Replies

If you read the link, you'd see it agrees with your synopsis...however, they claim the story is true. And you do too with your 4th sentence. Not sure where the disagreement is here. I've always found Snopes to be informative and upfront in terms of what they can and can not verify. If your news program has more to the story perhaps they too could email Snopes with the information in hand and have that authenticated. It took exactly 1 day for them to respond to me. Out of the hundreds of emails they recieve each day, I found getting a response at all, quite impressive. Shoot an email over to Snopes with the extra info..perhaps some characterization at their site could use additional clarity.

While I'm not a shopper of WalMart, I am concerned and will boycott, any store that shuts Christians and the celebration of Christmas, out. I will help spread the word, if the word is fact. But, there have been hundreds of reckless rumors targeted at business for purely political reasons that have been completely fabricated, and I want no part of being a tool spreading misinformation.

If Snopes is carrying an agenda here, I've never seen it. If you have information to the contrary, I would most definitely like to know. If Snopes credibility is questionable, then lay the facts out.

7964 items found for “christmas”
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/search-ng.gsp?search_redirect=false&dept=0&search_query=christmas

Just for reference on Wal-Mart in general:
http://www.walmartfacts.com/newsdesk/

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1518917/posts?q=1&&page=351
Post #391 Christmas Carols

The latest controversy involving Wal-Mart has given us this little gem that we've preserved in posterity. Meet the latest addition to the lineup of "Down & Out in Bentonville."

Kirby
STATUS: OUT
DATE: 11/11/05
POSITION: Customer Service

The most talked about Wal-Mart employee to get the boot this holiday season is only known to the public by his first name, Kirby. Kirby nearly touched off a boycott by the Catholic League when he wrote back a truly bizarre response to a customer's complaint about Wal-Mart's unfair treatment of Christmas on the store's website.

“Walmart is a world wide organization and must remain conscious of this. The majority of the world still has different practices other than ‘christmas’ which is an ancient tradition that has its roots in Siberian shamanism. The colors associated with ‘christmas’ red and white are actually a representation of of the aminita mascera mushroom. Santa is also borrowed from the Caucuses, mistletoe from the Celts, yule log from the Goths, the time from the Visigoth and the tree from the worship of Baal. It is a wide wide world.”

It is a wide world indeed, but not wide enough for Kirby's shamanistic missives to customers. Wal-Mart promptly fired Kirby and issued a series of apologies and changes to the company's website to quell the controversy

http://walmartwatch.com/blog/archives/christmas_controversy/

Catholic League Calls Off Wal-Mart Boycott
By KELLY P. KISSEL, Associated Press Writer

Friday, November 11, 2005

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/11/11/financial/f115054S92.DTL&feed=rss.business

We sincerely apologize to any person or organization that was offended by the inappropriate and inflammatory comments made by this former associate," Fogleman said.

Fogleman said employees will continue to wish people "Happy Holidays" because the greeting is more inclusive. (Thanksgiving through New Years, but no one has "been ordered" to say Happy Holidays.

Donohue said the practice, though "dumb," was never part of his group's complaint.

"We only trigger boycotts when we've been grossly offended," he said.