Posted on 12/07/2005 10:37:34 AM PST by bulldozer
RALEIGH, North Carolina -- The attack on Christmas has become a hot topic this holiday season. There have been debates over Christmas trees, Christmas songs and even Christmas colors. But now the battle over the phrase “Merry Christmas” in stores has some retailers thinking twice.
For many shoppers, the Christmas season means more than just Happy Holidays.
“I'd rather hear Merry Christmas -- that's what time of season it is," said one shopper.
"I think it should be Merry Christmas -- it's always been that -- I think it means more to people to recognize that time and use the phrase of ‘Merry Christmas,’" another said.
But all across the country, some retailers are replacing "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays" out of fear of offending non-Christians.
That has some holiday shoppers, like Karen Muse of Kill Devil Hills, NC, outraged.
"We just complained at Sears and also at another store because we'd heard that on the news this morning and said that we were very upset that they weren't saying Merry Christmas just in the traditional senses," Muse said.
Many times it's Christians who are leading the fight.
Patrick Wooden is the pastor of Upper Room Church in Raleigh, NC. He said, "I think it is the work of the church, it is our God-given calling to fight back and to say, ‘We're not taking it anymore.’"
Wooden has made a list and he's checking it twice, singling out stores where Merry Christmas is excluded.
“In this area, Wal Mart, Target, Home Depot, stores like that. Sears," he said.
Also on Wooden's naughty list of offenders are companies that refused to mention Christmas in their advertising, such as Kroger, Office Max, and Walgreen’s, Staples, JC Penney, Dell, and Best Buy.
Wooden has launched a massive ad campaign encouraging people to shop at stores that say "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays."
"We're encouraging believers to reward those businesses that display ‘Merry Christmas’ with their shopping dollars," he said.
Wooden's media blitz includes television, radio, and newspaper ads. He said he is conducting the campaign because too many retailers are trying to make Christmas money without acknowledging Christmas.
“They have a platform that Merry Christmas and Christ gave them, so now that they've extracted Christ from it, I believe one or two things is going to happen: They're either going to allow Christ to attend his own birthday party again or they're going to have the party without the Christian buying public. And 96 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas -- that's a big number."
CBN News contacted Target stores for comment -- they released the following statement:
"We do not have a policy that dictates how our team members greet guests. Our team members are able to use their own judgment in offering a welcome greeting."
We also contacted Wal-Mart, who told us they had no "official" policy on how employees are to greet customers during this holiday season.
Wooden said they may say that, but he's found it often depends on where you live and the policy of the local stores.
Excluding the name "Christmas" in the holiday has become so widespread that it prompted Fox News Channel's John Gibson to write a book about it.
"They're expressing such a deep animosity towards Christians and Christmas that they can't even bear to hear the words ‘Merry Christmas’ or bear to see a Christmas tree," Gibson said.
Gibson said many of the attacks are the coordinated work of secular, liberal groups.
"Groups like Americans United for Separation of Church and State -- Barry Lynn's group -- the ACLU’s muscle, they're usually the ones," he said.
But mounting pressure from Christian consumers is making a difference.
“The local Dillards, one of their representatives, they didn't say it to me in an official capacity, the person said before the campaign last year their sales were flat. But when they displayed Merry Christmas after the ad came out in the paper, their sales tripled, and he attributed the growth of the sales to the campaign,” Gibson said.
Other stores are coming back to Merry Christmas as well. After consumer backlash last year over its policy forbidding employees to wish shoppers "Merry Christmas," Macy's is making sure its new Christmas message is seen with a full- page ad.
And those so-called "Holiday Trees" at Lowe's Home Improvement stores, well, the are Christmas trees once again.
But Gibson said the battle is far from over.
"If you take the religion out of it, somebody is going to be able to say there's no real reason to have this at all, let's just make it all go away,” he said.
As the war on Christmas rages on, some retailers may end up regretting their decision to ban the greeting Merry Christmas from their stores. It turns out some Americans feel so strongly about the phrase they have decided to spend their Christmas dollars where Merry Christmas is still in season.
IMHO, After years of political correctness gone mad, 2005 should be remembered as the year when consumers finally said ENOUGH already..
Just sitting here musing.
Also they are usually a little cheaper and I've never had a shipping problem.
Merry Christmas Gamers!!!!
Merry Christmas to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And to ALL, a good night!!! :-)
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