Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas?

Olivia Witulski, Features Editor

Every year around the holiday season, the same topic arises amongst Americans: should we be saying “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”? The arguments from both sides are the same every year. Those in support of saying “Merry Christmas” claim that Christmas is the pinnacle of the holiday season, and saying “Merry Christmas” around this time reflects that. They also claim that saying Merry Christmas is religious, as Christmas is a deeply religious holiday to some people, and they should be able to wish others a Merry Christmas as they please. Those in support of saying “Happy Holidays” argue that there are a variety of holidays around this time period – both religious and non religious – celebrated around this time and should all be acknowledged. “Happy Holidays” supporters also argue that saying “Merry Christmas” is insensitive because there are many different religions practiced all around the United States, and not everybody celebrates Christmas. 

“I really don’t think it matters,” says Gabriel Levi ‘20.

Statistics show that saying “Happy Holidays” is much more widely used than “Merry Christmas”, and there is not really a set number of people who say either or. 

Statistics show that saying “Happy Holidays” is much more widely used than “Merry Christmas”, and who says either one varies based on things like age and Political affiliation. This visualization is based on a poll conducted on Twitter. This shows that the use of “Merry Christmas” is mainly used in southern states as well as some northern and Midwest states, while “Happy Holidays” is used by the majority of United States. 

Another set of data shows that the usage of “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays” varies based on age and political affiliation. Younger people and Democrats tend to use “Happy Holidays”, but older people and Republicans tend to use “Merry Christmas”.

All in all, the debate over the correct usage of prevails, but the choice of which one to use, depends solely on the individual’s personal choice.