Please do not be afraid to say Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Diwali, etc.
Often, “happy holidays” feels like the safer, more inclusive and “PC” seasonal greeting. However, during my early days working in the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) space, I learned an important lesson.
It’s Okay to Say Merry Christmas
The key to healthy teams and workplace cultures is authenticity. Thus, our greetings should follow this value to its natural ends. Say what is authentic and brings you joy. Notably, this could spur surprise or ruffle some feathers, yet the message is so much more than the words themselves. Tone of voice, body language and emotional sentiment convey the warmth of the season as articulated in the words of your choice. Be yourself. Offer an authentic, heartfelt greeting. As the axiom goes, “it’s the thought that counts.” The emotionally intelligent will recognize your good will and intent above and beyond the words chosen. Hopefully, they will return your good will with an authentic expression of their own.
The Shortcomings of Happy Holidays
The reason D&I advocates promote the use of “Merry Christmas” and the like over “happy holidays” is because glossing over and forcibly sucking the diversity of thought, practice and tradition out of a season of holidays which so many hold dear effectively removes diversity rather than promoting it. Instead, D&I champions encourage:
The use of diverse and personal greetings
An emotionally intelligent reception of all greetings
A healthy discussion of and opportunity to learn about different cultures and holidays
One of the common reasons for using the phrase “happy holidays” is to promote inclusion. However, without authentic diversity, what are we working to actively include? How are we promoting belonging if we cannot even give voice to the holiday with which we identify?
Many defer to “happy holidays” for fear of offending others. In certain circles and workplace cultures, this is necessary because the individuals do not have the psychological safety to be their authentic selves. Supposed and well-intentioned political correctness is valued more than the individual. Let us be human-centric, rather than optics-driven.
A Final Item to Consider
When transitioning from “happy holidays” to “Merry Christmas,” the tendency to punt or rationalize one’s word choice is common. I have caught myself doing this. Since Christmas and New Years are a week apart and many organizations reduce operations or shut down during this time, the temptation to say “happy holidays (plural)” is tempting and grammatically correct. One year I punted saying either option in favor of wishing colleagues a season that was “merry and bright.” (I hung a sign featuring a company-colored highlighter-tone tree with these words on my cubicle.) I have also seen leaders straddle both greeting options by asserting the holiday they celebrate first followed by the seemingly inclusive “cover all bases” statement of “happy holidays.” Another creative option is to replace “happy holidays,” which evades naming a single holiday, with a mash-up of a few of the seasonal celebrations. For instance, “Happy Christmahannukwanzadan.”
What Should I Say?
When making the choice of which greeting to use, search yourself, appreciate your team and workplace culture and as needed, consider the following decision tree:
To the Point
“Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy” ...it’s okay to say Merry Christmas! (Quoting the angel in Luke 2:10)
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