For most of the westernized world, we have just exited the Christmas season, a time when the C-word is regularly used in oral and written business communications. While many other nations have a considerably smaller Christian representation than in the U.S., ‘Christmas’ is clearly accepted by most non-Christians as a cultural phenomenon associated with Santa Claus and good deeds.

December's QuickPoll asked visitors to lacp.com whether U.S. business' aversion to 'Christmas' and adoption of more generic 'holiday' verbiage was a step too far in trying not to offend.

41% of respondents believe that 'Christmas' is a term that is generic enough not to offend. However, nearly 36% of voters do feel that ‘Christmas’ references are offensive to non-Christians. The remaining 23% of PR pros didn't care what is said; either 'Christmas' or 'holiday' felt appropriate to them.

So, while technically the greatest number of respondents felt that 'Christmas' terminology was appropriate, it's clear that to many Americans--more than a third of all respondents--the term is truly perceived as being offensive. For any organization looking not to offend, that’s a sizable audience to consider.

TAKEAWAY: While it's an inarguable statistic that more than four in five Americans identify themselves as Christian, it's clear that even a large percentage of this group is concerned about offending through the use of ‘Christmas’ in their communications. Whether or not this is an 'over-sensitivity' is really not clear or arguable; it's rather subjective. Making the waters even murkier is the question of whether talking about the 'holiday' instead of 'Christmas' is offensive to those strongly preferring the traditional term.

What is clear is that when it comes to today’s business communications, many PR pros prefer err on the side of caution according to the precepts of political correctness. A ‘pro-Christmas’ backlash of those who find the ‘holiday’ term offensive has not yet occurred. Whether or not there eventually will be one remains to be seen.

JANUARY'S QUICKPOLL: Who's your spokesperson for incidental interviews?