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Most Americans say 'Merry Christmas,' even though fewer celebrate Christmas
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Santa Claus holding Merry Christmas card with wishes - photo by Herb Scribner
A new poll from Monmouth University revealed some interesting findings of how most Americans celebrate Christmas.

The survey found that more than two-thirds of Americans say the words Merry Christmas as their preferred greeting during the holiday season, even though fewer Americans celebrate Christmas than they did two years ago.

Eighty-nine percent of Americans celebrate Christmas, whereas 5 percent honor Hanukkah and 3 percent partake in Kwanzaa celebrations.

The amount of Christmas fans dropped 5 percentage points since 2015, according to the survey.

At the same time, the number of people who said they dont celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa jumped from 4 to 8 percent in the last two years.

The study also found that 67 percent of the public say Merry Christmas, while 25 percent use the phrase Happy Holidays. And Republicans are more likely than Democrats and independents to say Merry Christmas," too.

With apologies to Mark Twain, reports of the death of Merry Christmas have been greatly exaggerated, said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, in a press release.

The study also asked which animated holiday special tops peoples charts. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer topped the list with 32 percent of the vote. Charlie Brown Christmas finished second (24 percent) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas finished at third with 14 percent.

A Pew Research Center survey released earlier this week found that about half of Americans say it doesnt matter how stores greet customers during the Christmas season. About 32 percent said they preferred stores to greet them with Merry Christmas.

That same survey revealed that a declining number of Americans say that Christian symbols belong on government property, according to the Deseret News.
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