Girl Friday has listened to the recent spat of complaints against the expression, “Happy Holidays.” While some (mainly Bill O’Reilly) argue that the greeting secularizes Christmas and others say it is more inclusive to various winter celebrations, Girl Friday insists that she and English Diva know the true meaning. A few years ago the two friends coined the term during a sarcastic rant. It is a useful phrase to interject during awkward pauses in conversations that inevitably take place during family celebrations. It is a tongue-in-cheek holiday cheer salutation. It is especially useful when you’ve just had your holiday spirit crushed.
For example:
Girl Friday has just given her coworker a thoughtful gift. Jane opens said gift and announces in her annoyingly thick North Dakota accent, “A scented candle!” Girl Friday smiles and pats herself on the back for being such a generous and kind Secret Santa. Jane fawns over it for a moment and then admits, “I’m actually allergic to vanilla, so I won’t be using it, which is fine since I’m afraid to leave open flames unattended!” Sheepishly Girl Friday only has one thing to say, “Happy Holidays!”
“Happy Holidays” should be proclaimed in the same tone as a disgruntled sigh, like, “Eh!” Try it and add a head tilt, or shrug your shoulders for emphasis. Happy Holidays!
I told a girl at work about this and she drew a picture on the white board outside my office that reflected this. I will have to take a picture of it for you. 🙂