Happy Holidays: Google Doodle avoiding ‘war on Christmas’ rumpus?
Nicely played, Google Doodle! I see what you did there.
Today’s Google Doodle kicks off Christmas Eve by sidestepping the never-to-be-resolved “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays” debate.
The Google Doodle simple shows a bucolic scene of a couple in a horse-drawn sleigh making their way through a snowy, winter wonderland.
PHOTOS: Christmas decorations from around the globe
That said, if you hover over the Google Doodle you get a “Happy Holidays from Google!” message. Clicking on the Doodle turns up a “Happy Holidays” search.
The non-denominational holiday tidings come as younger Americans seem to be shrugging their shoulders at the “war on Christmas” grudge that many of their elders hold.
A majority of Americans -- 67% -- say that they prefer people to say “Merry Christmas,” with only 18% saying that they’d rather hear “Happy holidays,” according to a new Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind poll. (Another 15% say that they’re indifferent, or would rather people not say anything. Grinches!)
However, when poll results were broken down by age, the numbers shifted.
“Support for ‘Happy Holidays’ is greatest among young people: 30% of Americans under the age of 30 say that they’d rather hear the more neutral greeting,” according to the poll results. By comparison, only 15% of people age 60 and older preferred that neutral greeting.
All that said, the traditional holiday greeting is still preferable by both the young and the less young.
The poll found that 58% of Americans ages 18-29 and 70% of Americans age 60 and older still prefer “Merry Christmas.”
“Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas”? Tweet me your preference @renelynch
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