Can you say Merry Christmas or is that oppressive in the states?
I left the states and started traveling before that became a thing, and I noticed when I visited years later that everyone said happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas.
What's the general culture rule on that now?
Do I say Merry Christmas and then the other person just says happy whatever their holiday is?
What's funny is I still say Merry Christmas out if pure habit, which would probably make one of these Christofascists happy until they see my actual lifestyle, music, etc.
Saying Merry Christmas isn't political. If some mouth breather who votes against their own economic interests thinks it's political, that's their burden to carry.
It was also quite confusing as a Brit. Here a "vacation" is called a "holiday". And here the people are not so religious, Christmas is more often celebrated unreligiously now, saying Merry Christmas is not really an issue. The first time I heard "the holiday season", I presumed that meant summer, because people go away on summer holidays then.
I always thought that was an interesting quirk between American English and British English. The work "holidays" comes from "holy days", which would be specific religious days where you don't have to work. A "vacation" is when you vacate your place of work temporarily.