Editor:

I'm an extremely minuscule minority in Chilliwack. I'm Jewish. So please let me chime in with a perspective on why I think the word "Christmas" should stand as the banner that this winter holiday is flown under:

1. 94 per cent of all Canadians celebrate Christmas (yes, even many ethnic and religious minorities);

2. Christmas is a global holiday and it's estimated that 45 per cent of the world celebrates it (included in that number are the 32 per cent of the world's population who identify themselves as Christians);

3. It's a tradition in this country before we were even a country;

4. Because the actual reason for the holiday is Christmas;

5. Actual Christmas generates massive retail and service revenue in our country that would cripple us if the holiday were diminished;

6. Christmas generates a wave of charitable giving second to none;

7. The same society and celebrates Christmas opened doors of freedom to Jews and other minorities unlike anything we've ever experienced;

8. Lastly, and just as important as all the rest, we all need to continue to value Christmas as an answer to the very few individuals that place no value on the desires of their fellow Canadians, our rich Canadian heritage and traditions, or the need to feed the spirit. These few individuals seem to think that they're better than a democratic system and would push their narrowmindedness on all of us. It won't stop with this silly Christmas controversy, that's for sure. It really is a form of bigotry and intolerance--and this is from someone who has actual experience on the short end of this stick, not someone who read books about it in a university class.

Perhaps when 94 per cent of our country are atheists or opposed to Christmas then we can think of shuffling some religious holidays around. In the meantime, I hope that these people take an egg nog-flavoured chill pill. Furthermore, I'm tired of these people saying that the reason they want to outlaw the term "Christmas" in any official manner is because of us minorities, which is completely a lie. A lie which only hides their own personal agendas and even worse spawns a wave of prejudice and hate each Christmas season as people blame us for the controversy!

So, from a Hanukkah celebrating Chilliwack Jew I say Merry Christmas to all of you and a Happy New Year!

Yaakov Levy Moreh,

Chilliwack