Merry Christmas, Xmas or Happy Holidays...

I always say Happy Holidays because not everyone is Christian.And Hanukkah usually falls before, during or shortly after Christmas. And there is also Kwanzaa.I don't understand when write XMas . It seems like they are replacing Christ with an X.

Everyone has their own preferances and beliefs and they are entitled to them. I don't judge or get annoyed by someone shortening it to Xmas. Personally I do not. I write out Christmas. Saying Happy Holidays in public setting where you don't know the other person religious beliefs is a good thing. I think it shows respect. You're wishing them a good holiday, no matter what they happen to call it.

If I am talking about the Christian religious holiday "Christmas" then of course I say Christmas. If I am talking about the winter holiday season in general, I don't. My husband celebrates the Christian Christmas and I celebrate the Pagan Winter Solstice, so it makes more sense to me to say Happy Holidays. If I know what someone's beliefs are, and what holiday they celebrate, I will say to them whichever holiday they celebrate, whether it be Christmas, Yule, Solstice, Hanukkah, or whatever. I am wishing them a happy holiday, so I use their holiday. If I don't know what holiday(s) a person celebrates, then "Happy Holidays" makes more sense to say. If someone says "Merry Christmas" to me, I respond to them with "Merry Christmas". *shrugs* It doesn't matter to me. To me it is the good thought behind the greeting that matters, and not the greeting itself. Strangers aren't going to know what holiday I celebrate, so whatever greeting they give me is fine. However, if someone who knows me well insists on continually talking about Christmas to me as if I celebrate it, then I will be offended. If they can't be bothered to remember what holidays I celebrate and what my beliefs are, then why should I bother with having them in my life?

I always use the word CHRISTMAS, never XMAS, my aunt use to do that and she was a christian and that irritated me ...I know what walmart is doing and i do not agree with that...So what is people are offended, its been christmas all my life and im not about to change...One way to get your point across at walmart when you are doing your christmas shopping ,after you pay look at the cashier and say MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!! and when i write a check at walmart i always put in the memo "for christmas"....

I always write Merry Christmas when I write it. It doesn't bother me when people write Xmas, I just wonder why they write it that way. I have always written Christmas. It just seems right to me.:)

I really don't mind it if others shorten the word by using the letter "X" although I always use the whole word when referring to it. For me what is important is that the communication is clear, different people just have different ways of expressing. As long as you understand each other, I think it is okay. It's just like the way Christ is spelled with "K" and slightly different in another language.

Walmarts workers were to say Happy Holidays because it included all holidays for that specific time like Hanukkah. They didn't want to single out any one holiday. As a cashier I like to say Happy Holidays as not to offend any Jewish people or the like. But when I'm writing it I do use Christmas because like you I don't care for the abbreviation. Sometimes on my Christmas cards I do put Happy Holidays to include Happy New Year (so I don't have to write so much LOL).

I always try to keep the Christ in Christmas but sometimes space does not allow it. It's hard to list on eBay where you need every karat in the description. I don't imagine it really matters, isn't the X a Greek symbol for Christ or something?

I always say Merry Christmas. It doesn't really bother me what other people put though. I just put Merry Christmas because that was what I learned to say when I was a child and it just stuck with me.

I think "Happy Holidays" instead of "Happy Christmas" is a pile of turds. For those who celebrate Christmas, that's what it is. All sorts of people celebrate Christmas, no matter what their religion and it's a slap in the teeth to be forced to change something like this. Next, we'll have women being expected to cover up their faces and bodies because it's not politically correct to some, it's just rubbish. Another point...to quote you: "A few years ago, Walmarts started saying Happy Holidays in place of Merry Christmas b/c it was more pc and some ppl were offended by the word Christ in Christmas!! It really annoyed me and I made a point of telling every Walmart worker I could find MERRY CHRISTMAS!! every chance I got...yup, I was a pain about it." It was the company's decision to take this step and not the workers fault. I fail to understand why people blame the staff that work at these places because of the policies of the company, sometimes, it might even be just the store manager. I'm sorry, I think that's mean and a bit spiteful. You should be complaing to head office or management, not making the workers uncomfortable. Sorry if this seems unfriendly but I had to speak out because I hear this sort of thing all the time. Christmas will always be Christmas to me, a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and a time for families and friends to come together in peace and love. A joyous celebration of life. A happy and blessed Christmas to all!!

