Now I’m not one for forcing religious beliefs on others. But will my saying “Merry Christmas” really harm you?

I know that if you say Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa to me I will smile and respond Merry Christmas to you. It’s not like biblical times when you would say “May the Lord be with you.” and if the other person said “What?” you knew to run.

So why do retailers and restaurants restrict their staffs from saying Merry Christmas if I say it first?

In the past month I have said Merry Christmas dozens of times to everyone. Some just mumble back but most brighten up and respond. I’ve heard lots of Happy Holidays (bah, humbug), lots of Merry Christmas and a few Happy Hanukkahs.

How did we get to a world where we are so afraid that you might offend me by being of a different faith? The beauty of the world God gave us is its diversity and its uniqueness. Why are we trying to kill that gift which God gave us — the gift to be big enough to let you believe something different than me? One of the truly unique properties of this country is our tolerance of each others attitudes, beliefs and opinions. Don’t water down that beauty with a generic statement of one of the most joyous times of the year for all faiths. Let my people free, let them say what they mean.

Anyway, Merry Christmas, or should I say, “Live long and Prosper.” \\//

steve

Maybe it’s the getting older, maybe Miss Jeannine is doing some Christmas heavy lifting I don’t know about — but this year seems to be a much calmer gift buying experience than years before.

Or, maybe it’s because I buy everything online and sit patiently and wait for the gifts to arrive.

The fledgling online buying world was originally beset with critics who predicted that it would never be secure. But now, just a few years later, it is statistically much safer than usingf your credit card at the local restaurant or store.

But security aside, online shopping has struck a solid chord with the hectic, harried, hasseled family of today. You know what you want, so you just check prices, find the price you like and the retailer you can trust and order away. If the store is a good one, your items arrive on-time and in good shape. It happens thousands of times each day. And the smarter retailers are making their online and their physical stores work together — with in-store pick-up, buy online and pick-up in the store

This holiday season will break all online sales records — more than 93 million shoppers will buy an average $263 online during the fourth quarter of 2006. That pulls revenues of more than $25 billion!

Online shopping is quick and easy for those of use who dreaded going to the malls once a year. It’s taken most of the pain out of holiday buying, and made Christmas much more fun.

Now if I could just get those darn Christmas tree lights to work.