Christ gets Canada Post's stamp of approval

Ottawa Citizen ^ | 12/07/05 | Jenny Jackson

[Heartofsong83]

Christ gets Canada Post's stamp of approval

Religious imagery is making a comeback this Christmas season, writes Jenny Jackson.

Jenny Jackson, The Ottawa Citizen Published: Wednesday, December 07, 2005

For the first time, Canada Post is selling religious and secular Christmas stamps, hoping to appease "both camps" in the treacherous crossfire over holiday terminology.

Next year, it will offer three secular stamps and one religious one.

Canada Post released three stamps with Nativity scenes and one snowman stamp in November, just two months after the Catholic Women's League of Canada asked its members to lobby Canada Post, the prime minister, the revenue minister and their MPs for a stamp that depicted Jesus' birth.

Agnes Bedard, the league's national president, says she has no idea how many people wrote to their MP, but, with 1,350 league councils across Canada, probably quite a few.

All the stamps had been on the drawing board for the better part of a year, so the release and the league's resolution were a coincidence. Still, an e-mail was circulated widely this week, saying:

"Dear friends,

"If you have not yet bought any postage stamps for this Christmas mailing, please ask for the stamps with the Nativity Scene on them as opposed to the ones with the Snowman.

"Canada Post, under pressure from Christian groups, such as the Catholic Women's League of Canada, has agreed to provide this series of stamps for 2005, but will not release a religiously oriented stamp in future years if sales of this series are not high enough. Keep Christ in Christmas when you buy your stamps.

"Thank you and God Bless."

Canada Post spokesman Cindy Daoust says she spoke to the league to clarify that Canada Post did not create the stamps "under pressure" nor would it necessarily drop them.

But she acknowledged that having both themes this year is a "recognition that people celebrate different aspects of the holidays. Canada Post is a business, and it is smart business to please both camps."

She could not provide sales figures, but Canada Post ordered 40 million of the 50-cent snowman, printed with holographic stamping to give it a little sparkle, 20 million of the 50-cent creche scene, and 7.5 million each of the 85 cent and $1.45 Nativity stamps.

The creches are all derived from Nativity scenes done by Canadian artists and installed in a collection of almost 1,000 at Saint-Joseph's Oratory in Montreal.

In 2002, the Christmas stamps showed aboriginal scenes of Jesus and Mary; in 2003, it was Christmas presents. Last year, the theme was Santa Claus parades.

So were the two themes this year a result of lobbying? More of an "evolution," says Ms. Daoust. Next year, three stamps will feature Christmas cards, and a fourth will depict a Madonna and child.

For years, news reports were filled with reports of Nativity scenes banned from public places, and requirements that salutations of "Merry Christmas" be changed to "Happy Holidays" or the truly bizarre "Sparkle Season."

But this year, a militant backlash is gaining momentum. Mrs. Bedard said North Americans have finally objected to 'holiday tree' and 'season's greetings.'

"It was a challenge to those of us who really believe ... We're not going to call it a 'holiday.' Christmas is His birthday."

The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's organization, has a campaign across North America called Keep the Christ in Christmas, lobbying for public creche scenes and -- yes -- religious stamps.

A book by Fox News commentator John Gibson, called The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday is Worse Than You Thought, is selling briskly, even in Canada.

But media writer Neil Gabler, a regular Fox panelist, wondered recently whether the entire controversy isn't snowballing .

He said to the host on a recent Fox program: "We are at war. There's (the humanitarian crisis in) Darfur. There's an AIDS crisis. And you're worried about whether people are saying 'Merry Christmas' or not? ... What world do you live in?"

© The Ottawa Citizen 2005

[Heartofsong83]

Last weekend, I was in downtown Ottawa and there were only 2 stores (out of 15 I visited, never went into the Rideau Centre) that tried to hide the word Christmas. Also, in the Byward Market (the place I least expected it), there was a Christian group handing out information and getting good popularity. This all in the downtown core!!!

Liberals may control the media and the elitists (such as the bogus polls lately) but not reality.

[Canadian Outrage]

That IS good news!!

[Heartofsong83]

It was like a shock to me...that was in downtown Ottawa of all places!! Then again, if the latest polling numbers (Ontario incredibly polarized - Conservatives with a lead of nearly 20 points in eastern Ontario) hold up, we could virtually sweep the 613 area code...

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=d516f0a0-f822-42da-92ef-4c084cccddb0

[Cindy]

CHRISTMAS
http://www.truthusa.com/CHRISTmas.html

[Ashamed Canadian]

12+ million are Roman Catholic. I haven't included the Orthodox Catholics in that number. I am exagerrating a little though, I admit.