holidays

I have been reading a lot of articles and forums lately about the retail world and the debate of "Happy Holidays" vs "Merry Christmas"

As a person with a Marketing background, I see "Happy Holidays" to include all holidays from Thanksgiving-New Years. The time when consumers spend 46 billion dollars on goods.

Weather they are buying new table decorations for Thanksgiving, Emptying their accounts on $3 scarves on Black Friday, Purchasing tiny gifts for Hanukkah, Decking the Halls for Christmas, Food for Kwanzaa, party supplies for New Years....all Holidays all part of the "holiday season".

But there are forums and list circulating the web that contain list of stores that use the word "Christmas",  Companies that use the word "Christmas" infrequently and Companies against Christmas

The comments on these sights really open up my eyes. First you have the angry people that comment on everything and usually are on the "Don't say Merry Christmas to me List". Then you have the people who "Will take their money to the stores that promote Christmas, because Jesus is the Reason for the Season."...Then you have people that love their Lord enough to know that they "could not buy one thing from any retailer and still know they have the ultimate gift."

and yes the "quotes" are actual comments off one of the forums

Tonight, I sit and watch the interfaith service in Newtown, CT. Where every religion in the area is represented. Where Methodist-Jewish-Catholic-Pentecostal-and a whole bunch of others came together to pray to for their community, their state, our country....They came together as one family-in peace-for a country that is mourning the loss of over 25 precious lives. 

As I observe this service, I can't help but think about the debate over Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays. We are a country that is blessed with freedom of religion-yet we allow ourselves to become childish over store slogans and holiday greetings.