The poll says ... Merry Christmas!
Personally No Worry would love to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Look, my little daughter's birthday is 12/06 and my wife's is 12/27. I would love to celebrate these two days no matter what. And of course, this is the time of Christmas and New Year. At the same time, we’ve got to realize that this is the country which was established by early Christians and most of majorities in America are Christians.
To me, it is fairly enough, respectful enough, polite enough, political right enough, personal enough and most of all happy and joyful enough to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone that I meet. And I am just used to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Once again Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all ladies and gentlemen, mommies and daddies, every and each of my dear friends from this educational site.
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By Michelle Healy, USA TODAY
If you think greetings such as "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" are poor substitutes for "Merry Christmas," you've got company.
A USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday finds that 69% of adults surveyed say "Merry Christmas" is the greeting they most likely would use this time of year when first meeting someone. That's up from 56% in 2004. Only 29% would opt for "Happy Holidays," down from 41% in 2004.
The "Merry Christmas" preference appears to cross religious boundaries, including non-Christians and respondents who say they have no religious affiliations.
Perhaps that's no surprise, given well-publicized concerns that references to Christmas are being diluted in American society, from town celebrations to shopping malls. Fresh debate was prompted by the holiday greeting card sent by President Bush "with no explicit reference to this as the holy time of Christmas," noted Janet Davis, head of American studies at the University of Texas-Austin.
The issue is so heated that Wal-Mart faced a brief boycott threat until it issued a denial that it bars employees from wishing customers "Merry Christmas."
A solid majority of 61% denounce the move to use generic wording. Just 28% call it a change for the better. Last year, 44% called the generic trend — considered by some as more inclusive of the growing number of non-Christians — a change for the better; 43% said it wasn't.
The shift "speaks to both the power of the vocal, religious conservative movement as well as the somberness of the season," Davis says. "Given the situation in Iraq and the aftermath of Katrina, 'Happy Holidays' may ring a bit false" for many Americans.
The telephone survey of 1,000 adults has an error margin of plus/minus 3 percentage points.
Personally No Worry would love to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Look, my little daughter's birthday is 12/06 and my wife's is 12/27. I would love to celebrate these two days no matter what. And of course, this is the time of Christmas and New Year. At the same time, we’ve got to realize that this is the country which was established by early Christians and most of majorities in America are Christians.
To me, it is fairly enough, respectful enough, polite enough, political right enough, personal enough and most of all happy and joyful enough to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone that I meet. And I am just used to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Once again Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all ladies and gentlemen, mommies and daddies, every and each of my dear friends from this educational site.
***
By Michelle Healy, USA TODAY
If you think greetings such as "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" are poor substitutes for "Merry Christmas," you've got company.
A USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday finds that 69% of adults surveyed say "Merry Christmas" is the greeting they most likely would use this time of year when first meeting someone. That's up from 56% in 2004. Only 29% would opt for "Happy Holidays," down from 41% in 2004.
The "Merry Christmas" preference appears to cross religious boundaries, including non-Christians and respondents who say they have no religious affiliations.
Perhaps that's no surprise, given well-publicized concerns that references to Christmas are being diluted in American society, from town celebrations to shopping malls. Fresh debate was prompted by the holiday greeting card sent by President Bush "with no explicit reference to this as the holy time of Christmas," noted Janet Davis, head of American studies at the University of Texas-Austin.
The issue is so heated that Wal-Mart faced a brief boycott threat until it issued a denial that it bars employees from wishing customers "Merry Christmas."
A solid majority of 61% denounce the move to use generic wording. Just 28% call it a change for the better. Last year, 44% called the generic trend — considered by some as more inclusive of the growing number of non-Christians — a change for the better; 43% said it wasn't.
The shift "speaks to both the power of the vocal, religious conservative movement as well as the somberness of the season," Davis says. "Given the situation in Iraq and the aftermath of Katrina, 'Happy Holidays' may ring a bit false" for many Americans.
The telephone survey of 1,000 adults has an error margin of plus/minus 3 percentage points.
