It’s that time of year again — the annual debate of whether or not to say “merry Christmas” or “happy holidays.” Some argue people should say merry Christmas, while others say it would be more polite to say happy holidays. However, people should say both according to the preference of who they’re speaking to. 

Saying happy holidays instead of merry Christmas when you celebrate Christmas is not being inclusive. Real inclusivity is not being neutral or pretending everything is a blank slate, it is acknowledging the practices of others while also acknowledging their own. By not saying Christmas and just saying happy holidays, Christmas is erased from the language. By saying both merry Christmas and happy holidays, people are acknowledging Christmas as well as other holidays.

While Christmas is a religious holiday, it is celebrated in many countries by. It‘s true that some people don’t celebrate Christmas and sometimes celebrate another holiday instead, but that is true with any holiday. There are people who do not celebrate Halloween, Easter or Thanksgiving. There are also other holidays that are celebrated in November and May, like Day of the Dead or Passover, yet people do not say we should stop saying happy Halloween, happy Thanksgiving or happy Easter. 

Some people might wonder about wishing someone a happy Hanukkah or happy Ramadan,  as this hypothetical situation is filled with a lot of assumptions. It assumes the person who celebrates other holidays would be offended if someone would wish them another holiday. It assumes the same person who says merry Christmas would hate that other person wishing them another holiday. Wishing a person a merry or happy blank does not force anyone’s views on each other. It’s just wishing them a happy day. 

People should say merry Christmas and happy holidays. Also, for anyone who celebrates other holidays, say happy Hanukkah, Ramadan, or whatever holiday one celebrates. Let’s celebrate holidays by acknowledging them and by speaking about them freely and openly.