Go ahead and say it. It's okay.

A brief item on Tuesday's National Pubic Radio program, "Morning Edition," sparked my interest.

It seems British Muslims have exited the non-existent War on Christmas saying they don't expect Christmas to be toned down on their account.

As one human rights official said, people should "stop being daft about Christmas." He added, "It's fine for Christ to be star of the show."

Daft. That's a good way to put it.

A couple of years ago, the culture warriors decided that Christmas was under attack because some people prefer to wish their friends a happy holiday rather than a merry Christmas and their mouthpieces on the conservative talk show circuit picked up the battle cry.

Today, there are scores of publications and hundreds of websites devoted to the conflict; some organizations have raised a surprising amount of money to prosecute this "war."

But, before you climb on that sterling white charger to defend Christmas from the infidels, remember that the word "holiday" is simply a contraction of the phrase "holy days." That's really rather appropriate because many of the world's religions have some sort of feast or festival during the last week or so of the calendar year.

So, wishing someone "happy holidays" isn't anti-Christian, it's simply being inclusive. It might even be Christ-like.

Here's another little tidbit to conjure with: the early Christian Church was pretty danged good. They often encountered cultures that welcomed the Christian message but resisted giving up their native pagan feasts. That's why Christ's Mass (uh, Christmas) is celebrated near the Winter Solstice (a high holy day for many pagan religions practiced in Europe 1,500 years ago) rather than when most Biblical scholars say Christ was born, in the spring.

Another element of the War on Christmas is born in timidity and intolerance. Contrary to what culture warriors believe, Nativity scenes have been banished from many county courthouses, not because of any inherit hostility toward Christians but because our Constitution says the government may not favor one religion over another.

If those governmental Nativity scenes were a bit more inclusive ... or, if the governments in question would allow other religious-based dioramas, they'd be fine.

However, culture warriors won't tolerate any of that, so most county judges and town mayors simply bow out of the fray.

Of course, some people can't see any of this. Rather, they see one person's insistence on a more secular seasons' greeting as an attack on their rights to a merry Christmas.

Go ahead. Wish your friends and family a merry Christmas. Really. It's okay.

Just don't be daft and claim a conflict where one doesn't exist.

(Note: a mofidied version of this article was published as an editorial in the Hays Free Press [Kyle, Texas] on Dec. 12, 2007.)