# Does anyone in the USA actually say "happy holidays"? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 22, 2004, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145 "2004-12-22T13:31:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/61 "2004-12-22T15:08:38Z")
I must say that this thread warms my heart. So very often I hear that Americans are the most ignorant, self-centered, and insular people in the world. The OP has reminded me that this is simply not so. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/62 "2004-12-22T15:10:48Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > Happy/Have a good/Merry Christmas is the saying whether you’re talking to Jew, Muslim, Atheist whatever. I’ve never known anyone to take offense. It’s basically shorthand for “enjoy the couple of days on the piss” and not Happy Jesus day. I wish you a Happy Hanukah this 12/25. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/63 "2004-12-22T15:11:21Z")
Relax people, **owlstretchingtime** is most likely taking the piss. He’s having a bit of fun at your expense. Happy Festivus, the lot of you. ---
**Author:** ![Tikster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@Tikster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikster)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/64 "2004-12-22T15:11:42Z")
I’d just like to add that the OP doesn’t reflect this European’s view. -Tikster ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/65 "2004-12-22T15:12:07Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > I’ve probably shagged worse. “Shagged” being britspeak for “fucked”… I guess that explains a lot. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/66 "2004-12-22T15:12:20Z")
> [@Ferret Herder](#): > > I know, it’s terribly frustrating. You’re lucky if they listen to you at all, much less decide to be perverse and do the exact opposite of what you want. > As for Diwali, I surprised a Hindu coworker of mine by actually knowing some stuff about it. We ended up laughingly comparing the need to make a lot of food and open your doors to family and friends to the same thing done at Thanksgiving in the US. (I’m just glad I didn’t have to cleanse my entire home, though it certainly could use it.) > > **D\_Odds** : Ferretone works nicely, though it’s too messy for your typical herding requirements. Having seen a friend of mine trying to herd \*one \* ferret, I can’t imagine herding a bunch unless you offered them food - or my foot. (Still have a faint scar). That’s cool that you know about Diwali, **Ferret Herder**. I’m always pleasantly surprised when people know about Diwali. It’s a great time. What’s Ferretone? In answer to the OP, \*\*tdn \*\* makes a good point. Here, this is my winter: Dussehra/Diwali Thanksgiving My birthday (tdn, when’s yours?) Christmas New Year’s **Then in the new year,** Lori (Punjabi festival) Chinese New Year And Holi (Hindu festival) So if I and my SO are celebrating that much between just November and early March, I can’t imagine what everyone else is doing in this day of interracial, intercultural marriages. Better to just say Happy Holidays and include everything! ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/67 "2004-12-22T15:15:25Z")
Contrary to what some others in this thread have said, I have noticed a recent increase in the number of what I call “militant atheists.” There really are people out there who not only don’t subscribe to the concept of religion, but also seem to be enraged that religion even exists. They just about have apoplexies when anyone says “Merry Christmas” or , horror of horrors, “God bless you” or something. These people are also known as assholes. I’m not a religious person myself but I find all the tap dancing around the subject amusing, and if I can identify one of these assholes I’ll go out of my way to wish him or her “Merry Christmas” just to watch his or her head explode. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/68 "2004-12-22T15:19:06Z")
Dude, it’s a _greeting_ of the “social lubricant” type. You might as well pit “Good morning” or “Howya doin’?” for being silly. The fact that it’s seasonal doesn’t mean that there’s any more meaning in it than “Have a nice day.” If you analyze ANY social phrase, NONE of them mean jack squat. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/69 "2004-12-22T15:21:07Z")
So…if you have a cow-orker named Fatima Khan, who just came back from visiting her family in Pakistan for Eid, and you met her at work today, you’d say to her “Happy Christmas!” without feeling the teensiest bit like a jerk? :dubious: As for me, I usually say ‘Merry Christmas’ to people I know are Christian and ‘Happy Holidays’ to everybody else. The only problem I’ve seen was when an Orthodox Jewish cow-orker protested that she didn’t want to be in Secret Santa because she wasn’t Christian–the boss explained that she didn’t have to, but he wasn’t going to say right off the bat “Everybody pick a name out of the hat except Ofra!” With my Jewish friends with better senses of humor I say “Happy movies and Chinese food day!” those being the traditional activities that are open when everything else in the city–yes, even NY–is closed. And I still wonder about that official church thing… ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/70 "2004-12-22T15:26:37Z")
> [@Exgineer](#): > > Contrary to what some others in this thread have said, I have noticed a recent increase in the number of what I call “militant atheists.” There really are people out there who not only don’t subscribe to the concept of religion, but also seem to be enraged that religion even exists. They just about have apoplexies when anyone says “Merry Christmas” or , horror of horrors, “God bless you” or something. > > These people are also known as assholes. I’m not a religious person myself but I find all the tap dancing around the subject amusing, and if I can identify one of these assholes I’ll go out of my way to wish him or her “Merry Christmas” just to watch his or her head explode. Christ they’d have a nightmare over here then as we use religious phrases all the time in our speech. Nobody minds it, thanks be to God 😉 -yojimbo, full on atheist but Irish so says “God”, “Jesus” (Jaysus) Holy Mother of Christ\* and about 20 times a day. eg. Holy Mother of Christ, could you be any slower doing that. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/71 "2004-12-22T15:27:48Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I wish you a Happy Hanukah this 12/25. … and a happy new year ;j ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/72 "2004-12-22T15:30:28Z")
> [@Mehitabel](#): > > So…if you have a cow-orker named Fatima Khan, who just came back from visiting her family in Pakistan for Eid, and you met her at work today, you’d say to her “Happy Christmas!” without feeling the teensiest bit like a jerk? :dubious: If you have a cow-orker named Fatima Khan, the only right thing to do is put on a bad toupee and shout “[Khaaan](http://www.khaaan.com/)!” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/73 "2004-12-22T15:30:38Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > My birthday (tdn, when’s yours?) On yet another holiday – All Saints Day. Or in Mexico, Day of the Dead. Or in my home, the Day of Leftover Candy. When is yours? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/74 "2004-12-22T15:33:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Contrary to what some others in this thread have said, I have noticed a recent increase in the number of what I call “militant atheists.” There really are people out there who not only don’t subscribe to the concept of religion, but also seem to be enraged that religion even exists. Hey, after all the centuries and centuries of militant religious people who are enraged that everyone doesn’t follow _their_ religion, cut us a break! At least we don’t have Crusades or Inquisitions or put people’s heads on pikes. We just sniff haughtily and look down our noses. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/75 "2004-12-22T15:35:51Z")
I would just like to point out that a thread on what not to call a holiday now has more posts than a thread about tits, and got them in a mere fraction of the time. I weep for our priorities. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/76 "2004-12-22T15:40:16Z")
Who cares about little English songbirds? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/77 "2004-12-22T15:40:43Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > On yet another holiday – All Saints Day. Or in Mexico, Day of the Dead. Or in my home, the Day of Leftover Candy. > > When is yours? Remind when the \*date \* of yours is? And mine is November 30 - closing out the second dreariest month of the year, February being the worst. (At least Nov has Diwali & Thanksgiving to redeem it). > [@Exgineer](#): > > …militant atheists… > [@yojimbo](#): > > …we use religious phrases all the time in our speech. I’m atheist and I just don’t get people like this. Most of the time, the speaker is just wishing you greetings in the best way they know how. If someone says “God Bless You” to me, 99 % of the time I don’t even register it and say thank you. If someone says something like “God be with you”, rather than getting offended, I get a warm feeling that they would like for their God to be with me. It’s a nice thing to say. And I also do say “Jesus Christ!” and “My God!” The only thing that gets me riled up is that dreaded comment “I’ll pray for you” in that condescending and piyting tone. Ugh! ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/78 "2004-12-22T15:43:47Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > The only thing that gets me riled up is that dreaded comment “I’ll pray for you” in that condescending and piyting tone. Ugh! Got that once and I answered “Don’t waste your time” Oh and **Mehitabel** [http://www.nice-tits.org/](http://www.nice-tits.org/) ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/79 "2004-12-22T15:48:01Z")
[QUOTE=Mehitabel] So…if you have a cow-orker named Fatima Khan, who just came back from visiting her family in Pakistan for Eid, and you met her at work today, you’d say to her “Happy Christmas!” without feeling the teensiest bit like a jerk? :dubious: QUOTE] The honest answer to this is yes. If I (or any other Brit) started walking on eggshells and treating her differently then that would be more likely to annoy the hypothetical Mrs Khan. You Americans are way too worried about hurting the feelings of people who simply don’t give a toss. They know it’s christmas. They go to the Christmas party. They wear the comical hat. They buy their kids giant robot monster toys. They watch the James Bond film. They’re perfectly well adjusted about the fact that western tradition has a festival at this time of year and that festival is religious in orgin and that it is called Christmas. Having said that, after walking down Regent St on Monday - I think we can safely say we’ve managed to forget about the babby jesus. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145/80 "2004-12-22T15:55:46Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > This is what happens when you become oversensitive - you end up looking a bit like a berk. Mm, mm, mm. That’s some delicious tasting irony served up by the OP who is oversensitive about a greeting. Might I have another bowl? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-in-the-usa-actually-say-happy-holidays/281145.md?page=5)