The Philadelphia Inquirer seems to get the Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays thing just about right.

Christmas and Cultural Diversity Let's celebrate, not fight

The only point I disagree with is the following:

You see, in American culture, Christmas does double duty.

It long ago became a secular holiday, too, with all the reindeer-laden trimmings. In this secular feast, the powerful narrative of incarnation and salvation lingers only in attenuated form.

Christmas now serves as the epicenter of a vague, but pleasant civil religion of good will, sentiment and generosity.

Christmas was was celebrated for 1500-2000 years as a strictly religious holiday before becoming a "secular feast". By definition, they are saying that secular forces usurped the traditions of the religious to fit their own desires of what the holiday "should" be like.

I do not believe that those that practice "secular Christmas" have any right to claim the holiday from the Church that inspired it in the first place.