Q: Every year, the holiday season seems to get more stressful. On the one hand, I have a couple of employees who want to make everything about Christ. They insist on wishing everyone, including our customers, a merry Christmas rather than happy holidays or not saying anything.

They claim that saying “happy holidays” denies their faith by taking “Christ” out of Christmas. I have no reason to disbelieve their conviction, but they seem to overdo it, making it more like a political battleground than a joyous celebration.

On the other hand, I have employees who want there to be no mention of Christ. At our traditional end-of-the-year employee holiday party, the staff sings songs they've selected. They sing winter songs like “Let It Snow,” and religious songs like “Away in a Manger.” A couple of employees have complained that some of the religious songs are offensive because they do not believe in Jesus Christ. They want me to ban the mention of Christ in the workplace. How do I keep everyone happy? Any words of wisdom?

Ms. Elauf had applied for a position in the Abercrombie store in Tulsa, Oklahoma and was interviewed by the assistant store manager there while wearing a headscarf. The assistant store manager used the company’s system for evaluating employees and determined that she was qualified to be hired. Ms. Elauf never said that she wore the headscarf for any particular reason. The assistant manager was concerned, however, because she knew that wearing the headscarf conflicted with the company’s Look Policy. So, the assistant manager sought guidance from her store manager, and then ultimately from the district manager, who confirmed that wearing the headscarf violated the Look Policy, as would any headwear, “religious or otherwise.” Critically, the assistant manager told the district manager that she believed Ms. Elauf wore the headscarf for religious purposes. Ms. Elauf was not hired.