That's nice, you might say—well, depending on who you are. Because another 43% vehemently opposes this practice.

The study further breaks down responses by religion, political affiliation, and age:

• 62% of evangelical Protestants, 46% of mainline Protestants, and 44% of Catholics prefer the greeting “merry Christmas”
• 61% of Republicans prefer “merry Christmas” while 58% of Democrats say the opposite
• 66% of Americans age 18 to 29 support stores and businesses using a non-religious greeting, while only 39% of Americans aged 65 and older agree.

So far, most of this seems pretty predictable. Where it gets interesting is when respondents reveal exactly how they celebrate the season:

• 84% celebrate Christmas and no other holiday
• 6% celebrate Christmas plus another holiday, such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or winter solstice
• 6% celebrate some other holiday (Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or solstice) instead of Christmas
• 5% celebrate no holidays in December.

And most Americans who celebrate Christmas do so in a religious way: 59% attend religious services on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Nearly half of the respondents (49%) believe in the story of Christmas—virgin birth, star of Bethlehem, wise men and all.

So in spite of the fact that most Americans celebrate Christmas, 49% still prefer that you call it something more inclusive.

Like it or not, we're living in a more culturally diverse world than good old George Bailey. As insurance agents, you can recognize that simply by the makeup of your customer base, or among the young people you're trying to recruit.

So although the words may not be the same, from the looks of this study, the spirit is. I thought the coolest finding was that nearly 8 in 10 (77%) of Americans celebrating Christmas give to a charity or volunteer their time to help the needy as part of their celebration. And isn't that the bottom line in what's supposed to be a season of love?

Because in spite of thousands of years of different overlaid religious customs, the winter holiday season (there, I said it) has its roots deep in the solstice—that single longest, darkest night of the year when ancient man never thought he'd see the sun again. This festival of light we celebrate today as Christmas began as nothing but a leap of faith—the very human hope that no matter how long and dark the night, light would follow.

So in that spirit—I wish you a happy holiday, season's greetings, a joyous Christmas, and…

“Happy winter solstice, you old Building and Loan!”