This time of year there’s much ado about season’s greetings…namely, Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas…or, as some would have it, Happy Holidays versus Merry Christmas. Some believe that others want to take the traditional Merry Christmas away…replace it with the politically correct Happy Holidays. But I don’t believe that that’s what’s going on at all.

When we greet, we’re expressing a joyful acknowledgment of others. Our greeting is a small gift of sorts…words meant to lay cheer and comfort upon our intended…not ourselves. When it comes to the Christmas season, Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays add an air of respect to our greetings…they show our greet-ees that we recognize their beliefs are–or may be–different from our own. To my Christian friends, I say Merry Christmas! while to my non-Christian friends (or those whom I’m not certain about), I say Happy Holidays! But that’s just my rule of thumb. And though I’m non-Christian, but am usually greeted with Merry Christmas, I’m okay with that, as I’m sure a lot of other non-Christians are. Because some of us celebrate Christmas, too…just for different reasons.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!