Agreed. Now, as a consumer, I can take that information and choose to spend my money with people who are saying "Merry Xmas" and avoid businesses that are not doing so, ie boycotting them.

That's your choice. By posting a complaint, no one on that board is telling anyone they can't purchase anything from that company. Honestly, why is that so hard for you to understand.

Why is admitting they are attempting to get people to patronize businesses that do say "Merry Xmas", and to avoid ones that don't, such an offensive admission?

Cause that's specifically not what they're doing, and you even admitted that.