What's wrong with "Merry Christmas"?

[Carol]

More and more people on TV shows and in advertising are saying "Happy
holidays!" instead of Christmas. I could see that if Hanukkah
coincided with Christmas as it did last year, but to me it seems like
they really mean "Mwerry Christmas" but are afraid to say it. Holiday
cards? Holiday trees? Surely, they mean Christmas cards and Christmas
trees. (I'm waiting for "holiday carols," which will surely be next,
except that Christmas carols seem to have been replaced by generic
winter songs like "Jingle Bells" and "Winter Wonderland." And while
it's still okay to mention Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red-nosed
Reindeer because "Christmas is for children," it's not okay to mention
Jesus or angels, and even some Christians object to mentioning Mary
even though the original Christmas story involves her rather prominently.

I'm not proselytizing, but I believe in *Christmas*, complete with all
the traditional trimmings, from Handel's "Messiah" to a real Christmas
tree (I can live with needles on the carpet; I can't stand fake trees).

But what I want to know is why "Christmas" has become a forbidden
word. If someone wishes me "Happy holidays," I always respond with a
smile and "Merry Christmas." If someone were to wish me "Happy
Hanukkah" (yes, I know it's over) or "Happy Ramadan" (no idea when
it's celebrated), I'd say "The same to you." 

On a side note, it looks as if JKR's website won't be decorated for
Christmas this year. Too bad; it's as if she or the people who run it
have abandoned it or left it to run itself now that DH is out. (If so,
one good thing could come out of it: maybe Severus will be wished a
happy birthday on January 9!) 

Carol, wondering what the reaction of others on the list would be to
being wished "Merry Christmas" by a stranger or casual acquaintance,
whether or not they celebrate it