As the holiday season approaches, the yearly debate of whether people should wish you a Merry Christmas or a Happy Holiday comes upon us. This is a common saying in retail stores, on your morning walk, in school and even from family members. It’s pretty hard to not go somehwere and get one of these said to you.

So what is the argument really about?

Some people take into consideration all the Holidays and tend to in their case say the respectful sentence; “Happy Holidays”. Others may just assume and say Merry Christmas, niether is wrong but can be taken differently by certain people and their religions.

Honestly, I do not understand why this even needs to be disputed. If you prefer to say “Merry Christmas,” then say it. If you prefer to say “Happy holidays,” then say that. If someone tells you to have a “Happy holiday,” there is no ill intention in their words, they do not mean to cause harm or a full out dispute, just respond with a kind gesture of “Thank you, same to you” and be on your way. 4

A simple holiday greeting should not be a correction, especially when not everyone celebrates the same holiday as you do. Did we suddenly forget about Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or all the other winter holidays? I’m not saying that wishing somebody a Merry Christmas is insensitive and outright problematic but it won’t kill you to understand why others just don’t feel comfortable by saying it.

At the end of the day, people have the right to say what they want. However, arguing back and forth over a holiday greeting at a retail store won’t get you anywhere and will certainly not please the customers still waiting in line because of you. It’s simply immature.

The holiday season should be about bringing happiness and love to others, not a frown or disputer over the mere phrase “Happy holidays.”

And with that being said, Happy Holidays everyone!