It's that Decemberish sort of time of year again

Lou Marzeles
News Editor

     I was going to write something about the Christmas season, what with this being the Christmas time of year and all. But I was advised by vague powers that be in far-off places that I must refer to this time of year as the "holiday" season.
     These powers that be, I suspect, are the same people behind such causes as "Stop the Spread of TLAs." ("TLA" means "three-letter acronym.") These are people who are so sensitive to the feelings of potentially alienated others that they are willing to forego the sensitivities of those who, they fear, might be doing the alienating. They are, in short, quite exclusive in their insistence on being inclusive.
     I'm not arguing that we should ignore the feelings of the millions of non-Christian Americans in calling this time of year the Christmas season. I am saying it's entirely possible to call a holiday season Christmas with no disdain whatever of non-Christians.
     To disregard the sensibilities of others would be heavy-handed and overbearing. It'd be like telling people how to refer to a time of year.
     We are an inclusive nation, desirous of doing well by the many and varied constituencies that comprise this country; that inclination is to be respected and appreciated. But it cannot accommodate all sensitivities, and the attempt to do so could come at the cost of displacing history. Christmas arose as the major celebratory time of year in Western nations because Western nations are predominantly Christian. These countries weren't celebrating a holiday. They were celebrating a holy day.
     Obviously that day is not necessarily holy to non-Christians, nor can Christians force the issue on those who do not believe as they do. Notwithstanding, this is Christmas time. Not all people want to have a merry Christmas, even at Christmas.