The Christmas card I sent out as Blackburn's MP is a proper one. It was designed by Anna Souroullas (Year 3 of Holy Souls RC Primary School), who won a competition I organised with some Blackburn schools.

But it also has a proper message inside. "Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year".

I claim no pride of ownership in this message. After all it's what one should expect of a Christmas card. But I have just noticed - alas for the first time - that the card I sent out in my capacity as Foreign Secretary has the anodyne, non-Christmas message of "Season's Greetings".

And I was horrified to learn from an American friend at the weekend that in the circles in which she, at least, moves it is considered not quite the done thing even to wish people one does not know well "Merry Christmas", still less to send out "Christmas" cards saying so.

It's mad, in my opinion. And, in case you read certain national newspapers which imply that this kind of "politically correct" rubbish emanates from the Government, it doesn't.

Indeed, I'm not sure it comes from anyone in particular.

Instead, someone somewhere who is unsure about how to behave in our multiracial, multi-religious society which is Britain today thinks, wrongly, that offence might be taken if the "C" word is uttered too much when celebrating the birth of Christ.

They then make what they think are "safe" decisions which will cause no-one any offence like "Season's Greetings" or "winter festival"

So here, I suggest, are ten points for navigation in our society of many religions and none.

(1) We are still, overwhelmingly, a Christian society. Yes, the number of people who go regularly to church is relatively small, and many fewer than 30 or 50 years ago. But in the last Census 72% described themselves as "Christian". They didn't have to do so.

(2) We have a deep Christian heritage in our society, which underpins many of our institutions - including Parliament, and the law.

(3) Christmas and Easter are the two key Christian festivals.

(4) Taking Christ out of Christmas, and pretending that you can celebrate Christmas without any acknowledgement of the profound religious origin and power of the festival is simply wrong. We live in a free country. If someone wants to celebrate Saturnalia - the pagan winter festival - that's fine, but don't pretend it's Christmas.

(5) Those of the Muslim faith recognise Christ, not as a Saviour, but certainly as a prophet, just as they recognise Abraham, and most of what followed is the Judeo-Christian tradition. Muslims respect the Christian religion, and our key festivals; just as in the UK we respect the Muslims' Eid, and their need for Hajj or pilgrimage.

(6) Those religions other than Islam also respect our festivals, just as we respect the Hindu Diwali, for example. Why shouldn't we? I've never heard any Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jew, Buddhist or follower of any other religion deny the Christian basis of Christmas.

(7) There have always been extremists in every religious tradition. We had the Crusades, effectively unprovoked, sustained and brutal assaults, on Islam, and centuries of anti-Semitism. (We also had centuries too of bloodshed between different Christian denominations.)

(8) But by and large most religious believers are very tolerant of believers in other religions, and that is especially true in this country.

(9) So we don't have to drop to any lowest common denominator of belief or non-belief. There's space for respect and celebration of all religions in our society.

(10) Happy Christmas.