The process of incorporating one tradition's practices into another tradition is called syncretism.
Well, this is what I got to say about it:
I don't mind how it's said...as long as the same meaning of good will towards all comes with it! And just to let you know...saying "Happy Holidays" isn't a "politically correct" statement. That was being said LONG before there was even a "Merry Christmas". This is a holiday that was celebrated long before the christians arrived on the scene. Christmas wasn't celebrated until around the 3rd century as evident by some early writings and was then by the roman catholic church as protestants started much later. This wasn't prominently widespread though until around 400AD. So, christianity incorporated a pagan holiday called the Winter Solstice where they celebrated the birth of the sun god (since Jesus' birth date wasn't known, what better way to convert pagans but to give this the birth of Jesus!). The syncretistic Christmas celebration developed by the early Christian church contains enough elements of this type of celebration to satisfy the cultural need that such holidays address while co-opting the holiday itself and strengthening the culture's belief in Christianity by incorporating enough Christian symbolism to mask the pagan origins of the holiday. So, this holiday was (and still is) sacred by many...and long before "Merry Christmas" came along! So please...have your "Merry Christmas", but don't belittle MY "Happy Holidays" by calling it a "politically correct" saying! You don't want your "Merry Christmas" taken from you....WE understand that even better as our holiday was taken from us by the early church! So please, try and understand why we want to bring back OUR "Happy Holidays"! Can't we have BOTH? Because God is just as welcomed in our homes too...and has been LONG before there were any christians!
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