What Should You Say? Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

Yep, it’s that time of the year!

Christmas.

Or the holidays if you prefer,

because in the land of political correctness, something

like a simple holiday greeting can be a source of controversy

and debate.

And you thought you were going to get a fun, light-hearted video for Christmas.

Hahaha!

But this one has some interesting insights into American culture. I Promise.

I’m Christina and you’re watching Speak Better, Feel Great TV.

The place to boost your English and boost your career.

In today’s video, we’re gonna talk about Christmas,

the melting pot of the United States,

and end-of-the-year political correctness.

You ready?

Actually, I had thought about doing a video on fun Christmas office traditions,

but I’ll save that one for next year.

After all,

you also come to Speak Better, Feel Great TV for insights into American culture,

by someone who knows how it differs from French culture.

And today’s subject is important for understanding your American colleagues’

attitude to the holidays.

In December in the US, there’s always debate and discussion about

what to say at the end of the year.

The most common choices are

But even this can be a bit sticky.

I’ll explain.

Some Americans, those who are Christian and attached to religion,

insist on saying “Merry Christmas.”

They argue that without Christ,

we wouldn’t celebrate Christmas,

so it should be “Merry Christmas” to keep Christ

in the expression

And It’s common to see the expression

Other Americans who want to share Christmas wishes with non-Christians

or who simply want to avoid

any reference to religion,

find

or

more appropriate.

They argue that these expressions

Happy Holidays and Season’s Greetings

include people of all beliefs.

So,

what should you wish your American colleagues?

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

Well,

if you’re not Christian or you don’t know what your colleague believes

“Happy holidays” is just fine.

If you know they believe in Christianity,

feel free to wish “Merry Christmas.”

In most cases, they’ll probably respond with a simple “Thanks, you too!”

or maybe with their preferred version of the holiday greeting.

And in my opinion, if someone gets upset

because you didn’t use the “right” expression for your good wishes,

they’re missing the point of the festive season.

After all, Christmas isn’t the only holiday Americans celebrate December.

Of course the majority of Americans religious of Christina or not

will celebrate Christmas. And they'll be totally okay with saying Merry Christmas.

But of course The US also has a significant Jewish population who celebrate Hanukkah in December.

Sometimes, the end of the Muslim holiday Ramadan is in December.

Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday celebrated from December 26th

to January 1st.

And nearly 23% of the American population

say that they don’t really have a religion.

So no matter what you believe,

the end of the year is the perfect time to offer warm wishes

to your fellow human beings.

More than ever today, we need love and tolerance in this world.

If you want to read more about the “Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays” debate in the US,

I’ve included a few links

below the video.

Check the comments section below the article on theblaze.com

and you’ll get good idea of how this question can really spark a heated debate.

It’s really interesting to have a look.

If you liked this video, share the holiday love with your friends & colleagues.

Send this video to them on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook,

or just by email!

And if you want to boost your English and boost your career every week with me,

go to christinarebuffet.com and subscribe to receive email updates.

You’ll get a short English lesson, vocabulary,

and exclusive bonuses that I only share with my Speak Better, Feel Great Ambassadors.

even at Christmas time.

Now, I’m giving myself a very very special gift

a little holiday break.

Next week, you’ll get the best of Speak Better, Feel Great TV from 2015,

and then a special message just after the New Year.

After that, I’ll be back to help you keep your New Year’s Resolutions and boost your English.

Thank you so much for watching Speak Better, Feel Great TV.

I’m Christina and I’ll see you next…

year! I'll see you next year.

Happy holidays to you!