For some admirable stalwarts, December 25 is, and always will be, about remembering the birth of Christ and all that Christianity has done for us. Good on them, I say. I sometimes wish I shared the same sense of faith and conviction.
But Christmas for most of us is about time off work, time with our families and enjoying the sense of joy and wellbeing that comes as a result of that.
So why not be happy about Christmas?
Much has been made of the decision of Auckland Regional Migrant Services - supported by Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy - to avoid the word "Christmas" for fear of excluding non-Christians.
The issue is something I feel strongly about so sorry, folks, here's yet another opinion on the matter.
The great thing about New Zealand is that we are not just multicultural and flush with religions of all kinds (including the "no kind"), but we generally have a really cool Kiwi way of embracing diversity.
As a kid, I was brought up believing in an Indian guru called Sai Baba. Every Thursday 20 Indians gathered in our front room and we sang songs about him. Every other day I happily attended chapel at my Christian school and sang songs about Jesus.
Perhaps that's not entirely typical but it is indicative of a fabulous spiritual flexibility that exists in New Zealand. Our colonial foundations were built on forging a new way instead of following the old, and the Treaty of Waitangi (despite its many flaws) has seen a commitment to fostering the interests of more than one culture.
Recent and increasing migration has added to the racial and religious melting pot and the net result (among open-minded people at least) is an "anything goes" attitude where everyone has the right to believe in and celebrate what they want.
So why get all PC about it and worry that we might offend a small minority of very lucky folks who now get to call this country "home" by celebrating a tradition that plays a major part of our cultural heritage?
When most of us say "Happy Christmas" it has nothing to do with Christianity. And even when it does, very few of us are meaning it in a way intended to cause offence to those who believe in something else.
It's disappointing when people pander to the tiny minority and are prepared to drop a tradition that is very special to most Kiwis for fear of that massive 21st century social crime - causing offence.
I'd like to think most of us here in this beautiful country are secure enough in our own beliefs that we can accept other people maintaining their own.
For many new migrants, that sort of attitude is what makes New Zealand such a desirable and safe place to call home, and so different from the home they have left behind.
What makes us different is also what makes us special, so instead of homogenising our cultural and religious diversity in New Zealand with talk of "happy holidays", let's just be sure to add "happy Hanukkah" and "happy Ramadan" to our uniquely flexible lexicon.
Eva Bradley is a photographer and columnist.
