Help me out here ladies. If I am supposed to be saying HAPPY HOLIDAYS so as not to offend anybody, what exactly does that mean. As far as I can tell the only recognized holiday left for this year is CHRISTmas.

Next year we have New Year's Day of course, another recognized holiday. Later in the year we have Valentine's Day ~ Memorial Day ~ President's Day ~ Veteran's Day ~ to name a few.

Let's not forget my birthday Feb. 27th either!

Anyway, do we just go ALL year round say "HAPPY HOLIDAYS?"

help me here please...somebody...anybody.....`

New Years is a holiday, first off, and wishing "Happy Holidays" encompasses good New Years wishes, all the way up until Dec 31st (the first day we start celebrating the new year).

It is also inaccurate to say that all the recognized holidays have passed. Winter Solstice is on the 22nd of December, and I -think- the first day of Kwanzaa is Dec. 26th. Today is also Eid al-adha, a Muslim holiday.

"Happy Holidays" is a way of giving out good wishes to everyone, for the entire season, whether the particular holiday they celebrate has passed. After all, it is a festive, celebratory season for so many different faiths, and for people who don't associate with any particular religion.

Well that would certainly take care of everything at once!
Gary, you remind me of me sometimes. I used to ask why we were supposed to say "good morning" and then "good night" and sometimes "good afternoon" and "have a nice DAY," because couldn't you just wish somebody a good FOREVER and then be done with it once and for all??

Well, I always understood "Happy Holidays" to be shorthand for "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year", and I do NOT get these demagogues who try to convince us it's part of some EEEEEEVIL LIB'RAL PLOT TO DESTROY CHRISTIANITY AND ALL THAT MAKES AMERICA GREAT! CUL8R

i agree with mandalinn...you are neglecting to acknowledge several holidays!
i don't really think people get offended if you say merry christmas, happy holidays, happy kwanzaa, whatever!...at least, in my opinion, they shouldn't be offended...
no matter what holiday greeting someone says to me, i just appreciate that they are wishing me well...that's the point of a holiday greeting, isn't it??
just because i celebrate christmas doesn't mean i am offended if someone says happy holidays, happy hannukah...or happy whatever-else...there's no reason to make an issue of it...people believe what they believe, and this diversity is what makes our world a wonderful place.
i believe that people spend so much time arguing and being offended that we forget that the point is to LOVE one another.

Not only is she good lookin' ~ she has brains! Let's not forget BOXING DAY either kiddo!

Now MOUSEY, "FOREVER" just doesn't work for those that don't believe in an afterlife.

I celebrate Christmas, and have no Jewish heritage. My Jewish friend greets me with "Happy Hanukkah" (and I'm horrible at spelling that, apologies to all), I greet her with "Merry Christmas". As long as the two of us are wishing eachother the best, what does it matter how we say it?

I don't think a non-Christian being wished "Merry Christmas" is all that offensive (you're wishing someone merriment! How bad can it be, really?). In the same vein, I don't think that a Christian who is told "Happy Holidays" has much to balk at either. As long as someone is saying, essentially, "I hope you have a very happy month and year to come", where is the harm either way?

Again, THANK YOU....for taking the words right out of my mouth!

I guess what I don't understand is why it is ok to say HAPPY HANNUKAH (which I do, to my Jewish friends) and why it is OK to say Happy Kwanzaa (which I don't do since I don't know anyone from Africa and my black friends don't celebrate it either) but we are being told in the secular world you can't say MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Why is that?

em1183 pretty much said it!
I am Pagan, however where I live a majority of people are Christian, so I get greeted Merry Christmas all the time. It doesn't bother me and I greet them the same back.

You know, I say all kinds of things to people, and I've never been told I can't say Merry Christmas.

I do know that there have been objections to publically-funded institutions celebrating Christmas exclusively over other holidays (ie, schools having only "Christmas" parties), and that some retailers have decided that the more inclusive "Happy Holidays" is more in tune with the marketing messages they'd like to send...both of which are valid, I think. But no one has ever said to me "You can't say Merry Christmas!". Maybe that's just my experience, but even here in Hippie-liberal-ville (aka Davis, CA), people just smile when you say ANY pleasant holiday sentiment.

I answered this a bit in the other thread...but I'll go again.

mandalinn is right, there are many holidays in the month of December. She listed them all for you already.

There has been a recent uproar recently about different stores using the term "holiday tree" and not Christmas tree in their ads, as well as the term "Happy Holidays" instead of saying Christmas..and people have been getting upset about it. Actually, I find this very interesting, because the tradition of decorating an evergreen tree in the winter actually came from Pagan traditions-Yule/Winter Solstice, NOT from Christianity. When Christmas started being celebrated in the month of December, and his resurrection started being celebrated in the spring, these dates were actually chosen purposely to "replace" the Pagan holidays (Winter Solstice and Ostara/Eostre)-rather than during the times that those events actually happened.

It was basically done on purpose by certain rulers...but I won't get into all that.

In fact, the date of "Easter" still goes by the phases of the moon, in Pagan tradition, rather than the same date every year. It even has kept the Pagan name-with a slight spelling change.

Red and green, cranberry dishes, ham, evergreen decorations-all of these things come from Yule/Winter Solstice. Other than crosses and nativity scenes...most of the Christmas decorations and traditions people do today have nothing to do with the birth of Christ or his rebirth at all.

Well, I am Jewish,
I have no problem with Merry Christmas to people I know celebrate and as a general thing in passing, I know it is not said to be offensive, but I don't celebrate. and it does bother me when people I know keep wishing me a merry christmas (ex a mother in my son's class wished me a merry christmas 4x the other day while thanking me for doing the chanukah party for the class) I do appriciate Happy Holidays because as said above it covers it all, and does not offend or leave anyone out. I and my kids feel included in the holiday season. I have no problem with the Christmas tree, I just don't have one. i don't wear sweaters with santa and gifts all over it, dress in red and green or sport a santa hat. It does not mean I can't appriciate what others celebrate.

I do appriciate the holiday sales and Happy holidays from the sales clerks It makes me feel good and after all my money is green too right? I think Happy holidays is much friendlier and more inclusive to others not celebrating Christmas as well as those that do.

So Merry Christmas to all of you that celebrate and a Healthy and happy New Year, I will be having a party for my son's birthday with gifts I bought on sale, eating chineese and going to the movies on that day

That's funny Dixie's mom ~ I dated a jewish girl for 3+ years back in high school and after...she just loved getting Christmas presents! And I enjoyed the celebration of Hannukah with her...although it was TOUGH trying to get ideas for, what was it, 7 presents!

Again...I wish everyone HAPPY HOLIDAYS!