On social media lately, I have seen a lot of negativity towards the phrase "happy holidays" from Christians. I myself am a Christian, and I just don't understand why this phrase should be considered bad or inappropriate. Some feel as if this is non-Christians taking "Christ" out of the holiday.

Personally, I think this is a bit far-fetched.

I'm not the perfect Christian by any means. I sin every day, but I am also able to receive endless forgiveness for those sins, which is what makes my religion so amazing. I don't know the bible by heart, but from what I gather, one of the main preachings is for us to love one another and accept one another unconditionally. To me, this means accepting and loving people, even if they come from different backgrounds, have a different skin color, or if they are of a different religion.

With that being said, I am perfectly fine with the phrase "happy holidays."

First off, it is just a phrase. Just words. Nothing more. Words do have power, but only as much power as you give them. If we are gonna let a simple phrase, especially one that still intends to spread joy, then we have other problems.

Second, not everyone is a Christian. I would love for everyone to experience the wonderful love and acceptance of my savior, but not everyone has the same beliefs as me. Therefore, if they believe in something different, and choose to say happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas, then I don't feel like Christians should have a problem with it.

I feel as if this is part of the reason why Christianity can have a bad rap at times.

We tend to act as if someone has a different belief than us, they are wrong. This is not how we are supposed to be. I believe God wants us to reach out to people, be selfless, spread His love, and spread His word. We do not have the right to judge, so we should not proclaim that someone is wrong because they choose to differently than us.

This holiday season, I will smile at those that say "happy holidays" to me, and return the gesture. I will not be offended. I will be glad that in a time of war and violence, the holidays can bring people together and spread joy. I will worry more about the important things in life rather than a simple phrase.

Merry Christmas AND happy holidays to all of you!