Our entire family says MERRY CHRISTMAS.
I'm all for multiculturalism, but that does not mean we have to make our own Canadian traditions subordinate to traditions from other countries. Being strictly PC makes me want to gag, btw, which is probably true for a lot of other people. If people are offended by our saying Merry Christmas, then that's their problem since greeting fellow Canadians with a hearty "Merry Christmas!" is a long-standing Canadian tradition. If others want to greet each other with other sayings fine. If I'm traveling in another country while they're celebrating their own religious holidays, great, I'll use their traditional greetings. If I'm in their country, I'll be respectful of their traditions. That's not PC, that's just being polite.
I agree with AquaAddict and would be delighted if someone from another faith or culture greets my "Merry Christmas" with their own traditional greeting. Allowing the PC Police to impose a generic "Happy Holiday" on me, though, just won't fly. If my daughters' school imposed a ban on Merry Christmas at school, I'd make it a point to walk through the hallways and greet every teacher and administrator with a hearty "Merry Christmas" just to take a stand on this issue. I'd rather they teach the kids to be proud of their own cultural traditions and greet each other with either a "Merry Christmas" to acknowledge Canadian traditions or their own "Happy Hannukah", etc. rather than impose a PC "Happy Holidays" on everyone.
Here in Canada:
- If someone greets me with a "Happy Holidays",
- then I'll likely ask, "To which holiday are you referring to?"
- to which they will probably respond, "Christmas",
- and I'll come back with a "Merry Christmas to you, then!"
For myself and my family, we greet all of you with a hearty "Merry Christmas!"
Anthony, Irene, Felicia & Isabella