I say "Happy holidays" because I'd much rather piss off someone who gets angry about me being inclusive of people who aren't like them than risk making someone feel excluded.
Being Jewish, saying Happy Holidays is a natural stance; but I don't mind saying Merry Christmas to Christians. Non-Jews are kind enough to wish me a Happy Hanukah, so I return the favour.
Happy Holidays. Not everyone celebrates Christmas, so I might as well include everyone in saying Happy Holidays.
I only say merry Christmas, much to the annoyance to me atheist and Jewish friends. But honestly I don't veiw Christmas as religious so I keep forgetting that it is not some all inclusive holiday.
Merry Christmas. I honestly don't care.. If you're gonna get pissed at me because I said a phrase, that's your problem. I don't view Christmas as a religious thing.
Both, depending on the circumstance and who I am speaking with. If I don't know them and their religious or philosophical orientation I am more likely to use Happy Holidays. If I know they celebrate Christmas I will use Merry Christmas. On a related subject, I really don't get the whole war on Christmas thing, it's just words, celebrate whatever you want and everyone else will do the same.
Sometimes I say Merry Christmas, other times I say Happy Holidays. At the end of the day, though, it really doesn't matter to me. Christmas is Christmas. I never really lumped it together with religion. But I say Merry Christmas most of the time 'cause it just feels more festive to me that way. XD I'd rather be Merry than Happy!
Could not care any less if I tried...when in doubt, I prefer 'humbug'. If there is a reasonable chance I'll annoy someone by saying the wrong one, and I don't know which it is, I may as well guarantee I'm going to annoy them and make them think I hate christmas!
Unless I know someone is Jewish or Atheist I say Merry Christmas. Being a Christian I celebrate Christmas.
Depends on who I'm saying it to. If I know for sure that whoever I'm speaking to celebrates Christmas, then I'll just say Merry Christmas. If I'm not sure (for example, when speaking to a cashier at a store), I usually say Happy Holidays. Once we're very close to Christmas (within a few days), I tend to say Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays.
I wouldn't care if someone got their undies in a twist about me "not being inclusive enough". "Merry Christmas" is a pretty innocuous thing to say. At the same time, Happy Holidays has more alliteration, and almost guarantees that nobody starts whining. I don't really celebrate the holidays at all, so either one will do. But if I know someone doesn't celebrate it, there's no point in being a dick about it, so I'll say "Happy Holidays" to them (and vice versa for those who do celebrate it).
Merry Christmas... It is such an ingrained part of our (Western) culture that it no longer has religious connotations for most people. I'm not going to sidestep around this word, for the same reason I'm not going to avoid saying 'Thursday' for fear of upsetting people who don't believe on Thor. If anyone claims offence at the word 'Christmas' then they are looking for reasons to get offended as far as I'm concerned and as such I'll delight in offending them. What really annoys me is the bastard child of the two - "Happy Christmas". That just sounds wrong.
My mom always says that "Happy Holidays" was a term for "Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year" all lumped into one. I just don't say anything because I'm sick of Christians getting pissed off at me for saying "Happy Holidays" and I'm sick of people of different religions getting pissed off for saying "Merry Christmas." I let them wish me a happy whatever holiday they feel like saying, and then reply, "You too."
Do most people really put a religious attachment to Chirstmas? I kind of feel it's 98% secular anyway. Usually I avoid the whole situation and just respond back with whichever greeting the person says. Though I might say Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays if they are all decked out for the season (depending on mood).
I've gone with some generic holiday wish unless I know the person celebrates Christmas. It seems safer these days, even though Christmas has a strong secular side, and most people celebrate it. It's gotten to a point where it feels funny saying Merry Christmas to strangers at Christmas Eve church services... One assumes the people who show up are celebrating Christmas, but it still feels funny. It's interesting how times have changed. When I was in elementary school, we sang at least one real Christmas carol at a Christmas concert. I truly doubt it was any attempt at indoctrination, but there is no way that could happen today.
If I know that the person celebrates Christmas, I say "merry Christmas". If I don't know the person or what they celebrate (if anything), then I say "happy holidays". This has only been taken negatively once. Last year I said it to a cashier in a really small butcher shop. She glared at me and said in a snippy tone, "It's merry Christmas." Now I know to tell her merry Christmas when we get our Christmas ham this year.