Tis the season in America for merry making and spreading warmth and cheer regardless of what religion you observe.

            This time of year is set aside for celebrations of all kinds beginning before Thanksgiving in November and continuing through the first full week of January. Businesses hold their employee holiday parties, friends exchange homemade goodies, families gather for outings and celebrations and everywhere you go there are twinkling lights on display.

            I enjoy the Christmas season with its traditional observations and decorations in red and green with splashes of silver and gold worked in. It also means that when I exchange a farewell or greeting during this time of year, I say, “Merry Christmas.”

            In recent years what simple phrase one offers in genuine kindness has become controversial. While I myself say “Merry Christmas,” as opposed to “Happy Holidays,” I’m not in the least offended when the later is received. I smile and take it for what it is: a benevolent wish expressed from one human to another.

            That some choose to pervert this simple human gesture of goodwill to a flashpoint in the culture war is troubling. Christmas is, after all, a time of year to remember and put into practice love, acceptance, forgiveness and humility. To be insulted by an expression of goodwill is simply in opposition to those principles.

            I encourage you to spread your own holiday cheer using whatever phraseology you see fit. And at the same time, I hope that you will accept my sincere wish that you and yours enjoy a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.