So let’s just get this out of the way: You have every right to express your religious beliefs by wishing people a merry Christmas/happy Hanukkah/happy Kwaanza/merry solstice or whatever winter holiday your faith might celebrate. I would never say that doing so is bad, wrong, or illegal. It’s not.

But here’s the thing: Let’s say you celebrate Christmas, and get a newsletter from someone who wishes her entire reading audience a warm and relaxing Hanukkah. That message doesn’t apply to you. It might roll off your back, or it might rankle a bit. But regardless of your reaction, the person who sent that newsletter chose to focus on her own faith and passively exclude others. And chose to do so during a time of year when it’s universally acknowledged that multiple faiths are engaged in celebration.

It’s virtually impossible to say anything to any group of people that will make every single one of them feel included. You can never predict how others will react to what you say, and inevitably someone in your customer base or audience will call you out for omitting their preferences or beliefs. I acknowledge that trying to please everyone is a losing battle.

But here’s why you should consider using holiday-neutral language in your December communications:

You’ll alienate fewer people

Again, you can’t make every individual recipient of your newsletter feel entirely understood and included. But by sticking to a single-faith message of holiday cheer, you WILL be omitting people. Unless your audience consists of a single mosque congregation or bible study group, there’s a very, very strong chance you’re addressing people of multiple faiths. Being neutral means you’re less likely to piss off the folks who don’t share your own faith.

You’ll show your readers that you value them, no matter what they believe

I’m sure some will disagree with me, but I think that choosing to focus on whichever winter holiday you celebrate implies that your holiday is the most important one. And maybe you believe that, which is your right. But when readers or customers make that connection, they may feel like you’re saying, “My faith is the right faith, so I prefer to act as if it is the only faith.” And they may unsubscribe or stop buying your products. By sticking to holiday-neutral messaging, you are subtly telling your audience that they’re welcome and important no matter what they do or don’t believe.

You’ll quietly push back against religious intolerance

A friend of mine hosts a late-night radio talk show in Chicago. Last year around this time, she said something along the lines of, “I just don’t understand why people insist on being so specific. Would it kill you to say ‘happy holidays’ instead of ‘merry Christmas’?”

Know what happened? She got death threats. She got doxxed. She got a giant, angry, terrifying dose of religious intolerance.

Now she’s in a prominent media position that makes her a more appealing target for trolling. If you send your monthly emails to 250 people who’ve bought your handmade soaps, you’re a LOT less likely to get this type of backlash. But the mere fact that my friend was met with such rage for simply suggesting holiday-neutral language illustrates how closed-minded people are allowing themselves to become.

The things that people do, think, and believe cover a mind-blowing gamut. Prove to your audience that you’ve got room in your reality for their ideas, right alongside your own.