It’s ‘Merry Christmas’ again, say faith leaders, retail gurus
OTTAWA — Christmas is coming — and making a comeback.
Retailers large and small that had tossed “Christmas” and embraced the generic exhortation “Happy Holidays” in advertising and instore promotion are becoming Christmas-friendly again.
The ability to tap into the massive increase in consumer spending during the pre-Christmas period can mean the difference between survival and bankruptcy for many retailers, so connecting with the Christmas gift-givers — or at least not alienating them — appears to have produced a shift in strategy.
Marketing specialist Robin Ritchie, an assistant professor at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business in Ottawa, says there is a renewed sense that it’s acceptable again to use Christmas.
“Like a lot of these things, pendulums swing and then they swing back,” he said. “To some extent, this is a correction for a well-intentioned effort to try to be accommodating and respectful of other faiths and cultures. Canada has long prided itself on that.”
But a mix of Christian resentment and non-Christian acceptance is bringing Christmas back to the marketing forefront.
“There is a sense that Christians, and mainstream Canadian society, has been given permission by a lot of other faiths to use the word ‘Christmas,’” said Ritchie. “They’re saying ‘We have holidays, too, and we’re perfectly fine with you calling this Christmas because for the most part that’s what it is.
“So on the one hand you want to resonate with the people who are doing most of the shopping, but at the same time, you don’t want to exclude. That’s just savvy marketing.”
Islam teaches Muslims to respect the freedom of others and to respect how others express their faith, said Ottawa Imam Mohamad Jebra, who was raised in Canada.
“We are living in a Christian nation,” he said. “I don’t think it’s fair, logical or even ethical to come to a land and tell people ‘you can’t celebrate your holidays, it offends me.’ I don’t see the logic of that and nor does it conform with the respect Islam teaches to have for others. You should love for others what you love for yourself.”
Ottawa Rabbi Steven Garten says he’s also quite comfortable wishing people Merry Christmas.
“If we’re talking about the public domain, it’s appropriate to wish people Merry Christmas,” he said.
“When someone says ‘We are lighting our national holiday tree,’ it doesn’t make me feel included. I don’t have a tree in my house. A Christmas tree is a Christmas tree, it’s not a holiday tree.”
Garten says he’s good with Christmas but if there are other holidays significant to other faiths, they should also be acknowledged.
“It’s also appropriate to wish people Happy Hanukkah,” he said. “It doesn’t make Hanukkah the equivalent of Christmas because it’s not. But it’s important to some people.”
“Retailers went through a marketing period where they were attempting to reflect the Canadian multicultural community with the holiday versus Christmas strategy,” said Michael LeBlanc, senior vice-president of Retail Council of Canada. “We tried to figure out the season appropriate to everyone, but you were on the horns of a dilemma. If you said holiday you were bombarded with complaints. But over time it’s sorted itself out and I do see the word ‘Christmas’ being used much more. There is more permission now to say this is a Christmas holiday.”