The "holidays"

I am a Christian. I am a Democrat. My parents think I'm some sort of crazy liberal freak, which I am compared to what they know. But I have a hard time with the political correctness of the "holidays". Should I be afraid to tell people "Merry Christmas" if I don't know whether or not they celebrate it? And, let's be real here. What is Christmas? It's the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God, yet so many non-Christians celebrate it. I understand that Christmas is a time for family and giving and the spirit of Jesus is alive whether you believe He was the son of God or not, but I have such a hard time with people celebrating the holidays instead of Christmas. I do understand that there are other religious holidays around this time, but if you don't celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanza, then what are you celebrating really?

As a liberal Christian, this poses a problem for me because I embrace everyone's choice of religious beliefs and the choice to not believe. If I were a conservative Christian, this wouldn't be an issue for me. I'd be all pissed off about it and not afraid to voice my opinions. But I am afraid because I don't want people to think I'm some sort of Bible-beating Republican. For me, the true celebration of this holiday is the birth of Christ and I just hope that non-Christians recognize this. And if I say "Merry Christmas" to someone and that person becomes offended, I say that's ridiculous. Of all the things in this heinous world to be offended by, pick something else please. And remember, it's the "holidays" after all.