Applause for Christmas Decor at Fashion Island

I am deeply offended by the “political correctness” decision of the news media to purge the word Christmas this year and to substitute for it the word holiday .

Every sentence is now reconstructed to pander to those they mistakenly assume would be offended. Christmas shopping is now called “holiday shopping,” and Christmas presents are now referred to as “holiday gifts.” Even Christmas carols are labeled “holiday tunes.”

And it’s not just in the news. Movie critic Roger Ebert recommends putting a videotape under the “holiday tree.” Must we pervert the English language in this way?

Shopping malls have caved in, too. Their Christmas catalogues now have titles such as “Holiday 1991.” Fashion Island in Newport Beach did away with its famous 100-foot Christmas tree and replaced it with puny “community trees.” In shopping malls, TV commercials and print ads, the word Christmas is conspicuously absent.

When sales drop off, they’ll blame the recession, never realizing that chipping away at the Christmas feeling diminishes the spirit of gift exchange. And when they lose that, sales will plummet in any economy. Maybe then the retailers will reject the media’s lead and re-embrace the spirit of Christmas as good for their wallets and the national heart.

THOMAS JENSEN, Newport Beach