Celebrating the season is a matter of heart, soul and not one of polotics

It seems each year we have people talking about the true meaning of Christmas. And this year, that thing about “Happy Holidays” vs. “Merry Christmas” has been beaten about the head and shoulders.

There are those who want to punish those who use the term “holiday tree” or declare “happy holidays.”

Folks, are you forgetting where you are. This is America. This is a place where one’s religion is not prescribed, forced, nor inhibited.

Those of us of the Christian faith celebrate the birth of Christ. We have a right to do that and we can do it without fear of persecution. That’s a particle of the First Amendment. But please understand that the First Amendment says “religion.” It does not say Christianity. Religion covers a broad territory of faiths.

Now the “Happy Holidays” and “Merry Christmas” proclamations have been around for a long time. And now it’s as though someone just discovered that the two have existed side by side and decided that it should be exposed as some great anti-American conspiracy or an effort to undermine one’s proclaimed faith.

Our perceptions of this time of year will vary according to the many individuals who make up this great country of ours.

If we, as professed Christians, persecute those who happen not to embrace our faith — then we neither respect the integrity of the U.S. Constitution nor do we respect the teachings of the one whom we are expected to emulate.