I always write the complete word Christmas. I never shorten it. When I was growing up we went out to buy a Christmas tree and the sign said "Xmas Trees". My mom said "They took the Christ out of Christmas". I never forgot that. Even if I am filling out 100 Christmas cards, I always write the full word Christmas.

If I'm chatting online about xmas, then I shorten it. If I'm writing about it, say in cards or whatever, then I write "Christmas". If I'm writing to business contacts, then I say "Happy Holidays" because I never know which holiday they celebrate. When speaking, I usually say "Merry Christmas" just because that is what I'm used to. Nothing really irritates me. Say what you want. I don't care if someone says Happy Kwanza to me. It's just a friendly gesture, no matter how one says it.

honestly, if i have to type out the word 'christmas' several times, i do write xmas, cuz it's just an abbreviation, who cares. if i'm talking about God and Christ Jesus and such, i like to write out 'Christmas'. if it's about holiday presents and stuff, i write out xmas. and i hate that we all have to be so PC anymore and say happy holidays. they are holidays but it's also Jesus' birthday, and if someone isn't religious or doesn't believe in that, that's fine, but i tell people MERRY CHRISTMAS, don't care who i offend, cuz i'm offened all the time, so who cares, i think we all need to say what we want, we all do anyway, just the gov't and schools try to hinder that, but who cares....i'm so tired of our sad world!! haha! sorry to rant twoey!!!

Yes it offends me a great deal to see others refer to Christmas as anything else. With out the birth of Christ there would be no Christmas. If someone doesn't believe in Christ and his birth and resurrection then what on earth are they celebrating? Christmas is a christian celebration. But we Christians are letting others take Christ out of it. For me - I celebrate CHRISTMAS and the birth of my Christ.

Well, being a Christian, I believe Christmas is about Christ, so using "Xmas" sounds very bizarre to me. I can't ever get myself to say "Happy Holidays" because that also doesn't seem to have anything to do with the reason for the season. I don't want to forget why we celebrate Christmas. It isn't about getting and giving gifts, at least for me.

I say Merry Christmas, as Happy Holidays seems to generic to me. In college we frequently would tell people "Joyous Jesus' Birthday". It was a hoot. Xmas, depending on who uses it, can still be Christ, as the X in Greek is the first letter of Christ. I, of course was taught that it was like algebra: X is the unknown, so it is wishing an unknown holiday. When I see the X, I think of Christ, so I do not feel bothered, but I do not use it myself. Another interesting twist, some people write +mas ( read, cross mas) to honor Christ. We called several stores looking for an item one year, and when we located it in two places, my husband chose to shop where they answered the phone "Merry Christmas"

Hey t68, I say "Merry Christmas" but if around the holiday season & not one in particular I say "happy holidays" +'s |:)

Well since you don't like Happy Holidays I'll wish you a Happy Honnica & Yuletide Cheer. Happy Holidays is a sign of respect for the holidays of other cultures & religions that fall during the same time period. You shouldn't have criticized Walmart or anyone else for using it.

Being that we celebrate Christ's birthday on Christmas day it makes no sense to me than to write Merry Christmas. Why should we allow them to take his name out of his day? It seems ridiculous that for years every one was fine with Merry Christmas and then someone decided that it should change. Well how to you listen to your Xmas carols and do you like your xmas cards? Wonder when we may change the name of those cards . I don't approve of what Wal-Mart has done and that it part of the reason that I no longer shop there.

I don't like the word Xmas personally...I frequently tell people it isn't right to take the Christ out of Christmas since that it what the holiday is supposed to be about, although the significance of Christmas has long ago been buried in commercialism. Very few people know what the holiday is about anymore, for most it is about spending money that you can't afford to spend to keep the merchants in business. Even in the spending money aspect people lose sight of the fact that it is a season for giving and appreciating your fellow men.