Use common sense people.
When I call a business and they say “Happy Holidays” I am not offended (after all, Holiday is taken from the words Holy Day). While the odds are huge that here in America I celebrate Christmas (if only in a secular way) I can understand you don’t know on the front end of a phone call or as I walk up to the register. But— When I say at the end of the call (as just happened) “Thank you have a Merry Christmas.” Your reply should not be (as just happened), “Thank you, and .. (slight pause to catch yourself from the reflex of responding in kind) .. Happy Holidays.”
I heard the pause and the felt the awkward stumbling over Happy Holidays. So I had to ask, “Excuse me, I just said ‘Merry Christmas’ to you and you said ‘Happy Holidays’. Are you not allowed to say Merry Christmas? As you can guess, she said, “No sir, I am not. It’s a company policy.” I remained calm and tried to use logic, “But I just said it to you — so you are sure not going to offend me, ya know what I mean?” “Yes sir, but this call is recorded and… ” in other words, she’d get in trouble.
I thank her and move on to her supervisor. I then proceed to try and use logic again to explain to the supervisor that my problem was not with the operator, but with the company policy and that I WAS THE ONE WHO SAID MERRY CHRISTMAS FIRST! (All caps now because it’s crazy — I was not upset with her)
Finally I said, “Look, I understand your afraid to say Merry Christmas on the front end of the call, but at the end if I say Merry Christmas, you should respond in kind. If you say ‘Happy Kwanzaa’ to me, I’m not going to be offended — you wished me well based on your beliefs — ‘thank you and happy Kwanzaa to you.’ I don’t care if you wish me ‘Happy Festivus.’ If you wish me well, I’ll not be offended. But an intentional effort to NOT wish me a Merry Christmas when I just wished you one, DOES offend me.
Use common sense people.
And have a Merry Christmas.