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So, I've been working a lot recently, as have all our service worker Bees. I work at Walmart as a cashier. As you probably know we also have door greeters to make sure no one steals anything, but they always say hello and goodbye too.
I've been getting wished "Merry Christmas" a lot of course, with "happy holidays" sometimes. I do celebrate Christmas but even if someone wished me "Happy Hannukah" I'd probably just say "Same to you!" However, one of our door greeters who is Jewish was wished Merry Christmas, and I heard her say "I don't celebrate but thank you." It really threw the customer off. I thought it was a little rude of her to elaborate when she could just ignore it really. But maybe I'm wrong? Is it rude to say Merry Christmas? Is it rude to say that you don't celebrate in a retail setting like this? Are both rude or is it all just subjective? Just wondering what everyone else thinks :)
Personally I hate being told Merry Christmas as I don't celebrate it so it feels exclusionary. It actually really throws me off when people say it to me, and I usually mumble something about "you too". I would tend to agree that it isn't the best move from a customer service perspective to make your customer feel uncomfortable though.
@galloway111: Hmm. I wouldn't really all it rude, as much as I'd call it unnecessary. I'm with you that I'd just say "Same to you!" if someone said "Happy whatever holiday I don't celebrate!" Or I'd at least say thank you. I can definitely understand why the customer was a bit confused. It would have taken me a moment or two to know what to say back if someone said that to me. This is precisely why I don't say merry Christmas to people who I don't know for sure celebrate it.
I think she probably should have let it go. Her job is in customer service.
That's why I never say anything referencing the holidays when I greet customers, I still just say "have a nice evening" or whatever. A lot of customers say Merry Christmas. I guess I feel like, if someone wished me Happy Hannukah, it's important to them, and they're still wishing me happiness so I'll say the same. I don't get offended at all so I guess I just don't understand.
I wish everyone would just get over themselves and take a pleasant greeting for what it is-niceness, pure and simple. I'm with @CarolinaCola: on this too, "Happy _____" or "Merry _____". Thank you. You too. End of story.
@galloway111: I wouldn't be offended by that either. I guess it just depends on the person. One time I had a situation sorta related. I worked as a cashier at a store during Christmas time a few years ago and a nice older coupld came through the line and wished me merry Christmas and asked if I had accepted Jesus as my savior. I just told a little white lie and said yes. It didn't hurt anyone, and it made them happy and they went on their way. I can imagine that if they had gone through someone else's line that day, they might not have gotten the same response.
In a setting like that where someone is just trying to be friendly and it's a two second interaction, I never really see the need to make a distinction. If someone wishes me a Merry Christmas, I always say "You, too!" They're being nice and making an effort to be pleasant, theres no need for me to share personal information with someone I never would otherwise. And after all, most people do celebrate Christmas, so I don't get offended if someone assumes I do.
The only scenario where I might say something is if a coworker I see everyday asks specifically how I will be celebrating Christmas. In that case, I think it's appropriate to mention I don't celebrate. Other than that, I'm just grateful people are being friendly and want to return the sentiment. No one asked for my life story!
People just need to chill out and be thankful that people are so nice around this time of year. Just wait till late February when everyone's miserable and so tired of the grey and slush and just generally in a foul mood. I'll take being wished a happy wrong holiday over a grumpy scowl anyday.
I seriously hate when people do that. If someone said "Happy Hanukkah" I'd say "And to you as well!" I love all holidays, and given the fact that 99% of strangers will never acknowledge you or have anything nice to say, I'll smile and take the greeting. My husband doesn't even believe in God, and when people say "Merry Christmas" to him he says "Hey thanks, you too!" no biggie.
Well...I make a stink about it because my work is loaded down with the type of customers who believe Christmas is under attack, and throw a FIT if we say happy Holidays. If the person is pleasant enough, i'll say "You, too", but if it's one of those "Oh, no, you're taking the Christ out of Christmas!!!" types...I'll definitely make it a Happy Holidays or a Happy Hanukkah, or a Happy Yule, or something.
