It's the most controversial time of the year....

Yes, it's that time of year when the perpetually offended drag out another of their self-created controversies - The "War" on Christmas.

According to this theory, major retailers should recognize Christmas (and only Christmas) as THE winter holiday. As far as they're concerned, there are no others.

Problem is, there are others. Look at just a partial list here:

     * Hanukkah - Jewish 
     * Yule/Winter Solstice - Pagan/Wiccan
     * Diwali - Hindu
     * Bodhi Day - Buddhist
     * Ramadan - Muslim

and there are many, many others.  If you're interested in learning about some of them, check out www.candlegrove.com or The Winter Solstice, by John and Caitlin Matthews.

(Note: Hanukkah and Ramadan are moveable holidays, not always occurring the same day each year.)

According to the Religious Reich, all these holidays should go unacknowledged, be ignored, swept under the rug as an embarrassment. Christmas should reign supreme during the month of December.

But let's look at the Bible, since that's what they claim to follow. Look from cover to cover and you will find nowhere - nowhere - a command, or even a suggestion, to celebrate the birth of Christ. (Show me such a passage and I'll eat my words; but bear in mind, I was a Fundamentalist Christian at one time, and I know the Bible. When I was studying for the ministry, we had a saying: "A text taken out of context becomes a pretext." I'm confident that, using your own Bible, I can make you eat YOUR words.)

Now let's look at the word "holiday". It's from the Old English "halig daeg", meaning - guess what? - "holy day". So when someone wishes you "Happy Holidays", he or she is actually wishing you "Happy Holy Days". Any holy day, not just Christmas. It acknowledges the existence of such holidays, and allows you to choose which holiday you apply it to.

But inclusiveness is not on the Religious Reich's agenda; quite the contrary. Their position is that "those other religions don't matter". Wow, good example of "peace on earth, goodwill toward men".

Now the acid test: when I go to Wal-Mart, as a practicing Pagan (how else am I gonna get to Carnegie Hall?), and someone wishes me a "Merry Christmas", am I offended by it?

Not on your life. Neither would I be offended if someone wished me a Happy Hanukkah, even though I'm not Jewish, or a Happy Kwanzaa, and I'm not black either. The fact that someone is wishing me happiness seems sufficient to me, regardless of the reason why.

So Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Season’s Greetings, Happy Hanukkah, Wassail, and Happy Holidays! May your celebration bring you joy, no matter what it is!

Mortuis has spoken.