Christmas culture wars took to the skies this week, when a passenger was forcibly removed from a plane on Tuesday after refusing to accept holiday greetings that weren’t to his liking.

According to the New York Post, the Yuletide drama unfolded on American Airlines Flight 1140, which was waiting to depart from LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Airline spokesperson Josh Freed said that after an agent politely wished the unidentified male passenger a Merry Christmas while checking boarding passes at the gate, he became furious and corrected her, even going so far as to demand her name.

“You shouldn’t say that because not everyone celebrates Christmas,” the unidentified passenger snarled at her.

“Well, what should I say then?” asked the agent.

“Don’t say Merry Christmas!” he shouted before angrily storming past her.

Unfortunately for the put-upon passenger, there were more unwelcome holiday greetings in store for him. Upon boarding the flight, he was cheerily wished Merry Christmas by a second flight attendant. This was apparently the last straw for the solo holiday Scrooge, and all hell broke loose on the Dallas-bound flight.

“Don’t say Merry Christmas!” he demanded yet again, and promptly launched into a tirade directed at the flight attendants and pilot.

Despite the efforts of the flight crew to calm the man down and get him back into his seat so the plane could take off, he refused to stop lecturing them on appropriate holiday greeting etiquette. It was likely at that point that the crew decided that this particular Grinch would be better served on another flight, and he was escorted off the plane to the cheers and applause of the other fliers.

American Airlines did not return a request for comment.

It remains unclear why this particular passenger was so upset about a simple Merry Christmas greeting, but perhaps the lesson here is to reply to unappreciated holiday greetings by wishing the offending party good tidings for the holiday of your choice, or just saying thank you, or even saying nothing at all.

Because after all, no matter what holiday you celebrate, spending it fighting with airline ticket agents trying to get a new flight home after you were tossed off the one you already paid for probably won’t fill you with the spirit of the season.