Community Corner

Happy Holidays? Merry Christmas? What's a Jolly Elf to Say?

Conservatives call it the "war on Christmas." This writer says it might just be a bit of well-meaning confusion.

It's that awkward time of year when a simple greeting may unintentionally offend someone. Saying "Happy Holidays" seems to trigger some grumbling instead of being recognized as a greeting.

Blogger Aliza Worthington wrote that it's especially difficult to greet someone whose preferences you don't know.

"Do we wish them happiness in the holiday THEY celebrate? Or do we wish them well in the holiday WE celebrate?" wrote Worthington in her recent blog post Happy ANYTHING, Okay? 

Worthington, who is Jewish, wrote that most holiday greetings don't offend her.

"I pass it off as a happy and harmless cluelessness on their part, rather than an intentional affront," she wrote. "So, when someone says, 'Merry Christmas!' to me, to this I say, 'Thank you so much!' and I return the greeting because I assume THEY celebrate Christmas, or they wouldn't feel moved to greet people they don't know very well this way."

She also recognizes that any greeting is an "expression of kindness and warmth rather than an insult, an attempt to convert me, or a denial of my religion." 

There is one greeting, however, that Worthington does find offensive and many Ravens fans might agree: Go Steelers! 

Click here to read more from Worthington's blog.

TELL US: How do you handle holiday greetings? Leave a comment to let us know.


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