Merry CHRISTMAS

I guess it's a good time to broach this subject since we are officially past the first of December.  Even though we don't have any snow on the ground it's getting to be "that time of year" again where gift giving, family celebrations, Christmas tv specials, and other such niceties take place.  I love this time of year.  I love going to the first Christmas movie of the season, the first day of snow flurries, dinners via crockpot, evenings by the fireplace, decorating the house, tuning into a Christmas radio station, and of course hot chocolate.  It just makes everything seem special.

What's not special are advertisements by Best Buy marginalizing Santa Clause and groups opposed to Christmas renaming our Christmas Tree a "Holiday Tree."  Why is it that Catholics are forced to change and manipulate their holiday because someone else found it offensive? Hannukah isn't attacked quite like Christmas is. They aren't required to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Happy Hannukah" and redefine their Manora as a mere candlestick. It's not requested that Muslims call Eid the end of starvation and their Quran a fat book. If they were asked to change anything it'd be documented in the NY Times as a hate crime and start a whole new Holy war. So why in a society that claims to value diversity and inclusion are we forcing Catholics to conform?  Since when did Christmas become a curse word?  What happened to freedom of religion?  

I would like to point out that I found it refreshing that while shopping in Walmart and Home Depot the word "Christmas" was clearly displayed and workers actually said "Merry Christmas" at check out.  Obviously I'm not saying that everyone should celebrate Christmas.  It is that time of year though, it'd be nice if it could be recognized for what it is and not what society reduces it to.  I personally like saying "Merry Christmas" and hearing it once in a while.  Who's with me?