Those few U.S. citizens who can’t stand the thought or public expression of “Merry Christmas” or any other symbol of Christmas are taking up the annual banner of their War against “the reason for the season.”

These misguided citizens can’t stand to see the Nativity on public property. It offends them. In the name of the misinterpreted First Amendment, the American Civil Liberties Union gladly pursues the War in court.

School Administrators and school boards struggle with renaming the annual “Christmas” concert to the benign “Holiday” or “Winter” Concert. Ditto for Christmas trees and class parties; for Christmas cards and gift exchanges among students.

Cities and local officials across the country wrestle with “Should we take the chance of public display of Christmas symbols, mainly the Crèche or Nativity scene, in public and risk the ACLU taking us to court?” Who can blame them?

Even our nation’s Capitol denied Christmas last year with the grand national ‘Christmas’ tree lighting ceremony renamed the ‘Holiday tree lighting’ ceremony.

This year is proving to be no different. There’s always a few cases of someone being offended by Christian symbols, once accepted as traditional expressions of the birth of Jesus Christ. Further measures are being taken by cities and communities in an official capacity:

Take the case of a special committee consensus in Ft. Collins, CO. They have decided what is appropriate for public expressions of Christmas. They have chosen ‘white’ lights to replace the supposed symbolic ‘red and green’ lights. ‘Red and green’ are ‘too religious’ for the city to sponsor goes the reasoning. [How little they know.]

Other examples:

** Chattanooga, TN. An annual live Nativity exhibit has been eliminated. Pastor Seton Tomyn, whose First Baptist Church has performed the Nativity since the 1980s, was reportedly disappointed but accepts that the city includes diverse cultures.

** After the hullabaloo at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport last year, officials have taken further steps to avoid any controversy by embracing a celebration of ‘Winter.” Travelers will not see one iota of Christmas -- no Christmas trees; no carols; nothing that might denote the actual celebration. The nature display includes birch trees dusted with non-toxic snowfall along with foam birds, all to the sounds of wind chimes. [I’m sure it will be beautiful, but maybe missing something?]

** Then there’s the overzealous federal officials who told a Florida 85-year-old grandmother, because she lives in a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) center, that she couldn’t hang an angel on top of the Center’s Christmas tree. The American Family Association stepped up to the plate on this one and HUD officials have backed off from claiming federal law prohibits an angel symbol.

** Saginaw, Michigan. The “Dickens Christmas Festival” has been renamed the “Dickens Holiday Festival.” Why? So the city organization may promote the festival in the schools. The school district already has descended to a “politically correct” policy; a list of words they can’t use or even say out loud: Santa; Christmas; Nativity.

** Berkley, Michigan. After last year’s threat from the Michigan ACLU that the city could not display the Nativity on public property, the exhibit was turned over to the local clergy organization to display on church property. The citizen attempt to change it failed 55-45 on a Nov. 6th ballot as the 15,000 strong suburb is divided on this issue.

** Lowe’s. This retailer made the same mistake as WalMart, Target and others have done, renaming Christmas trees -- family trees. But the hue and cry arose immediately so they rescinded and now are selling “Christmas” trees.

Is it not getting tiresome when one person complains and a whole organization, public school system, city or corporation jumps on the ‘PC’ bandwagon to avoid being sued by the ACLU? Have we gone so far down the road to inanity without reason that we can’t find a way back?

Evidently only the ACLU gets excited by any individual’s complaints against Christmas. To participate in the destruction of the traditions of our nation in the name of the “individual right” to not be offended skirts the edge of treason within our own country.

Intimidation works well. Who is willing and has the money to battle this War in court with the ACLU?

The following organizations provide public organizations and citizens information and defense against the individual anti-Christmas protests: Alliance Defense Fund; The Thomas More Law Center; The Rutherford Institute. The Rutherford Institute has available “The Twelve Rules of Christmas” to aid those concerned with how to celebrate a public Christmas.

Merry Christmas!
© 2007 Bonnie Alba
comments: tttalba@hotmail.com

Ft. Collins, CO. www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58528
Chattanooga, TN www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/oct/18/city-diaallows-live-nativity
Seattle-Tac Airport, www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58248
Florida Grandma, www.afa.net/Petitions/issue/
Saginaw, MI, www.wnem.com
Berkley, MI, www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071106/UPDATE/11060471