Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays

The choice of words is exactly that... your choice. Apparently, you must be careful what you say and to whom. Why? Well in brief, the term "Christmas" is derived from "Christ," hence the birth of Christ. Whereas with "Happy Holidays," you are greeting the general consensus with something that can be taken without a grimace or cringe. Those who are agnostic or atheist may not appreciate the term Merry Christmas, OR, the term means something completely different to them. I on the other hand use both. If I don't know the person, it's always Happy Holidays because I don't want to guess their religion/ beliefs. So why say Merry Christmas if you don't believe? What makes the Holidays so Happy? The typical cliche: families at home, opening a canister of Folger's coffee, little girl crying out, "Peter!" Then there's the home videos of kids opening their presents... watching everyone around the table having a home-cooked meal. Prior to all this, you have to beat the crowds to shop for what you want for others. You've got the weather working against you in some parts of the nation. There's homeless people everywhere searching for shelter to hide from the fierce cold air; they need nourishment, even if it's alcohol to warm them up. So again, what makes the Holidays so Happy? Take it for what it's worth - Christmas is the spirit of giving and goodwill towards men - just not when it comes to G.W. Bush - whereas the Happy of Happy Holidays is what you make of it.