Why do Americans say “holiday” instead of “Christmas” in announcements?
Free Family Christmas Ornament Workshop Announcement
A2 English listening practice · American English · Picked for people who know a little
In American English, the word holiday does not just mean “vacation.” In late November and December, holiday is the polite, inclusive way to talk about the whole winter celebration season: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s. American shops, schools, and community groups often say holiday party, holiday sale, or holiday workshop instead of Christmas to include people who do not celebrate Christmas.
This clip is a community announcement for a free holiday ornament workshop. The word holiday signals that everyone is welcome, not just Christian families. You’ll often see this on store signs, school flyers, government emails, and TV ads. American workplaces also send Happy Holidays cards instead of Merry Christmas for the same reason.
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Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-US 2012 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸On American store-front signs and shopping mall ads in December
- ▸In American school and PTA newsletters
- ▸In American workplace email greetings (Microsoft, Google, Starbucks all use “Happy Holidays”)
- ▸In American news anchors' season sign-offs
- ▸In American holiday TV specials (NBC, CBS, ABC December programming)