This is the time of year that reminds me of one of my pet peeves.

Merchants tell us that the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are the most profitable in the entire year, and can make the difference in profit or loss for the whole year.

Why on earth should merchants remove the word “Christmas” from their advertising?

They have taken the religious celebration of Easter and buried it in images of Easter bunnies, chocolate and eggs to the point that millions of small children are convinced that rabbits are hatched from eggs.

Oh, yes, it is also a day to remember that our Lord, Jesus, was raised from the dead, a rather important event for a few hundred million Christians.

I am not really a Scrooge. I recognize that all those gifts purchased during this time represent acts of love and sacrifice.

Those gifts under Christmas trees form strong family bonds that last a lifetime.

These gifts also represent employment for many thousands of folks and their families.

These are all good things based on the concept of love.

They are all an outgrowth of the reason for the season, the birth of Jesus. He is the primary source of love, unmatched by any other. Doesn’t it seem sacrilegious to stamp out the word Christmas?

We need to fight to bring back Christmas.

Unless merchants hear from us that we are being offended by their actions, nothing will change. I would support “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” and “Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer” being played only once a day, but there is a lot of good, appropriate music for this time of the year.

Hearing the greeting, “Merry Christmas” from a clerk would be a nice Christmas present, wouldn’t it?

Jack Murphy

Rome and Frostproof, Fla.