Ten of the country’s biggest retail chains are making a deliberate shift this holiday season, stepping away from the catch-all “Happy Holidays” and returning to a more traditional greeting: “Merry Christmas.” It’s a move that signals something larger than a seasonal slogan change. These companies want to plant a clear flag, emphasizing a focus on Christmas itself and the cultural weight it carries for many of their customers.
The list isn’t made up of fringe names or boutique shops. It includes major national players—Hobby Lobby, Belk, Nordstrom, Home Depot, Walmart, Macy’s, JCPenney, Bass Pro Shops, Lowe’s, and Toys “R” Us. Each of these retailers is integrating “Merry Christmas” into their advertising, signage, and store messaging. For years, many brands leaned heavily on neutral phrasing to keep things broadly inclusive. But this time, they’re leaning back into the traditional greeting that dominated American retail for decades.
According to the article, this isn’t happening by coincidence. These companies are making “a collective effort to bring back the traditional Christmas greeting,” suggesting a coordinated or at least shared sentiment across the industry. Retailers have always been sensitive to customer expectations, cultural shifts, and what signals will bring people through the doors. In this case, they seem to believe that embracing the familiar phrase brings a sense of warmth, nostalgia, and clarity to the season—something people might be craving more than ever.
Shoppers are encouraged to participate in the same spirit. The article pushes the idea that if stores are going all-in on “Merry Christmas,” customers shouldn’t hesitate to say it back. The message is simple: join the atmosphere, enjoy the tradition, and don’t shy away from a greeting that once defined December across the country.
What’s interesting is how this shift fits into the broader landscape of holiday retail culture. For years, companies tried to be careful—sometimes overly careful—with their language during the holiday season. The goal was to avoid alienating anyone, especially in an increasingly diverse and hypersensitive marketplace. “Happy Holidays” offered safety. It covered Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, and any other celebrations packed into winter months. But that neutrality also softened the identity of the season. For many customers, “Happy Holidays” didn’t feel wrong—it just didn’t feel personal.
Retail thrives on sentiment. People spend more when they feel something—nostalgia, warmth, connection, tradition. Christmas, for better or worse, is a brand in itself, and these companies are leaning into that brand again. Not in a political sense, not in a divisive sense, but in a way that re-centers December around the imagery, language, and emotional cues that once dominated store windows, commercials, and customer interactions.
Hobby Lobby and Bass Pro Shops were already known for maintaining a strong Christmas identity, but others on the list—like Nordstrom and Macy’s—spent recent years focusing more on inclusive messaging. Seeing them return to “Merry Christmas” suggests they’re responding to customer feedback or tracking a cultural moment that has been building quietly. People seem to want stronger anchors, stronger traditions, and brands that aren’t afraid to commit to something specific instead of trying to please every audience at once.
Retailers aren’t naïve. They understand that greeting choices can become flashpoints, especially in the age of social media. But they also know the holiday season is their biggest financial engine of the year, and emotional tone matters. If their customers want the full Christmas experience, right down to the phrasing used at checkout, they’re willing to deliver it.
Inside the stores, this shift is already visible. Decorations lean more heavily into classic reds, greens, golds, and winter themes that center Christmas imagery. Ad campaigns use language that’s more direct, nostalgic, and reminiscent of older holiday marketing. Sales associates are instructed to greet customers with “Merry Christmas,” and the stores’ soundtracks reinforce the theme with traditional Christmas music and familiar carols.
Online, the messaging mirrors the in-store experience. Websites display holiday banners that explicitly reference Christmas rather than broad winter themes. Social media posts lean into Christmas-oriented promotions. Email campaigns make it clear they’re celebrating the season with its traditional name.
This doesn’t mean the other winter holidays are being erased or dismissed. It simply means the companies are choosing to highlight the holiday that drives the largest share of seasonal spending and holds the strongest cultural presence in the retail landscape. They’re prioritizing clarity over neutrality, specificity over generalized cheer.
For customers who grew up hearing “Merry Christmas” at every store counter, this shift feels familiar and comforting. For those who prefer broader greetings, nothing stops them from choosing whatever wording feels right. But the message from the retailers is unmistakable: they’re stepping back into a tradition that shaped their busiest season long before marketing departments leaned into generic phrasing.
The article encourages shoppers to embrace the greeting as part of the atmosphere. “Wherever you shop this Christmas, don’t hesitate to spread the cheer by saying ‘Merry Christmas.’” It’s a call for customers to match the tone retailers are setting, reinforcing a shared cultural moment and re-establishing a seasonal identity that had been diluted over time.
Whether people see this shift as refreshing, nostalgic, unnecessary, or overdue, it signals something real. Retailers are recalibrating. They’re acknowledging that tradition still has power, that specific language still carries meaning, and that customers respond to seasonal cues that feel authentic rather than sanitized.
This movement among the ten major stores could also prompt others to follow. Retail is competitive. When one group leans heavily into a theme—especially a theme tied to emotional spending—others pay attention. If these companies see strong customer engagement or improved seasonal sales tied to the return of “Merry Christmas,” expect more brands to embrace the same messaging next year.
The broader takeaway is straightforward: major retailers are betting that shoppers want a holiday season that feels like a holiday season—not a corporate winter blur. They’re betting people want familiarity, warmth, and a little bit of old-school Christmas spirit. And they’re shaping their messaging to deliver exactly that.
For now, these ten retailers are standing out, making a clear statement about the kind of holiday experience they want to create. They’re not hiding behind generic greetings anymore. They’re choosing a direction, owning it, and inviting customers to join the moment. And as December unfolds, shoppers will decide whether that choice resonates—one “Merry Christmas” at a time.