Salvation Army bell ringer punched for saying 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas'

A woman in Arizona says that she was recently assaulted while working as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army because she greeted shoppers with the phrase "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."

Kristina Vindiola told KNXV that she was collecting donations outside a Walmart in Phoenix and chose the wrong greeting for one woman.

"The lady looked at me," Vindiola recalled. “I thought she was going to put money in the kettle. She came up to me and said, 'Do you believe in God?' And she says, ‘You're supposed to say Merry Christmas,' and that's when she hit me."

Vindiola said that she notified Walmart managers that the woman had hit her in the arm, and the police were notified.

"She should've just been happy I said 'Happy Holidays,' but I got hit because I didn't say 'Merry Christmas,'" she pointed out.

After reviewing Walmart surveillance video, Phoenix determined that there was not enough evidence to arrest the suspect. Vindiola is considering taking legal action against the woman.

Watch this video from KNXV, broadcast Dec. 16, 2013.