The other day I received a card wishing me Holiday Greetings. That caused me to think about some of the words we ordinarily use during the Christmas season. Think of Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays for example.

Happy is defined as pleasant, pleased, and gratified. Holiday is a day commemorated with festivities and is a day on which one is exempted from work. Does that still work?

Greetings are simply “salutations.” So Holiday greetings are salutations sent for the day you are exempted from work!

Merry means full of gaiety or high spirits. I’m not sure we can use that anymore. What is your gender and have you been drinking too much?

Festive is another holiday word. It means joyous or gay. There’s that problem again! What have we done with our language?

Yes, I know I am taking this all too far. What do you expect from a lawyer who is also a wordsmith? An author? OK. Stop that already. Just enjoy the season

Just remember we are celebrating the birth of our Savior—one that saves you from danger or destruction. Jesus Christ. Yes, it says Jesus in the Webster’s Dictionary!

So have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, and festive Season.