Don't be afraid to say 'Merry Christmas'

Gone are the days of passing someone on the street and simply wishing them a  “Merry Christmas” without having to concern yourself with the political correctness of your statement. That is unfortunate. 

Two commonly used phrases this time of year are “season's greetings” and “happy holidays.” While both are nice gestures, people should be OK with dropping a good old-fashioned "Merry Christmas," regardless of the religious or political beliefs of the person giving or receiving the gesture.

"Season’s greetings," for example, could be interpreted as the greeting of winter. Since that phrase is never used at the start of spring, summer or fall, it must be the arrival of winter people are most happy about.

Even worse is wishing someone a "happy X-mas" — a clear effort to take the word Christ out of Christmas. Regardless of your religious beliefs, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Whether you consider him a common man or the Son of God, it’s indisputable that his birth, his life and his death drastically shaped the world we live in today.

What about those lovely green trees that are so beautifully decorated throughout the world? Seldom do you hear them referred to as “holiday” trees — they’re most commonly called a Christmas tree.

It is what it is, and it’s Christmas time. And we shouldn’t be afraid to say so.

Our Views reflects the majority opinion of the members of the Grand Haven Tribune editorial board: Kevin Hook, Cheryl Welch, Matt DeYoung and Fred VandenBrand. What do you think? E-mail us a letter to the editor to news@grandhaventribune.com or log-in to our website and leave a comment below.