On this day celebrating the birth of Jesus 2,021 years ago, let’s imagine he has a new book out. The Bible has done so well over the past couple thousand years, he has decided to do a sequel. Released for the holidays, he’s making the rounds on talk shows and podcasts to plug the latest work.

Interviewers pester him for insights into the future and challenge him to end the pandemic. Others want to delve into the secrets of his past. Jesus keeps steering these conversations back to book two’s core message of peace and harmony. He says loving, caring and sharing between all people no matter their religion, color, sexual orientation or nationality are the keys not only to individual happiness, but also to mankind’s future.

He admits this new book draws heavily on the text of the Bible, but says he has streamlined and clarified things for a modern audience. Though his agent warned him, Jesus is dumbfounded by how partisan the world remains. So many people want him to endorse their side and condemn all others. He offers to broker peace, to teach societies how to get along, but it turns out that’s not what sells books.

This holiday daydream was inspired by the debate over whether to greet each other this time of year with “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays.” Call it a long-winded way of asking, “what would Jesus say?” Our guess is that both would be fine with him.

How did America get to the point where the style of greeting a person utters identifies them as an ally or an enemy? Have Americans become so thin-skinned, so preoccupied building fences that they feel the need to draw such lines in the sand and snow? Anybody who does not share the same beliefs is not worth our time or aloha? Is that where we are as a country? If so, Lord help us.

Multicultural Maui has a history of inclusion and acceptance. In a place where actions are considered more important than how a person looks and talks, diversity has become a strength, not a liability. While Maui people may not always agree or share the same backgrounds, more times than not, they find a way to work together for the good of all. What a Christmas gift it would be if Maui could share this with the rest of the world.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, Happy Holidays and even Bah Humbug. No matter how you celebrate, here’s wishing you the very best this festive season. Even in the middle of a pandemic that seems determined to go on forever, there are many things to be grateful for. We all should be able to agree on that.