With the elections over and the semester almost done, many of us turn our attention to the holiday season. It may have been easy to overlook with so much energy going into the campaign, but holiday displays started to pop up about a month ago. It seems that every year retailers scramble to be the first out with their Christmas displays, resulting in a holiday season that now includes Halloween and Thanksgiving.

It’s also true that often times you’ll see an article criticizing the fact that retailers are so quick to put up holiday specials when we haven’t even gotten through Halloween. Not me — I’m more of the opinion that if the market demands it, the shrewd businessman will supply. Besides, there are other issues involved — not the least of which is the fact that the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year. If retailers want to give time off on Thanksgiving so employees can be with their families, they very well have to start early in their preparations for what is really the retailer’s happiest time of year.

So what makes the holiday season special in America? Aside from the fact that we tend to be a little more stressed and the finances can be difficult, we do get to spend quality time with the family. It seems to me that whether you are celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, the winter solstice or just the time off, the holiday season is a needed change of pace in our year.

More importantly, though, we have come to recognize this period from Halloween to New Year’s Day as the holiday season rather than just the Christmas season. Though for a majority it remains the Christmas season, we do recognize the fact that there are many religions that hold significant holidays during this time.

What better place for all of us to come together and recognize the importance of family, belief and values than in America? No matter what your faith or belief system, the holiday season in America offers something for you. For the secular side, there’s the time off work or school; time with family; gifts and lots of food that’s bad for you. For the religious side, there is such diversity in opportunities to attend religious ceremonies that it’s impossible to not have a place to fit in.

Hopefully, there won’t be the usual bickering between people trying to claim the holiday season for one religion over another. I have seen it happen in the past; for example, I remember hearing arguments about whether or not the campus administration should light up a Christmas tree in front of Beardshear, since it’s seen as a Christian symbol. I’ve also heard harsh criticisms of using “X-mas” rather than “Christmas” or calling it the Holiday concert rather than the Christmas concert.

Personally, I don’t feel the need to take a position either way on any of these issues. I’m more concerned about keeping the holiday season alive. From Christmas trees to menorahs, from Santa Clause to eggnog, from “Frosty the Snowman” to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” let’s not ruin a fine American tradition of celebrating peace on Earth and good will toward all by bickering about which religious symbols are important for the public forum.

Enjoy the holiday concert, even if you’re upset that “We Three Kings” won’t be sung, because your kid, your sibling, your cousin or your friend is singing. It’s not the content that is important; it’s the time with family and friends. The holiday season is a time for all of us to come together as a community, and in America we must always remember and celebrate the fundamental diversity the holiday season brings with it.