Is anyone else a little tired of the newest annual rite of fall — the great “holiday” vs. “Christmas” debate?

The debate seems to have begun in earnest a few years ago when some retailers began shifting their annual marketing message to use the more generic “holiday” word.

Now, as soon as the pumpkins of Halloween are put away, the debate begins.

The thought is that the marketing geniuses at the retailers were worried about offending any potential customers who did not want to participate in the largely Christian holiday of Christmas.

Unfortunately, in their attempt to be all-inclusive, the retailers have wound up being insulting to millions of Christians across the country.

Their message is that since a few non-Christians (Jews, Muslims, atheists, etc.) might be offended by the use of the word “Christmas” then we’ll just eliminate it entirely by substituting it with “holiday.”

Conversely, if we applied that logic to non-Christian holidays, more than likely, we’d offend non-Christians, too.

Jews might be up in arms if large segments of the U.S. population began referring to the Menorah as a holiday candles.

Is anyone offended if someone wishes a Muslim a happy Ramadan?

Probably not.

Somehow, however, in our attempt to be all-inclusive, we’re trying to avoid the thing that makes the United States so special in the first place — our diversity.

By trying to make the Christian holiday of Christmas a little bit less Christian, we’re doing a disservice to ourselves.

America was once known as the Great Melting Pot. This was the place where people from all backgrounds came together to express their own likes and dislikes, their own preferences and freedoms.

Somehow we’ve managed to get our priorities mixed up in recent years. The long-standing practice of separation of church and state doesn’t mean that a city should not erect a nativity set on public property or that schools shouldn’t say a prayer before a sporting event.

Our effort to be all-inclusive has led us down the path of missing the big picture and we’ve wound up being more exclusive to our friends and neighbors.

Thinking about the issue makes me tired. It’s the Christmas season, can’t we just embrace that and get on with the fun?

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Ironton Tribune. He can be reached at (740) 532-1441, ext. 12 or by e-mail to kevin.cooper@irontontribune.com.