For the vast majority of people, saying “Merry Christmas” is not offensive. It is a cultural greeting, usually offered with warmth, goodwill, and a sense of shared celebration — not with an intent to exclude. We live in a culturally Christian country. Acknowledging that reality is not exclusionary. It is simply factual. Recognising a dominant culture does not erase others and inclusion does not require us to deny traditions that are deeply meaningful to many people.
This perspective is echoed powerfully by Solat Chaudhry, founder of the National Centre for Diversity and a devout Muslim. Solat has spoken openly about the fact that he is not offended in the slightest by Christmas greetings. In fact, quite the opposite.
He has shared that he loves the warmth, merriment, generosity, and sense of collective celebration that Christmas brings.
or him, those values are human — not exclusive to one faith. That distinction matters. People also have agency.
They can choose to be offended, or choose not to be offended. Inclusion cannot assume offence as the default position — because doing so removes personal choice and replaces it with presumption.
At the same time, inclusion is not about forcing reciprocity. Some people from religious or non-religious communities may not wish to respond with a faith-specific greeting — whether that is Christmas, Eid, Diwali, or any other celebration. And that choice should also be respected. If inclusion is truly a two-way process, then it must make space for different forms of response.
That might look like:
- A warm, generic reply
- A friendly “Thank you — I hope you enjoy the holidays”
- A simple smile and goodwill
None of these are rejections. They are expressions of comfort, boundaries, and authenticity. Inclusion cuts both ways. Respect must be reciprocal. If “Merry Christmas” is offered in good faith, inclusion also means respecting the intent behind the greeting — just as we respect alternative expressions, different traditions, or the choice not to mirror a specific reference. True inclusion is not about enforcing a single, sanitised script. It is about allowing multiple expressions to coexist — comfortably and confidently. Inclusion is about making space, not erasing culture. and sometimes, the most inclusive response of all is simple human warmth — offered freely, received generously, and shared with a smile.
