However you say it, happy holidays

I felt compelled to respond to Terry Tallian’s Nov. 24 letter “Don’t be offended by ‘Merry Christmas.’ ” Despite Mr. Tallian’s assumption to the contrary, as a non-believer I find no reason to be offended by a greeting of “Merry Christmas,” but by the same token, I am not offended by any holiday greeting as long as it is delivered in the spirit of friendship and goodwill.

Typically, when someone gives me a particular holiday greeting, I respond in kind. What confuses me is the assumption on the part of some that there is a “correct greeting” (i.e., “Merry Christmas” according to Tallian) to which we must all adhere.

Why? It might interest Mr. Tallian to know that while he celebrates Christmas, not everyone in our pluralistic society does. This time of year, Jews celebrate Hanukkah, Muslims celebrate Eid, and some of the non-religious celebrate the Winter Solstice. All have their traditions, all have their greetings, and many differ.

And that’s fine by me, because I have no problem living in a society populated by people who don’t all share my beliefs. Focusing on this or that greeting and getting all bent out of shape because someone didn’t give the “correct greeting” seems to be at odds with the spirit of the season, doesn’t it?

Whether one is a believer or not, I think we can agree that this should be a time to reflect and focus upon those ties with our fellow man which weave us all together. We do ourselves no favors by engaging in petty squabbles about semantics.

So, with that said, I wish you all a happy holiday season. Be well.

Matthew Lowry

Vernon Hills