A country founded on religious freedom

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, December 30, 2001

Regarding Jerry Appellof’s Dec. 20 letter to the editor (“Christmas Caution: Ron Sims is trying to stifle greeting”): We are a country founded on religious freedom. But in December people tend to forget this. Merry Christmas is a religious greeting. When I first read about King County Executive Ron Sims Merry Christmas statement, I cried and felt more people should follow suit.

When customers say Merry Christmas, I usually say Happy Holidays. If I’ve had it up to here with Merry Christmas, now and then I will say Happy Hanukkah. I will get a look – oh I get it. Then their eye might go to the Star of David (a Jewish symbol) I wear.

So people act this way about Christmas because they don’t know. A group I belong to was going to add Christmas carols to an event. When I made my feelings known, the plans changed and they even added an information part about Hanukkah and included me lighting the menorah.

Monroe