[theFIRMbss]

>This year I am going shopping prepared and I invite you to join me in the campaign. I am going to carry a number of letters, sealed in envelopes and addressed to the Store Manager. Any time I don't find any evidence of Christmas celebration in a store I will give the manager a letter and leave.

[Churchjack]

Nieman Marcus has obliterated the religious reference. They lit their "Holiday Tree" last night.

[Junior]

Don't worry. As we learned from the brouhaha over Halloween, it's not how a holiday is observed now, it's the original intent of the holiday that's important.

[madprof98]

Good thread! I was moved to go to Target's website (as I did last year) and explain to them why (despite their self-serving PR articles about giving to the Salvation Army in a behind-the-scenes way, so as not to offend anybody) I will instead be spending my Christmas money at stores which display the Christmas spirit by allowing the Salvation Army kettle drive.

[WhiteGuy]

Not this again.

[dogbyte12]

This whole thing is absurd. We spend 6 weeks on black friday, christmas sales, church attendance huge.

Christians used to be thrown to the lions, crucified. Now people flip out if a retailer doesn't say Merry Christmas. This is a drummed up thing, I am sorry. Christianity is practiced by over 1 billion people, the church is economically vibrant, the US has a huge population who goes to church every Sunday.

Yet, Best Buy or Wal-Mart saying or not saying Merry Christmas, or instead saying Happy Holi(holy)days instead is something folks have their panties up in a twist about? Come on. We are just so easily offended these days. I am personally offended that we want to mix religion and commerce. Render unto Caesar that which is of Caesar.

The religiousity that we will get by mixing it with business is not something I want to partake of exactly. Wal-Mart's guide to the Passion portrayed by a bag of Sam's Choice Dog Food as Pilate. Maybe they can turn a microwave into the cave where Jesus was buried too. What is wrong with people?

I am prepared to be flamed.

[Silly]

I like that idea -- only spend your Christmas dollars where Christmas is acknowledged. JUST ACKNOWLEDGED!

Otherwise, leave the note and move on to the next store.

[superdad]

Yesterday, I got a mailing from the Post Office entitled Holiday shipping & mailing guide. Nowhere does it say it is a Christmas guide, or even mention Christmas. It does give dates to Get your holiday packages there on time. It gives an Express Mail date of December 22. My question for all Jewish Freepers is: If you mail your package on December 22, will it get there for Chanukah as promised by the Post Office?

[Vinnie]

Three stores I don't frequent..
Best Buys
Target
Burlington Coat Factory

They have terrible return policies.
The 'Christmas' stance of at least two of them merely adds to my avoidance.

I'm sick of Winter Festival, Holiday Tree and the like.
No 'Christmas', no money.

[RightWhale]

It's all business. Commerce. The Federal Government, AKA 'The USA' was formed to promote commerce. The Pres is usually a noted businessman. The USA is commerce, beginning to end, top to bottom. A distinction should be made between The USA and America.

[ravensandricks]

My entire family (wife, parents, kids) has decided this year to almost completely forgo any material recognition of Christmas. We are getting each other exactly one nominal material item and will spend the season in peace, celebrating the season and not worshipping at the foot of Madison Avenue. My children, who are all under 18 and living at home, were displeased at first (sadly, we've *really* gone overboard their entire lives), but are beginning to understand why this is a good thing and I have some level of confidence by the time Christmas is here will be completely with the program.

So, no Best Buy, Target, or what have you this year. I expect that I will be able to complete all of my shopping in an hour or less, hopefully on a lunch break one day when there won't even be crowds to deal with.

[lowbridge]

bump

[HungarianGypsy]

You should go there just because Prescott is one of the greatest places in the world. They always light up their courthouse every Christmas. I need to go there this year. Probably not until closer to Christmas with our schedule. My younger children still keep asking when we're moving there.

[OldPossum]

If by some magical means the word "holiday" were to be removed from our vocabulary the entire media, retail stores, advertisers and the such would be rendered mute at this time of year.

[BigCinBigD]

Ha! I did all my Christmas shopping at Wal*Mart last weekend and as I was leaving I wished the "greeter" Merry Christmas and was told "And the same too you and a happy new year.
I was shocked but pleased.

[CountryBumpkin]

Everyone posting negative things in this thread about companies like Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy needs to read this article from Forbes before inappropriately passing judgment:
http://www.forbes.com/business/2005/11/11/charities-corporations-giving-cx_lm_1114charity.html

Until the day YOU run a company that consistently donates millions upon millions of dollars every year to charity, then I politely suggest reserving your judgment over minor issues like the Salvation Army not being allowed to stand in front of the store because of reasonable "no exception" policies.

There are other ways to quietly accomplish the same thing: https://sites.target.com/site/en/corporate/page.jsp;jsessionid=SFHFXKDV05DRXLARAAVPX5Y?contentId=PRD03-003704 Take at a look at this link. Target is donating one million dollars to the Salvation Army this year. You can also donate money at the link and get an angel on Target's Christmas tree. Removing Target or similarly generous companies from your shopping list because their stores allow no soliciting is insane. Target in particular is consistently the most generous company in the U.S. as a percentage of income. Likewise, Wal-Mart routinely donates mind boggling amounts of money to charity. On top of that, the Walton Family Foundation donated $157 million to charitable causes in the past year alone.

[napscoordinator]

This is clearly why we lost the election. Our priorities are so dang stupid I can't believe it. Let's take a lesson out of our own hand book and "Shut up and shop!!!!". If this is our issue for 2008 than we are in touble. We are the dumbest group of people in politics. We are wasting time on an issue that comes up once a year for six weeks or so. Of course this is more important than discussing the real issues. Wonderful. Yes we are going socialist, but you can still hear Merry Christmas when you go to the mall!!!! Ya!!!! I welcome the blasts!!! I am sure that they will be very interesting. Oh by the way, when I go to church (catholic), I hear all the Merry Christmas' I need to be fulfilled for the entire year. I do believe going to church and hearing about the true meaning of christmas is much more important then hearing it at some store. PRIORITIES are always mysterious to me some how.