Retailers Told to Put Christ in Christmas

By George Anderson

A group based in California called the Committee to Save Merry Christmas thinks retailers have gone too far in their concerns about making non-Christians feel uncomfortable this time of year by producing ads, commercials and signs saying “Seasons Greetings” while having employees wish shoppers a happy holiday.

The group, reports Reuters, is calling for shoppers to boycott retailers including Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s because they do not use the word Christmas.

The season, Christian groups argue, is for celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and the vast majority of Americans, even non-believers, take part in and enjoy the national holiday. Retailers, they say, do a disservice to 80 percent or more of the population that celebrates Christmas by not including it in their promotions.

Patrick Wooden, a pastor from Raleigh, North Carolina, believes the politically correct have gone too far. He took out a full-page ad urging Christians to shop at stores that use “Merry Christmas” in their promotions and signage.

In a released statement, Federated Department Stores (the parent of Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s) said it uses more general terms in its greetings. “Because these expressions of goodwill are more reflective of the multicultural society in which we live today, they tend to be used more and more frequently across all segments of society,” reads the statement.

Wal-Mart spokesperson Sharon Weber offered similar sentiments. “Happy holidays is the pleasant greeting that applies to everyone in every celebration,” she said.

Moderator’s Comment: Should retailers using more general terms put Christmas back in their promotions and signage?

While we’re usually one of the first to say the pc set has gone too far, we’re going to take a contrary position on this. We have no problem with Christmas
being used in promotions. We just think that the groups pushing for the word to be used would be better served using their energies to put the Christ back in Christmas. Signs
saying “Merry Christmas” in a retail store’s windows are not going to do that.

We didn’t hear the interview but loved the quote from the Reuters article attributed to Christian commentator and author John Boykin. He wants to
“Keep Christ from Christmas” arguing that Jesus “was not born to be the patron saint of fourth-quarter earnings.”

George Anderson – Moderator

BrainTrust

Discussion Questions

Poll

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments