(CNN) - For many, it's an annual December conundrum - greet people with the traditional "Merry Christmas" or the secular "Happy Holidays"?
It's a small decision with seemingly oversized cultural significance, coming amid pressure to "keep Christ in Christmas" while also remaining inclusive of people who don't celebrate the Christian holiday.
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A new poll from Marist and the Knights of Columbus shows that nationwide, two-thirds of Americans prefer to go with "Merry Christmas" over "Happy Holidays." There is a divide, however, between Americans living on the East and West Coasts, and Midwesterners and people living the South.
Fifty-six percent of Northeasterners and 57% of West Coasters said "Merry Christmas" was their greeting of choice. In the Midwest, 70% chose "Merry Christmas," and in the South 69% felt the same.
Older generations were also more likely to choose "Merry Christmas," while 50% of millennials (people ages 18-30) preferred to make merry with "Happy Holidays."
Americans over 65 overwhelming chose "Merry Christmas" over "Happy Holidays," 74% to 22%.
The Marist-Knights of Columbus poll was taken by phone November 8-10 from 1,026 adults. The sampling error was plus or minus three percentage points.
From CNN Politics
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Merry Christmas all! Oh I'm sorry, I guess I insulted some crazy people out there who take a phrase way too seriously. Oh well...
Merry Christmas, everyone!
If I wish you a Merry Christmas, it doesn't imply that YOU are a Christian, only that I am. If you wish to respond with Happy Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, or even Happy Holidays, then I accept and embrace it. But it's just lame for anyone to try to stop me from saying Merry Christmas. Those who are uncomfortable because I am a Christian need some professional therapeutic help.
When you are in Rome, do as Romans do.
"Merry chistmas" on Christmas, "Happy Hanukkah" on Hanukkah, "Happy Bairam" on Bairam, and so on.
What's the confusion about?
Merry Christmas!
So sad that this nation has to even begin to discuss such a thing. Glad my parents and grandparents did not have to live to see this pool of garbage this has become. Oh how the mighty have fallen!!! All the way from the president down, this nation is a sad shell of disgust. God help us!!!!
Since some folks demand nativity scenes removed from public places on Christmas, can we demand removal of Mt. Rushmore on Presidents day? Is that whats next? I mean all you new comers to this nation surely feel that those men wronged and offended right?
It is easy. If you know the person or people and they are all Christian you say, Merry Christmas. If it is a mixed group or the religion of the person or people you are talking to is unknown to you then Happy Holidays is probably best.
I actually wish that San Francisco has a very MERRY CHRISTMAS,, but I am not sure that is allowed there. I prefer to call that area Gods blindspot.
BTW CNN, Christmas is not for you.
When you are in Rome, do as Romans do.
"Merry Christmas" on Christmas, "Happy Hanukkah" on Hanukkah, "Happy Bairam" on Bairam, and so on.
What's the confusion about?
People talk about not "offending" others with the greeting "Merry Christmas." In our multi-ethnic urban societies there really are only two groups who oppose the greeting and whine about it: Hard-core atheists and the Jews.
Anyone who gets their panties in a bunch about someone saying Happy Holidays is so far removed from what Christ stood for that it's not even worth arguing with them. Happy Holidays to EVERYONE.
Holy smokes, people. Not that hard. If you KNOW somebody is a Christian, say "Merry Christmas". If you KNOW they're Jewish, say "Happy Hanukkah". If you KNOW that they're Serbian, like my mom's side of the family, say "Khristos se rodi" (or "Joyeux Noël" or "Felíz Navidád" or whatever the ethnicity is). If you KNOW they're Wiccan, say "Blessed Samhain". If you KNOW they celebrate Kwanzaa, say "Joyous Kwanzaa". If you KNOW they celebrate Festivus, say "Happy Festivus".
And in all other cases (that is, when you DON'T KNOW), go with "Happy Holidays" and you can't miss.
The fact that a large proportion of our country believes choosing a religious greeting over a general one in order to bring favorable luck from invisible demons is a sign of the depth of absolute stupidity we are mired in. Around the world, people are suffering and dying, and you think your chosen GREETING is important to anyone but you? This holiday season I am grateful that I will never understand that sort of self-absorbed mindset.
You notice the only people being hateful about it are the so called christians, a bunch of hipocrites! so much cor christian charity for the holidays. lol
It's Merry Xmas don't like too bad!!
Happy Yule! ...Merry Solstice!
haha atheists.
As much as some people will not admit , America is a Christian Nation. Merry Christmas should be THE greeting with a Happy Holiday as a followup.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAv2_zSn9aI. Hopefully, listening to it will put a smile on your face (or in your heart).
I’ve composed a little Christmas song: It’s a cheery tune with character/costume changes ‘to boot’.HO, HO, HO! It’s simply about what Christmas means to me
Personally, I celebrate Christmas without making any attempt to keep Christ in it. I like to say "Merry Christmas" to anyone I think would like to hear it.
I wasn't so concerned about it until the Christians started screaming on my fb that it's THIER holiday and it's CHRIST mas! Good. Great. Fine. They want to excluded everyone else... then we should change the national holiday to the Solstice Observed and let them keep their antiquated trinkets in their churches.
I like Happy Holidays. It includes everyone and doesn't allow for one group to think they have dominance over everyone.
Happy holidays!