‘Merry Christmas’ preferred among growing majority of Canadians, poll finds

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A growing majority of Canadians favour “Merry Christmas” as a seasonal greeting, according to a new survey gauging public opinion on a range of festive questions—including when parents should have the “Santa talk” with their children.

Among respondents in the latest Research Co. survey, 67 per cent said they’re partial to “Merry Christmas,” up five percentage points from 2024, marking a six-year high for the Christmas-specific greeting.

The more-inclusive “Happy Holidays” was preferred by 18 per cent of respondents, down six percentage points from last year, while the rest said they’re either unsure or do not care.

No other greeting options were provided on the survey.

People who voted Conservative in this year’s election were more likely to prefer “Merry Christmas” (79 per cent) than those who voted Liberal (64 per cent) or NDP (51 per cent), according to Research Co.

The polling company also measured the public’s appetite for a number of holiday drinks and dishes, finding Brussels sprouts more popular than eggnog (enjoyed by 59 per cent and 55 per cent of respondents, respectively).

The most popular item on the survey was turkey, enjoyed by 82 per cent of respondents, while mulled wine was the least popular, enjoyed by only 36 per cent.

On the question of when to tell children the truth about Santa Claus, age 10 was the most common answer (17 per cent), followed by age eight (12 per cent).

Eight per cent of respondents said children should be allowed to believe in Santa into their teenage years, while 11 per cent said it was appropriate to spill the beans by age five or earlier.

The full results are available on the Research Co. website.

Research Co. conducted the online survey between Dec. 7 and 9 among a representative sample of 1,002 adults in Canada. The results carry a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, according to the company.