“Merry Christmas!” Oh, wait. “Happy Holidays!” Or “Happy Hanukkah?” The constant expansion of the politically correct vocabulary is making all of our heads spin, and with the Christmas season, or “holiday” season upon us, it is even more prevalent. Whoever said “Merry Christmas” is an offensive or discriminatory phrase must have a severe misunderstanding of its intentions.

It is not said with the purpose to hurt anybody, make other religions appear inferior, or even imply that the receiver of the message must be Christian. Personally, I would not feel a twinge of offense if someone were to wish me a “Happy Kwanzaa.” In fact, I would joyfully wish it back to them.

Not only is the phrase being reprimanded, but traditions are as well. Have you bought your Christmas tree yet? Now some places are referring to it as a Holiday tree. A Holiday tree! I will call my decked out Douglas fir a holiday tree the day that we start calling a menorah a candlestick.

A memorable controversy that erupted over this topic was in 2005 when Boston renamed its giant Christmas tree in the Boston Common the Holiday Tree. A tradition that had lasted for 64 years was being altered, and the town, including the mayor, was up in arms about its renaming. Evangelist Rev. Jerry Falwell even threatened a lawsuit against the city.

Despite the turmoil stirred up by this decision, countless other cities have followed suit and are embarking on the path of political correctness in renaming their city Christmas trees to Holiday trees. However, Boston’s tree has since returned to its original name and peace has been restored.

I can only hope for a similar future for these other cities.

If we are sticking with the name “holiday tree,” then why not put it up at Easter? Or 4th of July? Dec. 25 is Christmas. Thus, for many, the month of December is Christmas season. So when did this monumental shift occur that Christians must now downplay their religious beliefs and traditions? This free country is supposed to support the celebration of religious diversity, rather than veil it with neutrality.

In Singapore, there are 10 official public holidays, and each is representative of the various ethnic groups. They celebrate everything from the Chinese New Year to Christmas to the Islamic Eid Ul Fitr (marking the end of Ramadan). This unique nation-state could actually teach us a lesson in tolerance  diversity.

Of the 10 official public holidays in the U.S., only one has a religious foundation and it is Christmas. Perhaps the simple solution to the problem is to incorporate holidays from other religions as well, rather than trying to downplay Christmas.

Some even go so far as to label this as a “War on Christmas,”–cough, cough…Billy O’Reilly. These “crusaders” claim that “secular progressives” are the enemy and we must fight back by holding strong to our traditions.

The word “war” is rather harsh and is also a misnomer in this situation. “Sporadic tension” may be a more accurate term to describe it. There are some people who probably have not even noticed the evolution from “Christmas” to “Holiday”.

To many, having the ground covered in snow and the air smelling of hot apple cider means only one thing: Christmas is near. But to others, this image connotes the approach of Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. Some just see it as winter time and the season marking the transition between semesters.

Despite opinions though, the day of Dec. 25 is recognized as Christmas, and it really does not make sense to try and cover the hype with the inanities of “holiday trees,” “holiday cards” or “holiday sales.” These exist for the reason of celebrating Christmas, and changing their names does not change their purpose.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, right? So does the alteration of names really create inclusivity for the portion of the population that does not celebrate this holiday, or does it force Christians to downplay their traditions?

Rather than supporting our society’s trend toward decreasing the presence of “Merry Christmas,” each individual should exercise his freedom to practice religion and wish everybody a happy whatever-holiday-he-desires.

Stephanie Woods is a junior in the John Cook School of Business.