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The Christmas season is upon us. People of all ages are making wish lists — in their minds, if not actually writing them down. So here's a brief list of some of my wishes.

First, I wish that all this furor over Christmas itself would melt, thaw and resolve itself into a dew. I'm no religious zealot, but people who object to the very word "Christmas" and traditional yuletide decorations such as Christmas trees and creche scenes and even Santa Claus, are just going too damned far.

Separating church and state is one thing, but trying to kill our national celebration of Christmas is quite another.

The anti-Christmas protesters claim that they are acting in the name of diversity, and that many Americans are not Christian and may be offended by our flaunting the holiday in their faces. But does that mean we have to banish Santa Claus and take down the Christmas lights?

Toleration works both ways, and a holiday based on joy shouldn't get anybody's nose out of joint. Besides, most of the symbols that we associate with Christmas aren't Christian at all. When Christmas trees were first introduced into the U.S., back in the 19th century, many devout Christians were aghast at this obviously pagan symbol.

But, being Americans, we adopted the evergreen tree and lots of other symbols and made them all a part of our Christmas festivities. This nation embraces all cultures; we grow by accepting the ways of others and making them part of our own. Think about that the next time you order a pizza, or a bratwurst, or a burrito.

Besides, Christmas is a major retail event. In the world of commerce, Christmas is important. Take away the Christmas shopping spree and many businesses, large and small, would make a dash for bankruptcy court.

So let's celebrate Christmas with all the trimmings, and invite our neighbors of other faiths to join in the fun — and the shopping. See you at the mall, and bring the kids so they can tell Santa Claus what they want to find under the tree on the big day.

Second, I would love to see term limits applied to every elective office in the land, federal, state and local.

When this nation began, men accepted public office as an obligation, a service that they performed often at great personal expense. But today we have a class of professional politicians, men and women who go from law school into political office and stay in office perpetually. To them, politics is not just a job, it's a way of life. In some cases, they even have their children installed in office.

We do not need lifetime politicians, nor political dynasties. Once a politician wins election, it is very difficult for someone to unseat the incumbent. How many senators and congressmen (and women) have been in office for term after term, losing touch with everything except the political infighting on Capitol Hill?

Benjamin Franklin saw it clearly. He said, "In free governments the rulers are the servants, and the people their superiors and sovereigns. ... It would be imposing an unreasonable burden on (elected officials) to keep them always in a state of servitude and not allow them to become again one of the masters."

Crafty old Ben would be shocked and dismayed at today's political scene, where politicians remain in office practically for life. And what politician of today regards himself as the servant of the people?

Term limits will end this perpetual office-holding. It will break the numbing power of the incumbency. It will force new blood into the political process, a thing devoutly to be desired. When opponents to term limits cry that it will force experienced people out of office and leave us bereft of their wisdom, I simply take a look at the messes we see at every level of government. If that's the result of incumbents' wisdom and experience, I say let's get some newcomers elected.

Speaking of politics, aren't you tired of the vicious partisanship that is befouling our national discourse?

Back when Harry Truman was president, the common wisdom in Washington was that "politics stops at the water's edge" — meaning that partisan politics should not be involved in debating and formulating foreign policy.

Vietnam changed that. Today, politicians on both sides of the aisle are using the war in Iraq and other foreign policy issues as weapons with which to attack the other side. The viciousness of these attacks is unworthy of the high offices held by the attackers.

Debate the issues, yes, of course. But the bitter rancor flowing out of Washington has little to do with the issues. It is principally aimed at winning next year's congressional elections, and the presidential race in 2008.

I'd rather see the politicians throw pies in each other's faces than listen to the opportunistic viciousness that is corroding our political discourse.

Finally, I wish the federal government would remove its impediments to stem cell research. To his credit, President Bush is the only president who has allowed any federal funding for stem cell research. But it's not enough, and it's not right that the narrow views of religious fundamentalists should have a stranglehold on Washington's support of scientific research.

If the right-wing fundamentalists want to support the "right to life" why are they condemning uncounted millions of people to deaths that could be avoided?

Stem cell research holds the promise of ending many diseases that annually kill millions, such as diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and even cancer. Stem cell research may be able to reverse aging, and to regrow limbs or organs that have been damaged by injury or disease.

The objection that the White House raises is that a viable fetus must be destroyed to get the needed stem cells. The fact that the fetuses used are going to be destroyed doesn't seem to penetrate the skulls of the objectors. Those fetuses were produced in fertility clinics and are discarded anyway.

Well, biologists are finding ways of obtaining stem cells without destroying the fetus. Perhaps that can make everyone happy. In the meantime, let's go Christmas shopping!

Naples resident Ben Bova is the author of more than 100 books, including "Mercury," the latest novel in his acclaimed Grand Tour series. His Web site address is www.benbova.net.