Well, it’s that time of year again. I’m not talking about the end of the fall semester. The holidays are upon us. But what holiday are we celebrating, and will we be allowed to acknowledge the day?

A few years ago I began to notice the trend to remove Christmas from December 25. In everything from parades to trees, the word Christmas is being replaced by the generic ‘holiday.’

The anti-Christmas forces say it’s all about diversity, so that the feelings of anyone who is offended will be protected. Unfortunately, these actions sprung up when trying to decide what the First Amendment requires and the refusal by public schools to address religion properly throughout the year.

Now stores have gotten into the act. Many choose to omit Christmas from their advertising and tell employees not to use “Merry Christmas.” They think that “Happy Holidays” is more inclusive and won’t offend anyone.

To assume that all religions are essentially the same is to only look at the form, and not content. Grouping religions together into one mass offends people who follow each faith.

While no one should be forced to follow a religion that they don’t believe in, no one, to my knowledge, is being made to celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, or Kwanzaa. If you don’t believe in a particular religion and don’t want to follow its traditions, that’s your right. But I, and others like me, who believe in and want to follow religious traditions should not be made to feel as if we are committing a crime by doing so.