Free Republic

MADIERA, Ohio - A couple has struck a national nerve by offering bracelets that urge: "Just say 'Merry Christmas.'" "It has been so incredible. We've been bowled over by the response," Jennifer Giroux said Thursday. She and her husband, Dan Giroux, operate a small store in this Cincinnati suburb called The Catholic Shop, and sell the green-and-red rubber bracelets there and via the Internet. They began "Operation Just Say Merry Christmas" as a reaction to use of the phrase "happy holidays" instead, which she calls "political correctness run amok." Coverage on national cable TV networks has helped send demand soaring....

A Christmas quiz: What is the difference between these two events? 1. A clerk at a department store tells shoppers "Happy holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." 2. A store renames Christmas trees, calling them "holiday trees." Answer: Event No. 1 is a reasonable and praiseworthy attempt at inclusiveness, since the clerk does not know which shoppers celebrate Christmas and which do not. Event No. 2, however, is a gutless and ridiculous dodge of the obvious, buying into a new level of politically correct absurdity. As believers and nonbelievers work themselves into a lather over the Christmas Wars, rational distinctions like...

I never thought I’d live to see the day that Christmas would become a dirty word. You think it hasn’t? Then why is it that people are being prevented from saying it in polite society for fear that it will offend? Schools are being forced to replace “Christmas vacation” with “winter break” in their printed schedules. At Macy’s, the word is verboten even though they’ve made untold millions of dollars from their sympathetic portrayal in the Christmas classic, “Miracle on 34th Street.” Carols, even instrumental versions, are banned in certain places. A major postal delivery service has not only made...

What's missing from the White House Christmas card? Christmas. This month, as in every December since he took office, President Bush sent out cards with a generic end-of-the-year message, wishing 1.4 million of his close friends and supporters a happy "holiday season." Many people are thrilled to get a White House Christmas card, no matter what the greeting inside. But some conservative Christians are reacting as if Bush stuck coal in their stockings. "This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture," said William...

The message is popping up everywhere. From Fort McMurray to Fort Saskatchewan and into the province of Saskatchewan itself, the Knights of Columbus' Christ is Christmas lawn signs are a hit. "The signs are selling very well," said Andrew Chan. "It's better than I expected." Chan was working for a political candidate during the last election when he thought of the idea of creating the lawn signs for Jesus. He presented the idea to his council, Msgr. Joseph Malone Council 13312 at St. Joseph's Basilica, which decided to run with the idea. "Our original run of 750 signs sold out...

Tree Lightings and New Public Service Announcements in 2005 Lineup More than 600 Catholic school pupils decorated Christmas trees at the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven this week. The theme for their decorations was the Nativity. The Knights of Columbus kicked off the Christmas season this week as councils throughout the Order -- including the Supreme Council in New Haven -- took part in the "Light up for Christ" program. Light up for Christ is one of two annual Christmas campaigns organized by the Knights of Columbus to increase awareness of the true meaning of Christmas. Councils are...

Anti-Christian Hostility Driving 'War on Christmas,' Attorney Says By Jim Brown December 7, 2005 (AgapePress) - A Christian attorney says recent acts of censorship indicate Christmas is under attack in public schools across the United States. One Ohio high school principal, for example, recently renamed the school's Christmas tree and concert a "holiday tree" and a "holiday concert." Similarly, a Missouri school superintendent informed fine arts teachers in his district that an upcoming winter assembly may not include "direct references to Christmas or the birth of Jesus," and a Wisconsin school district has banned all Christian Christmas songs. Such phenomena...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Zoe Lee, Publicist (323) 874-1517 publicity@thegodmovie.com http://www.thegodmovie.com BEYOND BELIEF MEDIA DECLARES WAR ON CHRISTMAS FIRST OFFENSIVE FEATURES NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY ADS, DVD “GUERILLA GIVEAWAYS” Los Angeles, December 5, 2005 -- Beyond Belief Media has formally declared war on Christmas, the December 25 holiday in which Christians celebrate the birth of the mythical figure Jesus Christ, the company announced today. “Christian conservatives complain nonstop about the ‘War on Christmas,’ but there really isn’t any such war,” said Beyond Belief Media president Brian Flemming , a former fundamentalist Christian who is now an atheist activist....

