Greet expectations

The West now says "Happy Holidays", but "Merry Christmas" never went out of style in India. Here, the festival is for everyone

- SEEMA GOSWAMI

So, how do you phrase your greetings during this festive season? Do you say a mealy-mouthed ‘Happy Holidays’ to try and establish your ‘secular’ credentials? Or do you ignore the politically correct phrase and go with the more accurate ‘Happy Christmas’ — or ‘Merry Christmas’ (if you are not an upper-class English person)?

In case you missed it, the US President, Donald Trump, has made it his mission to rescue Merry Christmas from the mealymouthed brigade, and restore it to its previous glory by using the phrase every chance he gets around the festive season. And why ever not? After all, Christmas is very much a Christian holiday, celebrating as it does the birth of Jesus Christ. So why shouldn’t people celebrate with “Merry Christmas” rather than the religion-neutral “Happy Holidays”?