Americans are free to say "Merry Christmas," (or, if they want to sound affectedly faux-British "Happy Christmas") as much as they want. Unless somebody is paying them to say something else.

I used to work for a fast-food chain. My employer told me to greet customers by smiling and saying, "Welcome to X, the home of America's favorite all-beef burger!" I myself, having seen what went into the "all-beef" burger, wouldn't have eaten one on a dare, and X's burgers regularly ranked in the high single digits on burger popularity polls, but that's life in retail; smile at the idiots and say what makes them buy.

And what's up with Catholics who complain about being told "Happy Holidays" anyway? If anybody actually says "Merry Christimas" to them they invariably respond with, "It's not Christmas, it's ADVENT, you dolt!" and in any case "Happy Holidays" means both Christmas and New Year's Day. It's like they don't want to be happy on the Solemnity of Mary the Holy Mother of God.

Labels: moderation: toxicity, insult