Holiday hullabaloo

Merry Christmas! \nAnd yes, I can say that. I celebrate Christmas, even as I acknowledge that many people don't. In fact, I'm going to take up the banner of California's Committee to Save Merry Christmas and do my best to make sure that stores don't say "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" when they mean "Merry Christmas." Yes, it is a real group. You can join their ranks at www.savemerrychristmas.org.\nOK, I'm not really joining the committee. \nThese dingbats are calling for a boycott of Federated Department Stores, which includes Bloomingdale's, Macy's and Lazarus, until they clean up their act. And the CSMC isn't the only group embroiled in the C-word debate. The Washington Times reported in early December that "Denver, for example, refused to allow a Christian church float in the city's holiday parade, because 'direct religious themes' were not allowed. Homosexual American Indians, Chinese lion dancers and German folk dancers, however, were welcome."\nIs it as bad as it seems? Is the world out to get Christmas?\nMaybe, but I'm still not planning a counter-protest. \nI realize that Christmas, for many people, is simply the commercial event of the year. It's a secular event with a religious background, but acknowledging the secularization of the holiday doesn't make it a strictly non-religious holiday. Splashing "Merry Christmas" around isn't worth marginalizing those thousands of thousands of people who don't celebrate Christmas. When I see "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings," I don't think "Aah! Corporate America is hijacking my holiday!" Rather, I think something along the lines of "Oh, look! Sweaters on sale." \nMy father heard about all of this controversy a few weeks before Dec. 25, and spent the interim time wishing people "Happy Holidays! You know, you can't say Christmas any more. The liberals will get you." But my father is generally acknowledged to be a grumpy old thing with a decidedly old-school take on society and its foibles. \nThe problem with all of this is that people see holiday inclusiveness and the celebration of Christmas as mutually exclusive. Why should it have to be? I had a fine time this year with my little Christmas tree. I'm working on not taking it for granted that everyone celebrates Christmas. \nChristmas isn't the holiday norm from which everyone else deviates. I can see why the protesters would get upset if they thought Christmas was under attack, but my personal Christmas season wasn't threatened at all. I received several Christmas cards: several from my predominately Christian family members, two from Jewish friends, and one from an avowed-atheist friend. And you know what? It didn't feel weird at all. \nI think all of this is just a result of finding a balance. The world isn't perfect yet (gasp!), and this type of hullabaloo is just a byproduct of all of us figuring out how we should approach it. While we're hashing all of this out, it seems logical to remember that we're dealing with holidays, which, by their nature, are supposed to be about good will and togetherness, no matter what holiday you're celebrating.\nIsn't the point of multiculturalism that there is room for everyone? It's not a matter of the majority saying to the minority, "(Sigh) OK, you can have your holiday too. Just don't be too loud about it." It's about everyone learning from each other and a spirit of inclusiveness. But that inclusiveness needs to extend to the majority, too. December is a big month. There's room for all of us and all of our holidays. \nGod bless us, every one.