What's wrong with "Merry Christmas"?

[Tonks]

  Steve said:
> It seems to me that in a world that is not run amok with
> political correctness, I, who does celebrate Christmas,
> would uniformly say to others 'Merry Christmas', and they
> would respond in accordance with their own holiday tradition.

Tonks:

Thank you!! I agree 110%.  Our culture here in the U.S. has changed 
so very much in the past 30 years or so. This is why the younger 
folks here think in terms of "Holidays" and us old fogies 
think "Christmas". Actually the season of Christmas, while a 
religious celebration, is not really seen as such by most of the 
people who do celebrate it. When I was a child my parents and I were 
not Christian, but we had a tree and celebrated Christmas. It was 
the time that Santa came. That is all I knew. I lived in a small 
midwestern town. There were no Jewish people, Black people, or 
anyone other than WASP's and a few Roman Catholics. There was no 
other holiday except New Years.

There is a country song called "Different World" and it is about how 
it was when most of us, who are now 60, were young. Stores were 
closed on Sunday, etc. Because back then the U.S. was basically a 
Christian country. It didn't matter if you went to church or not. 
You just did what everyone else did and followed the same morals as 
everyone else. Because the society was based on Christian 
principles. Most of us didn't really know or think about it. It just 
was the way it was. Sort of like it is in some of the Middle Eastern 
countries now. Their laws are based on their religion. And so it 
was, and still is, for the most part here in the U.S. Things have 
gotten more liberal now, and I think as far as many laws and social 
customs go that is good. 

You do not have to be a Christian to celebrate Christmas. Because in 
the U.S. Christmas has become a secular holiday too. I don't know 
why people make such a big deal of trying to deny that the Holiday 
we celebrate on Dec. 25th is CHRISTMAS. If you are not a Christian, 
no big deal. It is the time that Santa comes. That is all.  I know 
Jewish people who have a Christmas tree for their kids and Santa 
visits. I see nothing wrong with that. It is just a part of our 
culture in the U.S. So a Merry Christmas to you!! Christ or Santa, I 
don't care, just say "Merry Christmas"!.

Tonks_op