What's wrong with "Merry Christmas"?

[susanmcgee48176]

Well, not everyone celebrates Christmas. As JKR said, even though 
she's a Christian, Hogwarts is a multi faith school.

If someone wishes me a Merry Christmas, I assume their intent is good 
and smile and say the same to you. However, I feel it is far more 
courteous to say "happy holidays" or even "happy holidays if you're 
celebrating."

However, I'd never wish someone a Merry Christmas unless I was sure 
they celebrated Christmas. Not even everyone in the U.S. is a 
Christian. There are pagans who celebrate the Solstice, and Jews, and 
Buddhists and Hindis...and people who practice no religion at all.
There are people who celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday....

I understand everyone's intent is pleasant, but I personally don't 
understand why anyone would want to insist that "everyone" should 
celebrate Christmas -- feels a bit ethnocentric to me...

The other thing that I learned because I've worked at various types 
of shelters and in transitional housing, is that not everyone wants 
to be reminded of the holidays. One friend of mine said she wanted 
not freedom of religion, but freedom "from religion." I know people 
who can't stand the constant Christmas carols, and decorations, and 
the fact that every thing shuts down for a Christian holiday. I know 
others who do celebrate the birth of Christ, but are disgusted with 
the blatant commercialism and the pressure to buy, buy, buy...
For some people, holidays bring up grief, old disappointments, shame 
that they are poor and don't have enough money to buy their children 
everything they see on television, and the stuff that all their 
friends have... Holidays are some of the times that people are at the 
highest risk for suicide. People believe that you're supposed to be 
with friends and families at the holidays, and if they are alone, 
it's very, very difficult.

It was fascinating being in southeast Asia where most people were 
Buddhists, their major holiday was Tet, and almost no one celebrated 
Christmas.

Susan