christmas shopping with facists

I went x-mass shopping today to get a few small things and suddenly realized why this x-mass seemed diffrent than the ones before: The facists are now commanding my allegiance during the holidays. I was talking with some guy while looking at a pretty cool game for my son, and when it came time to go about my business and walk away I suddenly began to analyze what type of well-wishes I should offer. Should I say "Merry Christmas" and risk being characterized as a religious zealot, or should I say "Happy Holidays" and be tarred as a Politically Correct nut-job? My simple want to wish this guy well turned political on me in a flash, and it occured to me that both sides have created an entirely new way to separate ourselves from those we don't agree with.
Now, I'm a pretty secular guy. Last week when Penn Jillet spoke on NPR about how he belived there was no God, I thought, "Yes! Finally someone in the public eye can stand up and say what I want to, but am afraid to because of social censure!" Then my son spoke up and said, "Hey dad, he's just like us." He was so happy to hear a positive word spoken about atheism, he just gushed. Then I dropped him off at school. Catholic School.
My religious up-bringing consisted of my father saying things like: " God is in people's minds," and my mother saying:"I just can't wrap my mind around God. It just doesn't make sense." Then we would go to the grand parent's on vacation and go to church with them. My best friend as a child took me with him to his Baptist church many Sundays a year. I even performed in their plays and sang in their choir for awhile, but I never believed. I just thought the plays and the singing were fun. One Summer I went to Boy's Brigade Baptist camp, and came home to announce to my family that I was now a Christian. My parents politely smiled and my brother said "I knew this would happen." My conversion lasted about a week, even if it was in name only. My whole life I have embraced religions of all sorts. I have never believed in any of them, and relegate all religion to the same space on my bookshelf as the Greek and Arthurian Myths, but I have tried to learn from them as I have tried to learn from Shakespeare, Mill, Cummings, and all of the philosophers, writers, and poets I have read.
Does this mean that I can't, with a full and healthy and pure wish of well-being for another, say to another person "Merry Christmas"? Does this mean I can't ever mean it?
I say to my Jewish Friends, " Happy Hannukah", and they say it back to me. I like that. I love Easter and Passover as an expression of life. It's Spring and life is saved and renewed each and every year. I like to celebrate that. I just happen to like the Christian and Jewish celebrations more than I like dancing with garland in a Faerie circle in the woods. I like Franencense better than Patchoulli. So kill me. But more power to those with whom I disagree, I say!
On Chinese New Year I say "Gung Hey Fat Choy!" to everyone. On Saint Patrick's Day I wear a little green, and even though I have no idea what the heck "Erin Go Braugh" means, I try to celebrate it. I read the Declaration on the 4th. I try to eat a little less during Ramadan. I listen to some Dr. King on his birthday. I even sing "Oh, Canada!" on July 1st.
We have reasons enough to be dour throught the year, no matter what our persuasion. What we need are more reasons to celebrate.
This beautiful, glorious country of ours has people from everywhere who believe everything, and they each have a moment in their calander in which they celebrate something. Shouldn't we all find it within ourselves to celebrate with them? Are our beliefs so shaky that we need to intitutionalize celebrations of ourselves and our heritage in order to keep them intact? Are our beliefs so shaky that we need celebrations to be de-institutionalized to keep them intact?
The facists would say, yes, we need to institutionalize that which we belive in, and de-institutionalize that which we don't. The rationalist, humanist will say, no, because it doesn't really matter in the long run. At the end of the long, hot day that is life, we will die and find out for ourselves whether we were right or not. So shouldn't we just find as much to celebrate about our common humanity as possible and leave it at that?