Canada: It's 'Merry Christmas' again: Religious leaders, retail gurus say expression is making a comeback

Retailers large and small that had tossed “Christmas” and embraced the generic exhortation ‘Happy Holidays’ in advertising and in-store 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, 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 and be accommodating and respectful of other faiths and cultures. Canada has long prided itself on that.”

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