I’ve seen the sign a few times in recent weeks as I've traveled throughout the county, or some version of it anyway. “I say Merry Christmas, not happy holidays,” it says.

Once I even saw it on a car that also bore a sticker with a four-letter word that we won't print in a family newspaper. “F--- your feelings.”

An interesting juxtaposition, don't you think? To simultaneously show contempt for others' feelings while so blatantly expressing one's own?

Regardless of where it's popped up or the exact wording, the sentiment has been fairly clear: this person somehow missed the eight different times in the Bible where Christians are called upon to love thy neighbor.

In this case, I'm being rather literal. Sullivan County's religious make-up is fairly diverse, and chances are good that someone on your street does not celebrate Christmas.

An exact breakdown of the religions of the county's population is hard to come by, but by some estimates 5.6 percent of the people who live here — my neighbors and yours — practice Judaism. These folks who are celebrants of Hanukkah during this holiday season make up the second largest contingent of people practicing any one religion in the county — second only to Catholics who represent 19.9 percent of the population.

Of course those who are right this moment in the midst of celebrating the miracle of a small amount of oil lighting the menorah in the Temple for eight whole nights aren't alone in not celebrating Christmas.

Another 3.9% of Sullivan County residents celebrate Islam, and another 2.9% are of an eastern faith.

Together these numbers represent 12.4% of the county — people who volunteer in our fire departments, work on our road crews, make food in our restaurants, treat illness in our doctor's offices, teach our children. These are our friends and our neighbors.

And it's for their feelings, feelings that we should all value, that I wish you all a very happy holiday.