I’m not doing it because I’m afraid.

I’m not doing it to fit in.

I’m not doing it for any political purpose.

I say “happy holidays” because I want to be inclusive. I say it because I’m a decent person and I realize I don’t function in a bubble.

It’s not about being politically correct. It’s not about making a statement.

Over the years I’ve heard people attribute some sort of reasoning behind saying “happy holidays,” but most of those reasons are overstated and contentious (Was Jesus really born in December? Was Christmas moved to overtake other religions’ holidays?).

For me the reasons are much simpler than that.

I say “happy holidays” because I literally mean happy holidays — the emphasis on the holidays portion of the phrase. Beginning with Thanksgiving, there are many holidays celebrated within about a month. Some are religious, some aren’t. Happy holidays is easier than saying, “Happy Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year.”

(Of note: This year, Hanukkah will time almost exactly with Christmas, Dec. 24 through Jan. 1, 2017.)

In addition to those days, there are other holidays celebrated within Christianity by some groups and not others. Saint Nicholas Day is on Dec. 6 — that’s more an international holiday than a U.S. holiday, but some people here celebrate it. My brother’s in-laws celebrate “Little Christmas,” which is meant to celebrate and coincide with when the Three Wise Men delivered gifts to Jesus after his birth.

Then there’s “A Festivus for the rest of us.” It’s silly. It’s fun. It’s based on the Seinfeld sitcom. But some people — who are more fun than most of us — choose to celebrate it, however serious they may or may not be.

Am I worried about offending someone by saying “merry Christmas?” Of course not. No reasonable person is going to be offended that you offered them good wishes, no matter what faith or traditions they follow.

I’m not opposed to saying “merry Christmas.” I wish my Roman Catholic family and Christian friends a “merry Christmas” on the phone on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve. I know what they celebrate and I know that that is the day it’s celebrated. I may even walk around saying “merry Christmas” to strangers on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, because it’s an appropriate greeting on that day.

At the New Year, I wish people a “happy New Year.”

I’m not anti-Christmas. In fact, I have referred to myself as “Mr. Christmas” on more than one occasion because of my love of all things Christmas. I love Christmas lights (I prefer the big, multicolored bulbs), Christmas music (both religious and secular, my favorite being the Beach Boys’ Christmas Album), Christmas movies, Christmas presents, the whole Christmas tree experience (finding it, cutting it down, tying it to the roof of the car, decorating it), Christmas cookies (the cutout sugar cookie is my favorite cookie year round), stockings, midnight Mass (not available at our parish, but we still attend the evening Mass), we put up a nativity set every year in my home, and we have had advent calendars in the past.

But “happy holidays” is universal, and generally timeless while within the holiday season. It saves time and offers a nice wish of goodwill to those around you.

So why with the editorial, Mr. Christmas? I’ll tell you why — there are seasonal, cyclical things you can count on in life: 1. I will not meet my wife’s expectations on Valentine’s Day; 2. Too much hype will be made about green beer on St. Patrick’s Day; 3. Pumpkin spice and eggnog lattes will be everywhere beginning in September; and finally, somebody will rant about the “war on Christmas.”

The so-called “war on Christmas” doesn’t exist. It never did.

There’s no malice in saying “happy holidays.” It’s inclusive by nature. It’s meant to wish people well. But saying “merry Christmas” to prove a point, to spite political correctness, to own the holiday season for your religion… I’m not sure that goes with the overall spirit of Christmas. It seems selfish and arrogant and, in the case of going on a rant, aggressive.

There’s a spirit — a different sense of the world that many people take on — during the holidays. Call it the Christmas spirit, or holiday cheer, or too much wassailing — call it whatever you want, but we only get it for about a month every year. Let’s not wreck it by being selfish.

If you say “merry Christmas” to me and mine, thank you so much. If you say “happy Hanukkah,” thank you again. If you say “happy holidays,” thank you just the same. We’re all trying to navigate this planet, this life, this world and each other. I guess I’m just happy you thought enough to wish me well.

Happy holidays from the editor of The Vidette.