An editor urged copy editors at The News & Observer to avoid seasonal cliches such as "’Tis the season" and "Deck the halls." I am all in favor of writers coming up with interesting new turns of phrase, but sometimes one man’s cliche is another man’s cultural lifebuoy.
John McIntyre’s list is the source for my colleague’s self-declared "war on Christmas."
This article was originally posted by the Raleigh News & Observer, a subsidiary of The McClatchy Co.; is posted here to provide continuity; and is copyright © 2011 The News & Observer Publishing Company, which reserves the right to remove this post.