Christmas Day arrives in two days and we’ve all likely been told ‘Merry Christmas’ several times. In addition, we’ve probably been told ‘Seasons Greetings’ and/or ‘Happy Holidays’ among other common sayings. Should you, as an Atheist, be upset if someone says ‘Merry Christmas’ to you? Let’s consider two scenarios.
Scenario One: Let’s assume the person has no clue you are an Atheist. In this case, no, it’s ridiculous of any Atheist to get mad at this. The person doesn’t know and probably isn’t even aware that ‘Merry Christmas’ can hold strong religion meaning to some. They’re probably just saying it because they are surrounded by others who say ‘Merry Christmas’ and it simply seems to be the right thing to say around Christmas. Many people don’t even realize there are other holidays in December and assume that Christmas is the only holiday everyone else is celebrating. You don’t have to say ‘Merry Christmas’ back. Say something along the lines of ‘Thank you and happy holidays to you too.’ That’s it. Say it back nicely. 🙂
Scenario Two: The person saying ‘Merry Christmas’ is well aware you are an Atheist. Maybe they are saying ‘Merry Christmas’ to rub it in. Maybe not. After all, most Atheists celebrate the pagan aspects of Christmas (which include most aspects of Christmas). Even if they are trying to be mean and/or snarky, reply back very politely ‘Thank you and happy holidays to you too.’ Again, that’s it.
No one should be upset at a holiday greeting from another person as long as that greeting is genuine and said in a polite manner. Who cares if someone says ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Happy Holidays’ or ‘Seasons Greetings’??? They are all polite greetings from one person to another.
So this holiday season, I encourage all Atheists and Christians (and everyone else!) to be polite to each other regarding holiday greetings. There’s no reason to pick a fight over a simple greeting.
