I know there is considerable diversity in the USA.

> Seems you are looking for an ideal world . If you find it, please let me know..

Not looking for it so much as wanting to do what I can to move towards it...

> I haven't heard where folks are risking their lives to move and live in other countries.

You are kidding - right?

That is interesting, I didn't know that Christmas had spread to the east (along with pop music and hollywood movies etc).

>> 'America is a Christian nation'. That statement seems to exclude people of other faiths (Jewish, Islam, Buddist etc) from being 'proper' Americans.

> I am starting to wonder exactly where you live. Because if you lived in the USA, you would know there are Islam mosques, Jewish Synagogues...

I was responding to your comment 'America is a Christian nation'. I was wondering what you meant by that. The majority? With respect to (some) statutary holidays?

I guess I just wonder why in the face of such religious diversity the statutary holidays continue to be the christian notion of christmas. This isn't just about the USA (as I said) the same is true of England, Ireland, Scotland, Whales, Canada, New Zealand, Australia etc...

So...

This isn't at all about who has the 'best' country, it is about an ideal country... If you could create statutary holidays from scratch... How would you do it?

> Of course Christmas is a worldwide holiday.

It seems to be spreading along with western pop culture more generally.

> To replace a worldwide Merry Christmas with a Merry Solstice would not be taken lightly by many.

Would people who are christian take it as an attack on their faith, do you think? Would people not be able to understand that the intention would be to have statutary holidays that were neutral between faiths? Remember, I'm not saying that people shouldn't be allowed to celebrate christmas anymore than I'm saying that people shouldn't be allowed to celebrate whatever they jolly well feel like. I was just suggesting that the statutary holidays be neutral with respect to religion.

> I believe those that want to say Merry Solstice has that right. But I also believe those who want to say Merry Christmas should also have that right.

Of course...

> It rather irks me when my religious beliefs and/or traditions are attacked and when my beliefs are protested against only to be replaced by other’s beliefs.

Is that what you perceive me to be suggesting?

> As Muslim women have the right to wear her hajib and veil...

Yeah. Though have you heard some of the controversy over whether children should be allowed to wear them in schools? Controversy was in France initially, I think, though I've heard it is being picked up on around the world.