Should You Say 'Happy Holidays' or 'Merry Christmas'?

We're right in the middle of the "holiday season," as it's called. Or should we say the "Christmas season"? According to some commentators, this hotly debated topic shows a deep, rancorous divide in our nation, and only the bravest among us would say "merry Christmas" or "happy holidays" without knowing our interlocutors' linguistic preferences first.

But maybe not, a new poll suggests. Public Policy Polling, a Democratic polling firm from North Carolina, found that most voters just don't care that much about the issue.

Only 5 percent of people who voted for Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 said they were offended by "merry Christmas." More Donald Trump voters got worked up about the alternative "happy holidays," but still, only 19 percent of this group said the phrase offended them.

Over all, Democratic voters care less about the choice of greeting than Republican voters. Sixty-three percent of Clinton voters said they don't care about which greeting they hear. Sixty-nine percent of Trump voters prefer "merry Christmas," while only 4 percent preferred "happy holidays."

But again, fewer than a fifth of either group seem prone to take offense at a simple greeting.

It's not yet clear how people feel about "Seasons greetings!" or "Joyous solstice wishes!"

Fox News Insider, in a recent salvo of this tepid battle, pointed out earlier this month that President Obama's family holiday card said "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas." Just as it has for eight years in a row.

President-elect Trump has declared that after his election, "We're going to start saying 'Merry Christmas' again!":

However, it's not clear we ever stopped. For just one example, here's the Obamas wishing the country a "merry Christmas" just last year (should they have done it again since then?):

In a more somber note, the poll (known for its inclusion of less-than-serious questions) found a notable drop in the voters who believe in Santa Claus.

Fifty-two percent of Republican voters and 55 percent of Democratic voters said they believed in Santa in 2012. This year, those numbers dropped to 34 percent and 32 percent, respectively.

So while most people don't seem to be getting as worked up about the "merry Christmas" vs. "happy holidays" debate as some would like to believe, Americans do appear to have lost a little faith.

“It doesn’t matter whether you voted for Clinton or Trump,” Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling, said in a press release. “Everyone is feeling a little bit less hope and joy after this year.”

Photo credit: Kevin Dooley via Flickr