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Merry Christmas: offensive slight or desired tradition?
According to a poll by Fox News, almost eight in ten (77%) Americans will greet another person with Merry Christmas. That breaks down to 87% of Republicans and 72% of Democrats.
While I personally prefer to be wished a happy Festivus right before the feats of strength and airing of grievances begin, it’s clear from these numbers that the sensitivity surrounding our Holiday greetings is another example of political correctness run amok.Â
According to this data, wishing someone “Happy Holidays” in an attempt to be inclusive could potentially backfire. Christians tend to take offense at the watering down of the holiday. Some department stores, who have instructed their employees to wish customers “Happy Holidays”, have faced angry boycotts as a result and this data shows they are doing more harm than good with their orders. Some groups have assembled a “Naughty or Nice” list of retailers based on their Christmas greetings!
Democrats (28 percent), urbanites (28 percent) and Northeasterners (25 percent) are among those more likely to say they feel pressured to use a generic “Happy Holidays” greeting. Conversely, in addition to Republicans (again, at 87 percent), regular churchgoers (82 percent) and rural Americans (83 percent) are more likely to say “Merry Christmas,” the poll found.
Curiously, the data also shows that one in five (21%) Democrats had their company holiday party canceled this year. More change to believe in.
Tags: Christmas poll
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Merry Christmas (100% of the time).
Our country celebrates the Christ Mass, like it or not.
So to you and your family, may you have a Merry Christmas.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:59 pm
I am a liberal and an agnostic. I find all the pressures to suppress Christmas offensive. It is astonishing that the vast majority of Americans have nothing to do with this suppression of Christmas, and nor do most want the perverted materialism pushed upon Christmas. Can we point the blame for materialism entirely upon corporations? To some extent, but it is those who control the media and the education system, as well as the legal profession who impose the sanctioning of Christmas. The first amendment state “OF religion”, not “from” religion.
It has long been clear to most Americans who hates Christmas, Christianity, and Christians, but we are sued constantly if we honestly state the fact of who it is. And it’s not the agnostics, at least not the ones who descend from Christians.
December 24th, 2008 at 9:14 am
This “controversy” is truly nonsense in these troubling times. i would hope those involved would remember the spirit of the Christmas/holiday season and worry more about how we come together as a community and Nation to solve the overwhelming challenges before us. I am not offended by either greeting and am more interested in knowing what you are doing to live the spirit of the season.
December 29th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
[...] it turns out, it does offend people — the vast majority who understand that this holiday is a Holy Day and who have never bought into the secular left propaganda that has …). Overall, 77 percent of the public prefers “Merry Christmas,” the same number as [...]
December 3rd, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Does it really matter whether someone says “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”? Also, why do people take offense at the mere acknowledgement of other holidays? It’s silly to be offended by either greeting.
To Shak Hill: This is not a Christian nation. Treaty of Tripoli and the seperation of church and state idea see to that. It’s a little dumb, if you ask me, to get upset over someone saying “Happy Holidays”. Why can’t people just take them both as a nice comment?