By Kerri Pepoy,Staff Writer

NORWAY – Merry Christmas.

Oops, Happy Holidays.

Oops, Season’s Greetings.

Which is it?

According to several large retailers in the region, it’s up to their employees.

As if taking a cue from the ongoing national controversy, in which some large stores drop references to “Christmas,” many Maine retailers said they have no policies, written or verbal, that force employees to adhere to certain holiday greetings when speaking to customers.

“There is no strict policy,” Rich Donaldson, spokesman for L.L. Bean, said Wednesday.

Donaldson said the Freeport-based retail giant instructs employees to use whatever greeting they believe is appropriate for the customer they are helping.

For example, he said, if customers make references to Christmas presents, employees should say “Merry Christmas,” but if customers mention Hannukah, they will be wished “Happy Hanukkah.”

Jack Caringi, manager of JC Penney in Auburn, said his store’s position is similar. Employees can use any greeting they choose, including “Merry Christmas,” pointing out that the company’s annual holiday catalog is called the Christmas catalog.

And a manager at Wal-Mart in Oxford also said employees can say whatever they like when bestowing holiday wishes upon shoppers.

In a case that received a barrage of media attention, Macy’s last year removed references to Christmas from its advertising and instructed employees to say “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” – greetings the retailer said were inclusive of people of all faiths.

But the public backlash was strong enough to force Macy’s to do an about-face. A November 2005 letter posted on the Web site savemerrychristmas.org from Louis M. Meunier, Macy’s executive vice president of external affairs, says store associates are free to say “Merry Christmas” to customers, and references to Christmas are included in advertisements.

In a similar situation, Lowe’s recently stopped selling “holiday trees” and switched to “Christmas trees” after hundreds of phone calls.

Such a reaction from Americans is no surprise based on polls that show the Christian holiday is widely embraced across the country. A Fox News poll conducted by Opinion Dynamics Corp. shows 96 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas, and the U.S. Census Bureau says 77 percent of Americans are Christian.

That is precisely why some shoppers say they are baffled that any retailer would show an aversion to “Merry Christmas.”

Eva Labonte of Greene said employees at TJ Maxx in Auburn recently would not acknowledge her wish of “Merry Christmas.” Labonte said an employee told her they had been instructed not to say “Merry Christmas” because it might be offensive.

“They weren’t afraid of offending me,” Labonte said, adding that she will no longer shop at the store, one of her favorites, during the holiday season. “There wouldn’t be a holiday in the first place if it were not for Christmas.

“It’s an affront to the holiday they are getting rich on. It’s hypocritical,” she said.

A manager contacted at the store referred calls to TJ Maxx’s headquarters in Framingham, Mass. Company spokeswoman Laura McDowell said the company has no policy, written or verbal, that forbids employees from saying “Merry Christmas.”

“It’s a personal greeting so it’s entirely up to our associates what to say,” McDowell said, noting the company uses various holiday terminology in its advertising, including “Christmas.”

Other shoppers said the greeting doesn’t matter to them as long as it’s heartfelt. “To me, the greeting doesn’t matter. It’s the spirit it’s delivered in,” said Tracy Calnan of Harrison as she shopped this week at Wal-Mart in Oxford.

But people are concerned about the issue, said Mary Kate Reny of Reny Department Stores, which has 14 locations in Maine, including Farmington.

Reny said she received e-mails this year from customers who expressed worry that the store planned to drop references to Christmas in its advertising.

“We have always had Christmas in our advertising,” she said, adding that Reny employees can use any holiday greeting they wish.

Meanwhile, Rev. Don Mayberry of the First Congregational Church of South Paris, said Thursday he has little patience with the debate.

“It is somewhat annoying,” he said. “It is a beautiful time of the year and a time of year that brings out the best in people. The political correctness just seems to make it something less than what it is.”

He added, “If I say Merry Christmas to you, I’m not trying to impose (my beliefs) on you. I think we all need to relax a little.”