Is saying Merry Christmas really offensive? I don’t think it is.
Even if the person you are saying it too doesn’t celebrate Christmas, I still fail to see how it could offend anyone. At the end of the day, you are wishing someone well. Hoping they have a good day.
Whether or not that day holds any special meaning for them shouldn’t matter – it is the equivalent of saying have a good day.
We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in the UK, but if someone wishes me a Happy Thanksgiving, I could hardly be offended by it.
They are saying it because they want me to have a good time, not because they want to upset me. Equally, Merry Christmas means that someone wants you to have a good time and be happy.
Sometimes, I think people look for ways to be offended, maybe they like being miserable, I don’t know.
I always think that saying Happy Holidays is fine if that’s the well wish you want to pass on, yet I see people getting offended because they person saying it didn’t say Merry Christmas.
It would be so much nicer if people would just accept these words as someone making a nice gesture and trying to spread a little joy rather than getting all upset by something, which in the big scheme of things, is pretty irrelevant.
I would be quite happy being wished Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, or any other variation of them. If someone cares enough to wish me a good day for whatever reason, it can only be a positive.
Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, try to remember that if someone wishes you a Merry Christmas, it is because they care enough to want you to have a good day.
Instead of getting offended and causing them embarrassment or distress, thank them and say you too. It’s really not that hard and will leave the person feeling good and you much less stressed.
I am not saying everyone should celebrate Christmas, each to their own, I am just saying that if someone wishes you a Merry Christmas, they are not trying to offend or upset you, they are trying to wish you well.
What do you think? Is Merry Christmas offensive, or are people taking it out of context? Let me know in the comments 🙂
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I personally don’t find any form of well-wishing to be offensive. I could go on forever about why I think people fasten onto unimportant things and then proceed to attach far more importance to them than they deserve…but that’s a blog topic, not a comment! 🙂 I do think in part whatever “merry” you wish someone can depend on your location (you aren’t going to wish someone a Merry Christmas in certain countries), as well as what you know about the person. I have Jewish friends I very pointedly wish Happy Hanukkah. But, in general, at the holidays, I’ll tell the clerk at the grocery store “Merry Christmas” and if someone wishes me the same, I’m fine with it (even though I don’t celebrate it). I just take their “Merry Christmas” as a sincere desire to wish me well, and leave it at that.
I totally know what you mean, I could have made this post about 5000 words if I had gone down that route lol 🙂 That’s exactly how I see it, it’s someone’s way of being nice to you!
If that’s all you’ve got to be offended about, then you are truly blessed! At this time of year, it’s a bit like saying “have a great day” or “hope you’re well”.
Yes, it would be nice if life was that easy lol! I totally agree. If I want to offend someone, I’m sure I could think up something a bit more cutting than Merry Christmas 🙂
I agree with you on this one Debbie – it really is just someone wishing you well at this time of year and what is there in that to get offended by?
Exactly! Some people just look for negatives I think!