Christmas controversies

A Macy's storefront in December

The "War on Christmas" is a term used in American media, most prominently by Fox News' John Gibson and Bill O'Reilly, to describe the replacement of Christian slogans such as "Merry Christmas" in the public forum with more generic terms, such as "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings." Some commentators claim that opinion on the topic is divided between conservatives and liberals.

Claims

In its current iteration in the US, the polemics are most often mentioned on the Fox News channel. This began in the months leading up to the 2004 Holiday Season by Bill O'Reilley and Sean Hannity, and was renewed in late 2005. Another proponent of the idea, John Gibson, also wrote a book titled "The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought" (ISBN: 1595230165). The book was published in October of 2005. The topic receives little to no attention in other US news media; however the discussions are common on the internet, especialy in the blogsphere.

Gibson and others present the War on Christmas as part of a larger culture war. They claim that it spreads to such areas as the removal of Christmas references from public schools, and alleged pressure on cities and towns by organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union to remove religious displays (such as the nativity scene).

Bill O'Reilly claimed that "it's all part of the secular progressive agenda ... to get Christianity and spirituality and Judaism out of the public square." He also went on to say that this larger agenda includes "legalization of narcotics, euthanasia, abortion at will, gay marriage".

History

Allegations of an organized conspiracy against Christmas on the part of non-Christian Americans appear regularly in American politics. Henry Ford's 1921 polemic "The International Jew" detailed efforts by Jewish groups to remove Christian practices and teachings from the public sphere. "Jews agitate in many cities against Bible reading," Ford wrote. "Christmas celebrations or carols in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, St. Paul and New York met with strong Jewish opposition."

In 1959, the newly formed John Birch Society campaigned against one-world government forces it claimed wanted to replace Christmas with a "celebration of the brotherhood of man" under the aegis of the United Nations, for which department store Christmas trees and windows would be decorated with UN symbols.

In the recent movement, Gibson has identified "liberals," "secular progressives," the ACLU, the Anti-Defamation League, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State as the forces behind the attack, while O'Reilly has focused more narrowly on the ACLU and billionaire financier George Soros [1] [2].

A parallel movement to counteract the commercialization and secularization of Christmas has continued more quietly and steadily over the years. The Knights of Columbus sponsor a long-running "Keep Christ in Christmas" campaign that advocates religious displays, carol-singing and charitable activities as the most meaningful way to celebrate the season.

O'Reilly frames his argument as pro-business. "Every company in America should be on their knees thanking Jesus for being born. Without Christmas, most American businesses would be far less profitable," O'Reilly said on a Fox News program. "More than enough reason for business to be screaming 'Merry Christmas.'"

Opposing arguments

The claim that viewpoints on the topic are divided between the liberals and conservatives is not supported by recent opinion polls. A Fox News / Opinion Dynamics poll for November 29–30, 2005 found that only 42% of respondents believe that "there is a War on Christmas in the US today," with 48% in disagreement.

Some of the idea's challengers also claim that the War on Christmas is a conservative distraction to shift attention from the war in Iraq, and President Bush's sliding poll numbers. Bush has not commented on the matter. Supporters of this theory further claim that the proponents of the War on Christmas specifically exclude the current administration and President Bush's family from their criticism. While admonishing cities and towns for replacing Christian slogans, the proponents have so far kept silent about the White House "holiday card" that does not mention the word "Christmas", or Laura Bush only saying only "Happy Holidays" during the official Christmas tree unveiling at the White House.

Other opponents cite the separation of church and state. This argument, however, applies only to governmentally funded/sanctioned entities.

Some stores involved

• Circuit City: The word "Christmas" is used in advertising.

• Dillard's: The word "Christmas" is used in advertising.

• J.C. Penney: Displays no religion-specific signs, instead using the phrase "Happy Holidays."

• Macy's: Allows employees to greet customers as they please, and has signs for Christmas, Hanukkah, and other winter holidays. Also, on November 30, 2005, Macy's pledged to further endorse Christmas in the 2006 season.

• Mervyns: Has few signs referencing anything for "the holidays," and uses generic terms in advertisements and on store hour cards.

• Sears: Displays no religion-specific signs.

• Target: Displays no religion-specific signs. The store does not allow the Salvation Army to raise money on store property. A spokesman explained that Target prohibits any solicitations at any time, and that making an exception for the Salvation Army opened the door for other organizations to demand the opportunity.

• Toys 'R' Us: Displays Christmas signs.

• Victoria's Secret: The word "Christmas" is used in advertising.

• Walgreens: Issued a letter stating the following: "Next year, you can be assured our advertising will better incorporate 'Christmas,' and our holiday trees will be called Christmas trees. Unfortunately, all of this year's December ads are already printed, so it's too late to make changes for this season." [3]

• Wal-Mart: Displays no religion-specific signs, instead using the phrase "Happy Holidays," which it feels is more inclusive and encompasses such celebrations as Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Eve, as well as Christmas. The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights called for a boycott of Wal-Mart after a customer was told by an employee that Christmas has many pagan origins. Wal-Mart responded that the former employee's e-mail in no way represented their corporate position [4].

Organizations

• American Civil Liberties Union
• Americans United for Separation of Church and State
• Center for Reclaiming America, led by D. James Kennedy and Gary Cass.
• Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
• Committee to Save Merry Christmas, led by Maneul Zamorano
• Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign, hosted by Liberty Counsel