Business Builder: Making Christmas Time Office Greetings Easy
What’s difficult about Christmas Greetings?
I’m extremely happy to tell you that the modern workplace is a multicultural environment, which means most people have colleagues from other cultures and parts of the world. Wonderful! The problem is, that when it comes to Christmas time in a traditionally Christian country, people are not sure what to say. We feel awkward and we don’t want to upset anyone, which leads to us saying strange things like “Happy Winterval”. It’s a nice idea, because it includes everyone, but as “Winterval” doesn’t exist in any culture, it seems empty and false.
How Can We Make Christmas Office Greetings Easy?
Let’s establish (set up/decide) a few rules that I have gathered from living and working in different European countries, as well as talking to people from all countries and cultures about Christmas Time:
There is nothing wrong with wishing someone who is not Christian a Merry or Happy Christmas.
There is nothing wrong with wishing a Christian person a Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, or Chinese New Year,
If you know the faith or culture of your colleagues, you can wish them something they celebrate.
So Why is Merry Christmas so Controversial*?
In all my varied life experiences, it basically isn’t. The people who find it difficult or concerning are afraid to speak to people of other faiths and ask them how they feel. Let’s not guess, let’s just ask. The people on the internet and in newspapers who complain our culture is being ‘erased’ see the addition of new things as taking our traditions away. Adding another choice is not removing your favourite. Strawberry milk has not ‘erased’ plain or chocolate milk.
Can It Really Be So Simple?
Yes, if we want it to be. It doesn’t need to have an office policy, and it doesn’t need to be called Winterval; all it needs is for us to decide to appreciate the good wishes of others, and give ours genuinely. We can be wished a wonderful Divali without losing Christmas, and those of other faiths or cultures that live in Christian countries are surrounded by Christian tradition for months, they deserve to be wished a good Christmas time (the time when Christmas is happening) too.
What If I’m still not sure?
You can always say Happy New Year!
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*controversial - a topic or issue that causes a lot of discussion and strong opinions.
