I don't care for banal greetings either. I'm with you there. I want to pay and get out.
However, in many workplaces I've worked at, there seems to have been a pall brought on by HR at least discouraging saying Merry Christmas and opting for Happy Holidays. I've had managers self-correct themselves and correct others as they spoke -probably out of fear of offending people who take the greeting too literally [i.e. celebrating Christ Mass].
