One of the more annoying political pinatas of our era, in which every facet of life is subjected to a “red litmus test” of partisan correctness, is notion that “Season’s Greetings” and “Happy Holidays”  are trendy euphemisms to keep Christ out of Christmas.

Not in the least. 

Here’s an excerpt from the Dec. 21, 1889, Times, two display ads from Christmas 1915 and an ad from 1919 that dispel such ideas.

More on the jump, including a 1933 ad promoting gift subscriptions to The Times with a card that said “Season’s Greetings.” There are many more examples, but I think I’ve made my point.

Please note: ProQuest’s search engine is far from perfect and rarely reads elaborate lettering, so there may be earlier examples that I have missed.

Bonus facts:

First appearance of “Merry Christmas” in The Times, Dec. 25, 1881.
First appearance of “Merry Xmas” in The Times, Dec. 25, 1886.
First appearance of “Happy Holiday” in the Times, Dec. 25, 1890.