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Posted on 12/10/2005 7:00:21 AM PST by NYer
Washington DC, Dec. 09, 2005 (CNA) - Intervening in the heated debate about the mention of Christmas on the public square, Concerned Women for America (CWA) presented a first Christmas list showing which businesses are honouring the Reason for the Season (the birth of Jesus), which ones are not, and which have mixed records.
It first lists the corporation ‘Nice’ or friendly to the Original Christmas tradition. This year Macy's joins the NICE list because it has returned the explicit mention of Christmas and Merry Christmas to its stores and its ads. L.L. Bean, on the other hand, just barely escapes the Grinch list and gets a middle rating because, while its first seasonal catalogue says Christmas 2005, all subsequent catalogues say Holiday 2005, culminating in the Best of Holiday 2005 (surrounded by Christmas items).
"More and more retailers are realizing, too late, that Christian consumers now understand that the constant use of 'happy holidays' and 'holiday' is grating and insulting," said Robert Knight, director of CWA's Culture & Family Institute. "It's an act of cultural cowardice and even an overt attack on Christmas and ultimately the Christian faith.
"When something is clearly about Christmas itself, it is dishonest to ban the very mention of Christmas on the grounds that it might offend a handful of people. This is a nation where surveys show 96 percent of the population celebrates Christmas. There is no survey showing that people of other faiths are insulted when the majority celebrate Christmas or wish anyone a 'Merry Christmas.'
"The tyranny of a tiny minority of Grinches to veto any mention of Christmas must stop," Knight concluded. "We are very encouraged that some major retailers like Macy's are starting to get it and hope that more will join them."
Following is a highlight of the whole list, set into three categories: ‘Nice’, ‘Somewhat Nice, somewhat naughty’and ‘Scrooges.’
NICE
Macy’s, Chick-fil-A,Kroger, IHOP, Saks Off Fifth Avenue, Kay Jewelers, Capital One, Hobby Lobby, In-N-Out Burger
SOMEWHAT NICE, SOMEWHAT NAUGHTY
Walgreens, Wal-Mart, L.L. Bean, Sears, Lowe’s
SCROOGES
Target, Office Max, Kmart, Staples, Home Depot, Best Buy, Kohlâs, BJ's, SC Johnson, Verizon, Radio Shack, Zales, Outback, Lexus, Old Navy, Cingular, Reckitt Benckiser, Pier 1, Red Lobster, Office Depot, Gillette, Applebee’s, Burlington Coat, Dell, Milton-Bradley, U.S. Postal Service, Costco
Best Buy? I was just there last night and they have Christmas coming out of every corner of their store. Maybe the stores are locally controlled and this is a reaction to one. Our local Starbucks has a huge 'happy holidays' sign, but it hasn't seemed to slow down traffic.. Saying Happy or Holidays or any combination of the two is in no way excluding the words Merry or Christmas or any combination of the two.
No Christmas money for these stores...
Target, Office Max, Kmart, Staples, Home Depot, Best Buy, Kohlâs, BJ's, SC Johnson, Verizon, Radio Shack, Zales, Outback, Lexus, Old Navy, Cingular, Reckitt Benckiser, Pier 1, Red Lobster, Office Depot, Gillette, Applebee’s, Burlington Coat, Dell, Milton-Bradley, U.S. Postal Service, Costco
In addition to the Nice list - here are some alternative stores with similar merchandise for Christmas shopping: (If below needs correction due to incidents, please post)
P.C. Richard - buy.com - good alternative to Best Buy
Kay Jewelers - good alternative to ZALES
Modells - Good alternative to clothing Old Navy, Burlington Coat
On the Border, Friday's, Olive Garden? - Alternatives to Outback, Applebees, RedLobster -
Lowe's - Good Alternative to Home Depot
Vision Forum - Alternative to American Girl doll (VisionForum.com online shopping)
Bath and Body Works uses Christmas in their advertising. Went into that store yesterday and told management they would make lots of money from me this year because of their inclusiveness.
The only naughty store I've shopped at is Costco, and I've tried to limit it.
You're doing great so don't take this too hard, but I think you would do even better if you didn't use liberal terminology like "inclusiveness." Maybe just thank them for not being ashamed of the holiday that brings them so much business.
I understand that Target got the message and has changed its policy. Can someone confirm?
Sears has changed its policy. Sears has also been good to reservists who work for their company.
I was in K-Mart yesterday (Branson, Missouri) and over the loud speaker in the store they wished all shoppers a "Merry Christmas." I was delighted to hear it.
All the mothers of kids in diapers should notice the very nice Pampers commerical where they sing Silent Night (real words)and just show pictures of babies sleeping. It really is a good commerical for the Christmas season. Buy your diapers from Pampers as a "thank you."
Will stock the church nursery in Pampers.
Sears won't let my daughter wish callers "Merry Christmas," even if the caller initiates it. She works for their financial services department. Be very wary about Sears.
I spoke with a manager. When I asked about the Christmas signs I heard about, she was enthusiastically positive. She was also pleased to wish me Merry Christmas at the end of our conversation. Let's work on the financial services department. Do you have a phone number?
Idea: For all of December, boycott stores that do not have a visible "Merry Christmas" sign.
Just outside the local supermarket today, there was a Salvation Army bell ringer. When I dropped some change into the pot, he wished me a "Happy Holiday". A woman crossing the parking lot shot him a glare and said . . . "it's 'Merry Christmas', not 'Happy Holiday'". It seems people are getting serious about this. Good!
You're right; no need to become a fascist about Christmas. But the big chain stores that have plenty of opportunity to show a sign of Christmas here or there, that are trying to snuff it out wherever it appears, deserve a rap on the financial knuckles.
Just got back from taking 5-yr-old daughter help ring the Salvation Army bells in front of local Wal*Mart. Asked the little brass band there if they were from Salvation Army also and one said, "no, we're local community musicians." And there was a big whiteboard schedule showing local the community groups that were "manning" the Salvation Army pot for the next several days. So, it is indeed a broad community effort, and mostly but not explicitly Christian. From the standpoint of keeping the SA effort alive and representative of the community, maybe how it's being done is not a bad thing. Merry Christmas all.
Yeah, me, too. Unfortunately, there is no replacement to COSTCO, either at Christmas time or year 'round.
I am irritated that they are among the most ardent financial contributors to the DNC and all things "progressive," however. I've tried expressing the simplest of constructive criticisms to their so-called Customer Service, but their nasty responses are ghastly (so abandoned even trying to do so).
Their checkers are as ill mannered and inconsiderate as no where else I've ever encountered, and yet, there I am every month, paying many hundreds of dollars for staples and such.
I really wish there was an alternative to COSTCO, but even trying Sam's Club left me wanting.
I started to say "Merry Christmas" to a Supervisor at COSTCO just a few days ago when last I was there -- they'd overcharged me for, of all things, Christmas Cards I'd just purchased and I had to get this Supervisor to refund the difference (cashier wouldn't/couldn't) -- and at the start of the words, he glared a very ugly glare my way and I just mumbled, "happy holidays" and left feeling badly.
COSTCO is going to eventually lose it's high place among shoppers given how it's become mostly the Berkeley of warehouses, and the ONLY thing that keeps me shopping there is that there are no alternatives to what they provide: decent-to-great goods in bulk at warehouse prices.
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