Merry Christmas!!
Despite what I thought, everything actually went well.
You remember last week we talked all about airport vocabulary in English: delayed flights, stuck at the airport, lost bags, and all the fun that comes with air travel.
Good news! After nearly 20 hours of flights, layovers, and a bit of (un peu de) sprinting through the labyrinth that is the Charles De Gaulle airport, I’m safely home in Mississippi for the holidays.
This end-of-the-year break (congés de fin d’année) is certainly something that I’ve been looking forward to (j’attend avec impatience) for a long time.
I hope that you too are planning to enjoy some time off and to take avantage (profiter de) of all the good things that come with the end of the year, rather than stressing about it.
I know it’s easier said than done (plus facile à dire qu’à faire) but it’s so important for us all to take a break, relax, and enjoy being with friends and family.
No matter (peu importe) where you are in the world, we can all relate to the feeling of being stressed and overworked. Like there’s never enough time to do our work to the fullest, to take time for family, and to dedicate precious time to ourselves for our own projects.
“Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”?
While I’m over on the other side of the Atlantic (de l’autre coté de l’Atlantique), I’m really looking forward to observing Americans’ attitude to the subject of today’s SBFG episode: Is it politically correct (and perhaps annoying for some) to say “Happy Holidays” or is it ok to say “Merry Christmas”?
Because it IS Christmas after all…
One of the my missions is also to help you better understand your American colleagues, both the way they speak and they way they think.
Understanding other cultures is so important, especially nowadays (de nos jours).
And I hope today’s video helps you understand your American colleagues a little more.
For the holidays, I’d love to know:
What do you think?
Are the words we use to express good holiday wishes important, or is it the intention behind the message that’s most important?
Tell us in the comments! I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Remember that thousands of other French-speaking professionals come to this blog to boost their English and boost their career.
Your suggestion may be exactly what someone else needs to build their confidence, speak better English, and feel great about themselves.
Thank you so much for watching, commenting and sharing with such enthusiasm.
Happy holidays to you and warm wishes from Mississippi!
Christina
The most important for me is LOVE. No matter what you say, if you LOVE, you will respect others choices. I do not believe in god, or Jesus, or any kind of sacred image. But I enjoy saying Happy Christmas, juste for the beauty of this period.
Hi Axiegi!
I totally agree with you! It’s a magical time of the year when people can be a little kinder, a little happier, and express their love for their fellow human beings a little more. Like you, I don’t really believe anything in particular, but I too enjoy celebrating Christmas, saying “Merry Christmas”, and even putting a little nativity scene in my living room because it’s a symbol of Christmas and the magic of Christmas. So Merry Christmas to you and all the best to you!
Thank you for this interesting video. Actually I noticed that “happy holiidays” is becoming more frequent… At first I thought I just received wishes because I was going on holiday 😉 Then I realized that it was some sort of non religious way of wihsing merry Christmas.
I would personnally not feel outraged to get wishes with different religious conotations… maybe depending on the country where I live. Happy Christmas is fine and happy holidays as well… That is a tradition and everybody is free to intreprete… All sorts of wishes please me, not receiving any would hurt.
What I do not know is if it is okay to wish a happy new year to Americans before January the 1st. In France traditionnally wishes for the new year are send in January, from the 1st to the 31st.
Happy holidays, season greetings and merry Christmas !
Hi Christine!
Thanks for your comment and I’m glad you cleared up the confusion about “happy holidays” 🙂 In fact, in the US, “holidays” refers only to the special days of the year, like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, 4th of July, etc. For the time away from work, it’s called “vacation”. In the UK, they use “holidays” for both!
I feel as you do, any sort of good wishes are good to hear, no matter what religion or personal belief the other person has. Personally, I think it’s a little stupid if someone is offended because the other person uses the “wrong” expression to communicate their wishes. I don’t think many people would indeed be offended in a conversation, but I think some people here in the US think it is wrong for city decorations, institutions, etc. to prefer “Happy Holidays” over “Merry Christmas” for political reasons. They are not against the expression “Happy Holidays”, but against the politics.
As for your question about when to say Happy New Year’s, it’s ok if it’s a few days before new year’s and perhaps if you’re not going to see the person during the first week of January. It’s like a package deal of holiday greetings 🙂
But on another note, there is definitely a time to stop saying “Happy New Year” in the US, and it’s very different from in France, even if the first time you see someone is mid-January! Read this very interesting article to know more: http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/07/opinion/obeidallah-new-years/
All the best to you for the holidays!
Hi, Christina!
I loved your video! Each and everyone you produce is getting better and better to be honest! This one was fun and so on target (I live in the US and that certainly was one of the first things I learned when I moved into such a different culture than what I had grown into when I was in France).
As a non-Christian, I have learned to appreciate the inclusive “Happy Holidays!” greeting, and even if I never mind nor feel offended that someone would wish me a “Merry Christmas”, I now never know what to say when a French person wishes me “Joyeux Noel” because I do not celebrate it: living in a more open to diversity society in the US has drawn my attention to the paradox of the French culture that has no secular way to welcome the season.
From my perspective, it has nothing to do with politics, but truly with an attempt to embrace diversity and this should be an asset and a benefit for all. Changing perspective is always a way to grow and love more.
A tous et à chacun, je souhaite d’excellentes fêtes de fin d’année ! 🙂
Hi Otir! Great to see you here and thanks so much for your insights and the compliment on my work! I agree with you, that even if you’re not Christian, there’s no reason to be offended if someone says Merry Christmas. Just like I would welcome wishes of “Happy Hanukkah” or “Happy Aid” or Diwali, or Kwanzaa, even if personally I don’t celebrate those holidays. I feel that if someone wishes you something nice, you should be happy and accept it, and return the good wishes.
I suppose in France you can say “Bonnes fêtes”, because people seem to be more accepting (slowly but surely) that maybe not everyone celebrates Christmas, but they do celebrate New Year’s and just the festive aspect of the end of the year.
I read this very lovely article about celebrating Christmas in Senegal, a country that is 90-95% Muslim: http://qz.com/872066/the-magic-of-christmas-in-dakar-senegal-a-95-muslim-country/
And this one about the tradition for American Jews to go out to Chinese restaurants on Christmas Day: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-jews-eat-chinese-food-on-christmas_us_585968b9e4b08debb78b4d92
In the end, it’s all about solidarity and showing respect and kindness for others! And that’s always a good thing!