Pew Research Center has released their 2017 Christmas findings, and the results say much about who we are as the American people. Some aspects of the report have remained consistent, like the fact that 90% of Americans celebrate Christmas, but there are many trends reported that have much to say about religion and public life in our country. For starters, this year’s report undermines the liberal claim that America is no longer a Judeo-Christian country; our passion for Christmas is still rooted in this nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage, whether the Left likes it or not. This assertion is supported by the fact that not only do 90% of Americans celebrate Christmas, but that 55% of Americans surveyed celebrate it as a “religious holiday” and include religious services as part of their celebration.

Further, a full 66% of Americans believe that Jesus Christ was, in fact, born to a virgin mother and 57% of the public believes the Biblical account of Christ’s incarnation in its entirety. These are hardly the numbers that the Freedom From Religion Foundation would want flaunted around too much in the media. Across the spectrum, we Americans are still a religious people, but that does not disguise the fact that there are troubling trends in the Pew report as well.

While solid majorities of Americans still celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, and believe the key tenets of the Christmas story, those numbers are softening. The 55% of Americans who celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday that I referenced, above, was 59% just four short years ago. The 66% who believe in Jesus’s virgin birth was 73% in 2014. These trends, if not reversed, will not only change our American celebration of Christmas, but will alter our identity as a people.

I believe that respect for Christmas as a religious holiday can be restored by restoring public respect for the holiday in general. It should not be considered taboo to say Merry Christmas, nor should nativity scenes and menorahs be banned from public spaces. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from faith. This cultural revolution must be led by each of us who refuse to forget the reason for the season, or allow the PC police to rob us of our holiday cheer. The President of the United States has decided it’s ok to say Merry Christmas at the White House this year, and I think it’s more than fine for us to say it at our houses, places of work, or at Wal-Mart.

There is nothing wrong with wishing someone Happy Hanukkah or Happy Holidays, either, but we shouldn’t allow the phrase “Merry Christmas” to be considered controversial. It’s part of who we are as a people.

Merry Christmas, America!