Plus, I can see it being frustrating that other holidays get absolutely ignored at this time of year.
I think that it is sad that people have to respond to a nicety with rudeness. I was always taught that politeness should be responded to with politeness. I don't mind being told Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or Merry twinkling lights and gifts day. I just say "Thank you and to you too".
@78h2o: Agree.
I always just say "Thanks, you too!" or say it back no matter what well wishes I'm given. Someone could wish me a Happy *insert their own made-up celebration in here* and I'd say it back.
Them: "Happy Dwarf Hamster Day!"
Me: "Thank you, you too! Have a good one!"
I mean really.
I always just say "thanks, you too", and I suppose it is a bit odd considering she works in customer service. She did say "thank you" though, and it wasn't like she was trying to be rude to the customer, although it is odd she felt the need to point it out in that setting (I do always point it out if say a friend were to wish me a merry xmas).
On the other hand, it gets a bit tiring to have people constantly assume that I'm Christian, particularly when they react with UTTER shock when I say that I don't have xmas plans since I'm Jewish, I can't even count the number of times someone has reacted to that with "I mean ok, you wouldn't go to church, but you mean you don't even have a tree? you don't even have stockings?"....no, no I don't.
I celebrate Christmas, so I'll throw that one out there sometimes. But I also say Happy Hannukah to my Jewish roommate and a lot of our friends-- a holiday is a holiday, no one is trying to convert you.
Happy Groundhog Day, Happy Easter, Eid Mubarak. I'm going to say them all so there's no point in getting offended.
@KatyElle: Ditto this.
I am not Christian (more agnostic), but my family celebrates Christmas as a way to enjoy family, friends, the merriment of the season, etc. I tell people "Merry Christmas," and I say "You too" when people wish it to me. Same with my Jewish relatives. It's so rare that strangers go out of their way to be friendly, and I would never shoot down their attempt to be nice just because I might not celebrate whatever holiday they mention...
IMO, it was rude of your co-worker to say that to the customer, being that her job is in customer service. It was just unnecessary; she should have taken it in the spirit it was intended and said "Thanks" with a smile.
At least she said "thank you!" Haha. Gah. It's been Christmas for how many years and all of a sudden you get people jumping down your throat for trying to be polite. My word. If you don't celebrate then good for you. I imagine you probably go to a church/club/have a family filled with people who also don't celebrate Christmas. Celebrate your holiday with them. But the majority celebrate Christmas, so, I'm sorry, get over yourself.
Happy Holidays covers it all... I go with that... it's nice and it's covering all my bases lol. I have people say Merry this and happy that all the time... I always always say 'thanks you too' even though I don't really celebrate anything this time of year in a big way... I enjoy peoples better moods December to New Years though... it's awesome.
@HappilyEverAfter54: Yep! I do happen to celebrate Christmas (even though I don't consider myself Christian) but that's my favorite part of the season. It's like for 2 solid months people are just generally in a better mood and nicer and I love that!
I think the issue is that it's this woman's JOB to politely greet people. If a door greeter said that to me, I would probably turn around and walk right back out the door. There is no reason for that attitude when you get PAID to be nice to your customers! Goodness.
It really bothers me that people get offended by some one wishing them a Merry Christmas. I do it all the time and if you don't celebrate Christmas then respond with a thank you Happy whatever you celebrate.
BTW
Merry Christmas Everyone!! Or Happy Holidays! Or Have a great day!! Which ever you prefer.
Am I the only one who doesn't think your coworker was being rude? Geeze.
@Rachael432: I just think it sucks that some people can't just put their personal PC hangups aside for 2 seconds and just be nice when someone says "Merry Christmas." And yes, I do think it was totally rude. How often during the year do people greet each other with warm wishes, hardly ever? Instead of taking time out of your day to cause a stink, why not just wish them well and move on with your life?
