I'd think they were Jewish or they thought I was Jewish and I wouldn't give a rat's arse apart from feelings happy someone had aid something nice and cheerful to me! People wish me happy Hanukkah here all the time and there aren't many Jewish people here at all. Everyone just try's to be nice and inclusive! You can be inclusive without being generic.

"The Holidays" does encompass Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and anything else in the US. They talk about "The Holiday Season" which extends from the end of November till New Years (sic).

Tries.

Christmas in the UK is more than just being about Jesus. I see it as a festival in the UK for family regardless of religion. Just a festival for people with a strong cultural element.

I do know when some of the other festivals are and do wish people who I know belong to that faith 'Happy Eid / Eid Mubarak' or Happy New Year if they happen to have their New Year at that time.

I think it's like "baa baa green sheep", i.e. didn't really exist but right wing press made out that it did and that political correctness was going mad.

Well I just poked dh awake and asked him if he thought 'happy holidays' included thanksgiving and I got 'what the fuck? Shut up' back so that's no clearer to me.

The only person I have known who objected to 'Happy/Merry Christmas' was an evangelical christian who considered that it was a time for serious reflection, not celebration.
Equally, the only objections to Halloween have been from christians, not those of other faiths

Oh I had two Halloween dressing downs yesterday. Apparently it's ok to dress your kid as a slutty Skye from paw patrol but heaven forbid you put a witches hat and broom on them.

So if you don't mind if people say Happy Hanukkah to you why would you mind if someone said Happy Holidays. You can also be inclusive without being specific.

Like I said previously I don't think anyone is actually offended by it but I don't see why people object to Happy Holidays either.

I actually have! I got married just before Christmas at Chelsea Town Hall and the assistant registrar was a complete dragon - she told my father that he was NOT to shake my fiance’s hand after he walked me down the aisle amongst various other charming bits of unsolicited advice. She also refused to start the ceremony until my MIL handed over her illicit plastic cup of water.

Just after the ceremony, my BIL said thank you and wished her a merry Christmas to which she snapped “I’M JEWISH!” I hope she is no longer employed to do weddings, as she was comically abysmal.

Though I DO think that if a shop on our high street decided to celebrate hannukah alongside Christmas there would be a backlash.
Not from you because you seem like reasonable human being but from the daily mail and the ilk.
My grandma threw a card in the bin that she received because it said xmas on it and she thinks Christmas should only be about Christ.

My experience tallies with everyone else's - Muslims, Jews, Hindus etc are all happy to wish you a merry Christmas, and in fact most of them these days have some sort of Christmas celebration themselves, because why not? It's pretty much a secular holiday these days.

The only two people I know who never say Merry Christmas are both Jehovah's Witnesses, and they'll say something like "have a good break" or "enjoy the holiday". I'm always careful not to wish them a merry Christmas either. It all seems a bit sad, but then as they're both cheerful people, I probably shouldn't worry about it.

They probably would I suppose. In fact I'm sure I've noticed them doing it in the past.

But then they're awful fuckers and hopefully anyone with any common sense thinks the same.

Why is it sad that they don't celebrate Christmas?
I think this is what las was trying to get at, the feeling that you HAVE to celebrate it in some way or say merry Christmas or there's something wrong.

I say Merry Christmas. Most non Christians “celebrate” it anyway- most people are off work for a long weekend, it makes sense to visit family and friends in this time, because it’s not like anything is open, your relatives are most likely in, it’s cold, and it’s just convenient. You may as well get a load of food in and make a day or two of it. It’s just shorthand for “Happy getting the family together day”

Is “happy holidays” any better, or just further along in language evolution? Seen as though it’s “holy days”, where “holy” has primarily been used in Reference to Christianity.

Xmas is also acceptable because “X” is an ancient abbreviation of Christ (I think it’s Greek letter chi?) and a symbol probably used by general population long before everybody could read and write.

I'm an academic.

We got an email around work a couple of years ago saying we should avoid using the phrase "Merry Christmas" in order to recognise the diversity of ethnicities, cultures and faiths that constitute our large student body.

It made me irrationally angry so I went to the pound shop and bought a massive, tackly, plastic "Merry Christmas" door sign and loads of tinsel and stuck it on and around my office door.

One day I got into work and a group of about six Chinese women (students) were outside my office taking selfies in front of my door.