Can someone explain why everything is 'Happy Holidays' and not Merry Christmas?!

[FoodieFood]

'Happy Holidays' seems to be everywhere this year, from Christmas cards, banners in shops and windows etc, and I'm a bit baffled because last year is was all 'Merry Christmas' as it has been forever; why the change?!

Someone at work said it's because 'Merry Christmas' could be deemed as offensive but couldn't explain why, and I've racked my brains but I genuinely cannot think of how this could be deemed as offensive!

Am I missing something or have people just changed from Merry to Happy...?

Never seen Happy Holidays.

I've seen Chrismas a lot. So that's not been banned. Despite what certain groups want to think.

What a load of bollocks

Hiding - you looked for CHRISTMAS cards that didn’t say christmas - how very odd

Lana - of course Christmas has something to do with christianity - it is short for christ’s mass when they celebrate tue birth of jesus. He was an historical figure but we dont know his actual birth date so like lots of religions they highjacked anothers festival. His divinity is of course a mattet of faith as it cannot be proved or disproved. I am an athiest as I dont BELIEVE there is a god but I cant prove it

Hiding - you looked for CHRISTMAS cards that didn’t say christmas - how very odd

If a Christmas card doesn't say Happy Christmas, is it still a Christmas card?

FFS NO REAL PEOPLE (in their right mind) FIND MERRY CHRISTMAS OFFENSIVE!

Don't believe this decisive crap.

70% of our primary school
Is Muslim and Ive just been to the most wonderful nativity show where everyone is really into it. No one is offended. Fuck, they're singing about Jesus being the true lord, and " it's true" etc. As an athiest I was the one doing the internal eye rolling. Not offended though.

The only 'Happy Holidays' I've seen is on a card from my sister who,lives in the US.
Hope it doesn't catch on here.

I don't see Happy Holidays. Season's greetings seems to be the equivalent here.

www.clintonsretail.com/christmas/christmas-cards

Nope, not there.

Merry christmas in my part of england. Not seein anything else ever in england

It is because some PC twat thinks non- christians will be offended.

Oh do be quiet, dear.

Nobody is offended by Christmas.
Nobody is offended by people saying "Merry Christmas."
Nobody is offended by nativity plays.

It's a myth perpetuated by the terminally hard-of-thinking Britain First types who like to drum up outrage for clicks and likes on Facebook.

you looked for CHRISTMAS cards that didn’t say christmas - how very odd

Like a lot of people I take part in Christmas but I’m not a Christian. It always seems a bit odd to send cards with a Christian message. I tend to buy ones with generic seasonal designs.
I did find some in Waitrose which said Seasonal Greetings with some mistletoe on.

It's nothing to do with not offending people.

It's simply a way of respecting those who celebrate something other than Christmas at this time of year.

BTW in the US they often refer to it as 'the holidays' or 'the holiday season' rather than 'Christmas vacation'. Again it's just about recognizing that Christians are not the only people celebrating.

Nope. The only place I've seen this is on Britain First posts that naive friends have shared on their timeline, outraged that this should be happening under our noses. The same friends who share posts claiming that poppies will no longer be sold and George Cross flags on houses have been banned because they offend Muslims. In reality I have never, ever been told 'happy holidays' or seen it anywhere other than in American films. You're seeing a problem that simply doesn't exist op.

I used to know a very religious elderly lady who took great umbrage at the use of "Merry" Christmas because of the implications of drunkenness. She used to get even more upset about "season's greetings" because you might as well just cut Jesus out of it altogether.
I'm afraid I used to amuse myself hunting down a card that featured champagne glasses and "season's greetings" every year for her, and told her that as a committed atheist it is pretty much all about booze and fairy lights for me.