(Image source: Tulsa World)

BY UNA LU

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Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas?  This time of year, the salutation you give -- can cause anything from warmth -- to a downright chill.   Case in point?

A Christmas battle caused by the name change for the annual parade of lights in Tulsa, Oklahoma. MSNBC reports why a 70-year-old traditional event became a hot spot.
 
“Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe is threatening to boycott Tulsa’s annual holiday parade of lights unless the organizers put Christmas back into the title. Quote, here’s his words: ‘Last year, the forces of political correctness removed the word ‘Christmas’ and replaced it with ‘Holiday’ instead … until the parade is again named the Christmas parade of lights, I will not participate.’”
 
Tulsa Council Chair Rick Westcott agrees with Inhoffe, telling the Tulsa World he will vote “NO” on the event’s official application. That could lead to the parade being postponed.
 
“All of the people who have contacted me are offended by the removal of Christmas from the name, and all of them want it brought back.”
 
Others say Christians aren’t the only ones celebrating the season. A supporter of the new title comments on Tulsa’s KOKI.
 
“There is a big discussion on our Facebook page about it. One viewer says, ‘Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanzza, and New Years. What’s wrong with having a holiday parade to celebrate the diversity of Tulsa? Come on people. Step out of your tiny boxes…’”
 
The new sponsor of the parade is a local Irish pub called McNellie’s. In a statement to Tulsa’s KTUL - the pub’s owner is proud of his participation.
 
“We did so when it looked like no other sponsor was going to emerge and the parade would be in jeopardy. … Our mission has always been to make Tulsa a better place to live, and this seemed to fit right in with our company's mission.”
 
The Christian Broadcasting Network points to a Rasmussen Reports poll -- finding 69 percent of Americans prefer the greeting “Merry Christmas.”

“And if big business reflects the cultural mood, then this could mean something: A Christian advocacy group, Liberty Counsel, reports that major retailers like Best Buy and Wal-Mart have shifted. They are now allowing their employees to use the ‘Merry Christmas’ greeting.”
 
So what do you think? Merry Christmas?  Happy Holidays?  Or does it even matter, as long as the spirit of the season lives on?

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