in terms of etiquette, I dont know which of the 2 to say, cause she could be Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, etc etc?? No idea.
2007-12-07 13:18:57 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
You say "Good morning". (Not because it's politically correct, but because it's *professionally* correct.)
(And, yes it *would* still be a holiday without the birth of Christ. December 25 was a Roman festival long before it became Christmas. And many other cultures celebrated the winter solstice in one way or another.)
2007-12-07 15:06:17 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Merry Christmas
2007-12-07 21:21:38 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Merry Christmas. I live in a place that isn't ethnically diverse, but since I celebrate Christmas I don't see why it's offensive anyway. If someone wished me a happy Hanuka or whatever their holiday is, I would be happy not offended. Since it's your boss though, maybe stick with the bland PC version to be safe.
2007-12-07 21:39:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Happy holidays is the most common form, but remember, even then - you're going to find Atheists, Muslim and Shitos who don't celebrate a holiday during this part of the year. The most polite of them are celebrating a day off probably with pay. Which to me is amoung the most important occasions. Should they be so rude as to point out they don't celebrate at this time of year it is acceptable to remind them of the day off they are getting - this will illicit a smile in all but the worst scrouges.
Finally, if you know your boss well enough to know their religion, it is acceptable to use their religious pronouncment.
2007-12-07 21:36:24 · answer #4 · answered by Cindy H 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As a rule of thumb, if you don't know for certain what religion a person is, go with the all-inclusive Happy Holidays.
Most people of other faiths are not offended when someone wishes them a Merry Christmas (I know I'm not--how are people to know that they should wish me a Merry Yule? I don't wear a name tag that says, "Hi! My name is Avie and I'm a Pagan!") but there are a few who are. Best to play it safe, just to keep the peace.
2007-12-07 21:32:45 · answer #5 · answered by Avie 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If in doubt, say Happy Holidays.......If you know for sure they are Christian or Catholic, Merry Christmas....
2007-12-07 22:14:41 · answer #6 · answered by mj 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There's this "rule" at our office that we're not allowed to tell others "Merry Christmas" because it refers to Jesus and the Christian celebration of Christmas (Christmas=Christ mass). However, while I can respect their not wanting to offend anyone by saying "Merry Christmas" (because of other beliefs) I think that they (and others) should realize that it's equally offensive to me to not be able to say it because it is my belief. It feels unfair for people to stop me from saying it in an attempt to not offend others, because in doing so, it offends me. On a side note, I find it interesting that people refuse to say "Merry Christmas" because of its religious connotations, but they are so ready to say "Happy Holidays"...because the root of "Happy Holidays" comes from the phrase "Holy Days" (much in the same way that "Christmas" is from the root "Christ mass." So in essence, they are saying, "Happy Holy Days" and not "Happy Holidays." I think that people should be free to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hannukah" or "Happy Kwaanza" because they are all special celebrations to them. By barring one for the other isn't fair, so all should be able to express themselves. I think that it's sad that people have been able to label Christmas as something bad, because it's not. It's all about goodness coming into the world. What's bad about that?
2007-12-07 21:38:52 · answer #7 · answered by LaPrincesse 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you are Christian, say Merry Christmas. Better yet it doesn't matter if you are Christian or not. The holiday has always been Christmas. Call it what it is. We need to stop rolling over on our heritage. We have just as much right to ours as they have to theirs. If we have to give in to everyone, we will have no more heritage of our own. And that's pretty sad. You want to honor them. Question: Are they honoring our culture?
2007-12-07 21:29:13 · answer #8 · answered by guitarrman45 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Seasons Greetings!
2007-12-07 21:56:23 · answer #9 · answered by doglover 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OK stop it people, enough of the politically correct junk
it's Christmas and we would not have a holiday without celebrating the birth of Christ
It's Merry Christmas
2007-12-07 22:26:54 · answer #10 · answered by jeanniep 5 · 0⤊ 4⤋