happy holidays

English

Phrase

Happy Holidays!

1. (US, Canada) A greeting used during the Christmas and winter holiday season to recognize the celebration of many holidays, (sometimes starting with Thanksgiving and) including Hanukkah, the winter solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Day.
   • 2009, Ruben Santos Claveria, Holiday Songs and Kisses: Christmas Songs And other Poems:

     In the United States people say Happy Holidays to include all people on the earth: the Jewish people Celebrating Hanukah, Africans celebrating Kwanza, Middle Eastern people celebrating Eid, Christians celebrating Christmas, […]

Usage notes

• This greeting is typically used only during the winter holiday season, not at other times of the year.
• The use of Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, etc. vs Happy Holidays is disputed. Some non-Christians find it offensive to be told "Merry Christmas"; conversely, some Christians take offence at being wished "Happy Holidays".

Translations

holiday greeting

• Catalan: bones festes
• Dutch: fijne feestdagen pl, gelukkige feestdagen pl, vrolijke feestdagen pl
• Estonian: häid pühi
• Finnish: hyvää lomaa, hyviä pyhiä
• French: joyeuses fêtes (fr), bonnes fêtes
• Galician: boas festas f pl
• German: frohe Feiertage, frohe Festtage, frohes Fest
• Greek: καλές γιορτές (el) (kalés giortés)
• Hebrew: חג שמח (chag sameach)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: kellemes ünnepeket
• Icelandic: gleðilega hátið
• Italian: buone feste (it) f pl
• Portuguese: Boas Festas
• Romanian: sărbători fericite
• Russian: с пра́здниками (s prázdnikami)
• Spanish: ¡Felices Fiestas!, ¡Feliz Navidad!

See also

• Merry Christmas
• season's greetings