RELIGIOUS groups have launched an attack on Christmas – calling for it to be renamed and toned down. A leading Islamic body says the use of the term "Christmas" is politically incorrect because it excludes too many people in multicultural Australia. The Forum on Australia's Islamic Relations wants a community debate to find an alternative – suggesting the word "festive" as a possible replacement. And a Queensland Jewish leader has called for an end to the "automatic imposition" of Christmas on the community, saying the season has been reduced to a "shopping festival". The attacks have outraged Christian churches, family...

Update for those who might have missed the news. After the pressure from the American Family Association and customer calls, Sears is installing MERRY CHRISTMAS signs in all of its stores. Their customers spoke, and they listened. I spoked with a local Sears manager who confirmed the story. After I said thank you and that I will be shopping at Sears again, she said --- MERRY CHRISTMAS. I just finished a phone conversation with an employee at Wal-Mart. I asked for management, but I may have been connected with someone in customer service. The conversation began with me asking if...

SAN FRANCISCO -- City officials are set to decide tonight whether to shut down a lot that has been used to sell Christmas trees during the holidays for the past 40 years. The Board of Appeals, which meets at 5 p.m. at City Hall, will take up resident Monio Pilpel's appeal of city permits that allow Cyril Hackett and his family to sell trees at the corner of Sloat Boulevard and 19th Avenue before Christmas, and to transform the spot into a pumpkin patch around Halloween. Pilpel has complained that during the eight months of the year the lot isn't...

Very funny! Strong language. You've been warned. No Christmas for you!

HOUSTON -- At least one mother of a northwest Harris County elementary student was not looking forward to attending a school Christmas performance after learning Christmas had been removed from the lyrics of a song, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday. Officials with the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District were not aware of the changes made to the traditional Christmas song, "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," until KPRC Local 2 called Tuesday inquiring about the lyric changes. District officials said Moore Elementary School's music director did not write the song, but chose a jazzy adaptation of the popular English Christmas carol,...

Holiday season brings out campus multiculturalism By Ellen Burke Staff Reporter December 07, 2005 As the sun sets on the Capstone, simple white lights shine from a tree in front of the Rose Administration Building as workers assemble the final branches. But there's a mystery about the tree - it has no name. Across the nation, debates rage about whether trees on public property should be designated as Christmas trees or as "holiday" trees, incorporating other religious holidays into the meaning of the tree. The UA tree hasn't been named and won't be, UA spokeswoman Cathy Andreen said. "If people...

During the early morning newscast, Fox Talking Heads discussed the pros and cons of the 2005 White House Christmas card. The main criticism is in the fact that the word CHRISTMAS is not found anywhere on the card. On the other hand, the card focuses on the entire holiday season, whatever the recipient's religious leaning. Card Face: A painting by Jamie Wyeth, son of Andrew Wyeth, depicts the White House. Snow blankets the lawn and a magnificent Pine tree, partially covering the oval office facade. Atop the building, the flag flies fullout in a stiffish breeze. The bottom third of...

Sears Puts 'Merry Christmas' Signs in Its Stores Sears has notified the American Family Association (AFA) that "Merry Christmas” signs have been shipped and are now on display in all its stores. In addition, the retailer notified AFA that the "Christmas" greeting has also been posted on the Sears.com Web site. Sears was one of the companies identified by AFA as banning "Christmas" in its in-store promotions and retail advertising. A list of companies banning Christmas and their responses can be found at www.afa.net. According to AFA, other companies are also making changes to include "Christmas" in their promotions and...

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...

In an attempt to completely comply with the separation of church and state, some school districts are implementing Christmas Avoidance School Bus Routes--because "children, riding the school bus, are having Christmas crammed down their throats." Especially egregious are those houses of worship with Christmas message signs and Nativity Scenes out front. School officials believe that a public school bus on a public road must not be used as a religious tool! So, either the windows on the bus must be blackened (the bus would be fitted with a periscope for the driver, of course!); or, more realistically, bus routes must...

Dodgeville, WI - Ridgeway Elementary School's "winter program" has changed the name of "Silent Night" to "Cold in the Night." Sung to the tune of "Silent Night," the lyrics have been secularized as follows: "Cold in the night, no one in sight, winter winds whirl and bite, how I wish I were happy and warm, safe with my family out of the storm." Liberty Counsel represents a concerned parent whose child attends Ridgeway. At the same time the school has changed the religious songs to secular, the "winter program" has included decorating classrooms with Santa Clause, Kwanza, Menorahs, and Labafana...