I'm in agreement with you Bernard. I can see no reason why, in this day and age, any country should be expected to change its own customs to prevent 'offence' to newcomers, particularly when, it seems, the vast majority of those newcomers have no problem with the celebrations. Many of these newcomers have their own cultural celebrations and no-one is suggesting that the names of those be changed to avoid giving offence to other religious groups!

The argument may be made that, in the past, Europeans have forced their own culture and religious beliefs on others and I would agree that that is not something that I could be proud of. However, does that mean that those of European/Christian descent do not have the right to oppose this type of behaviour in their own country today? Have we not moved on from the behaviours of the past in any way?

I am not a Christian and Christmas is not a religious holiday for me. I do, however, celebrate it as a time of coming together with friends and loved ones and do not get upset at the religious connotations surrounding the day.

It is my understanding that the time was a major festival prior to the rise of Christianity and that that festival was subborned into the celebration of Christ's birth. Whatever the history it is now the custom that this holiday is known as Christmas and I do feel that those who want to try and force these changes probably have more of a problem with racial prejudice than those they purport to be 'helping'. "He who sees the dirty meaning in everything probably has a dirty mind"