I don't like when people do this...I don't think it's necessarily rude but still. Dec. 25 is Christmas, even if you don't celebrate it. I don't celebrate Channakuh or Kwanza, but I recognize that they are special days for other people. If someone wishes me a Happy Kwanza, or any other day that I don't celebrate, I will happily say 'Thank you, you as well' with a smile and be on my way. I wish people a Merry Christmas because it is still a day, if you don't celebrate the day itself than I am wishing that you enjoy Dec. 25th. (I have a very close family friend who is Jewish, and we always wish each other Merry Christmas and Happy Channakuh...we'd both rather hear that than the impersonal 'Happy Holidays').
In this day and age, you can't say a word to anyone you don't know without offending them...I think we're a very overly sensitive group of people and it drives me crazy. I send out Christmas cards every year, and it's getting harder and harder to find good ones that are either red or green (or ideally, both) that say Merry Christmas. I can understand that some people don't celebrate it, but there are still many of us that do and we shouldn't be shunned by a totally PC society for it. I don't know, but this drives me crazy. I don't think it's offensive for me, a born and raised Irish Catholic, to send out Christmas cards to the people that I love....I think it would be worse of me to send out a card that depicts something I don't believe in. If I received a Kwanza card from a dear friend, I'd proudly display it like I do the others and not be offended that they didn't conform to my holiday. Maybe that's just me.
I think I'd just respond with " have a wonderful holiday, too, ma'am.". So many belief systems have a holiday or celebration right now. It's a happy time for happy greetings. My officiant and I were chatting by email and she wished me a merry Christmas and happy solstice. I thought that was cool, even though I don't celebrate the solstice. :)
I almost ordered a Christmas card this year that said " Happy Everything!" because the design was cool. It felt very...enthusiastic and open to me. Maybe next year.
It used to bother me (I'm agnostic, DH is atheist), but now I just shrug it off. Bitching about what is, basically, a social nicety seems immature to me.
Found this online, and it perfectly matches how I feel about it.
@mink: Aww! I love that! I just might start saying Happy Everything now!
@Wonderstruck: lol I saw that on Pinterest! Love it!
My parents (Christians) don't celebrate any holiday but my mother generally just says "Thank you" when wished Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays by strangers. My stepdad is severely OCD and he feels the need to explain everything to everybody, so if you said anything like that to him it wouldn't go over well. I'm Christian and now that I live on my own I do celebrate Christmas, so I wish people Merry Christmas. I dislike the generic-ness (is that even a word?) of Happy Holidays, so I use the greeting for the holiday I observe. If a Jew wished me Happy Hanukkah, I wouldn't be offended; I would just say "Thank you and the same to you!".
I thought it was hilarious when the school my mom worked at a few years ago started saying "Festive Pine" instead of Christmas Tree. I could see this making a little sense if another holiday had a decorated pine tree as a symbol of their holiday, so calling it a "Christmas" tree was therefore exclusionary. But since that is not the case, it seemed absurd. Are we then going to call Menorahs "the special candle holder". It seems like people just always need something to be offended about.
Her school went back to saying Christmas tree a few years later. She and I still say festive pine amongst ourselves. I just think it sounds so funny for some reason.
Kind of like when you say "how are you" casually to someone (as I might to a coworker in the hallway). I'm not looking for an in depth answer. It's usually just, "good, you?" or "not bad" or something. Just say thanks, you too!
@gmcurtis: Ditto! "Well my wife left me, my dog died, and I have a horrible clicking noise when I bend my elbow..." Okaaaaaay, sorry I said anything!
That's just obnoxious. No need to bring it up. I would just say Thank You to whatever someone says to me, unless it's like "Happy Nazi Puppy Killing Day!" Then I might have to say something. 
We dont' celebrate Christmas but I don't feel the need to correct people! Sheesh! I just tell them "you too" or have a great holiday!
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