Ho hum. Same old debate: is it OK to say “Merry Christmas”? Of course it is—OR “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Yule,” or whatever. Basically, it’s the INTENDED message that matters. If your greeting is a benign expression of seasonal goodwill, it will almost certainly be accepted as such, even by non-celebrators (rather like “Have a nice day”). But if your tone and manner convey an intent to proselytize or scold—saying, in effect, “The Winter Solstice holiday belongs to ME and to MY religion and screw you if you don’t like it”—there’s a good chance that any non-celebrator you are “greeting” will consider you a belligerent asshole. So, what do you MEAN?
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