I believe that Jesus is, and should be the reason for the season. And it is disheartening to see that there are those that don't like to even say His name- even if it's in the word Christmas. Imagine millions celebrating your birthday, but you are not invited. I try to say Merry Christmas, but I'm not religious about it, sometimes I say Happy Holidays. But yes it bothers me if a store or a person won't say Merry Christmas BECAUSE of their disrespect for Christ. But no I wouldn't boycott them over it, they are not forced to believe or be followers of Christ. But if they did something like burn a nativity scene to express themselves, then I would boycott. But in a place I worked once a catholic priest came in all the time. He seemed upset that I would call him 'sir' instead of "Father'. One day he asked me why, and I told him plainly, "Because you are not my Father- I have one Father and He is in heaven." But how would I feel if he tried to force me to say those words that he wanted me to say? I would feel like I didn't have a right to freewill- which God gave us all. Did he quit coming into my work? No. We need to be tolerant of people because it is peace and love that give hope of someone making the right freewill choice- they will never make it by force.
I sometimes write xmas when I can't fit the whole word. There is nothing wrong with abbreviations. If someone don't know, they will still ask what it means- which would give a christian an opportunity to tell someone about Christ. And if someone does know what it means, I believe they think the same things they would have thought if it were spelled out. I think a christian's influence is greatly going to outweigh the effectiveness of an abbreviated word. Besides, an x or a t is still a cross- which is the symbol of Christ and Christianity. But as with the cross or any other idol, it is nothing, all that matters is the meaning behind it. For example, I can care less if a bible is leather and paper, or electronic text- all that matter is the meaning of the words- not the actual words or what ever it is printed on, or what font, or what abbreviation.