Focus on the Family wants shoppers to know which retailers are naughty and which ones are nice – at least when it comes to holiday lingo. On Thursday the Colorado Springs-based ministry’s political action arm launched its second-annual holiday campaign by posting an online shoppers guide with three categories: “Christmas-friendly” retailers, “Christmas-negligent” retailers and “Christmas-offensive” retailers.
The “friendly” retailers are so designated because they prominently use “Merry Christmas” and other Christmas-specific references in their catalogs and in-store promotions. Those on the Christmas-offensive list use secular phrases such as “happy holidays” and have “apparently abandoned” the use of the word “Christmas,” Focus said. Christmas-negligent companies “marginalize” their message by using “Christmas” in some cases and “holidays” in others.
The ministry – which made its determinations based mostly on an examination of retailers’ print and online holiday catalogs – encourages shoppers to patronize the Christmas-friendly stores, but does not tell them to avoid the other retailers. “It is not a boycott,” said Sonja Swiatkiewicz, Focus’ director of issues response. “Consumers can do what they wish with the information.”
Even so, the online guide includes an electronic petition shoppers can sign that tells retailers “I plan to consult Focus on the Family Action’s Shopping Guide … while making my Christmas purchases this year.” The Focus shopping guide is another weapon in the growing battle against what social conservatives several years ago labeled the “War on Christmas” – the notion that Christmas is being secularized, in part by retailers trying not to offend non-Christians by using terms like “holiday season,” “winter season,” “shopping season” and “holiday trees.” Some of the tactics have paid off.
In 2005, Sears, Kmart, Walmart and Target received threats of a boycott from Christian groups for their “holiday season” advertising. The companies soon adopted the Christmas-friendly language.
I’m guessing they won’t like my headline much.
I think the “Focus On the Family” TALIBAN ought to focus on their own families, and LEAVE THE REST OF US ALONE !!!
I think the big problem with Christmas is the commercialization. Mayby FOTF should think about that, instead. And, really, if you aren’t a profession Christian then you should just ifnore it altogether. Ok? Ok?
Christmas is a religious tradition made from various cherry pickings.
It is NOT christ’s birthday.
It is NOT scriptural in any way shape or form.
It is tradition for tradition’s sake.
Cursor_
Excuse me. I seem to remember years ago, that the church took offense to the marketing of Christmas by retailers, for turning a Holy day into a season of consumerism. Now that same church is offended that the 4th quarter consumer roundup aren’t Christmas sponsored sales events? WTF. Which way do you want it.
It seems to me that Sonja Swiatkiewicz, Focus’ “director of issues response” (wtf?) and her douche-bag club of holy rollers have, themselves, abandoned “the spirit of Christmas”. Rather than focusing on the abhorrent shopping orgy that Christmas has become, better they should be doing something to better themselves and the state of the world.
Had Christ not risen from the dead, he’d be turning over in his grave.
Besides, over 20% of American shoppers are something OTHER than Christian, and don’t celebrate the holiday in a religious sense. Not that even most of the “devout Christians” do that.
Hmm, Christians calling for boycotts of “anti christian” stores, gays calling for the same against those retailers they see as anti-gay.
Spend your $ where you want and not where you don’t want to.
#5 Mr. Must – Are you kidding, I’m out there worshipping the almighty dollar with the rest of ’em.
I’ve been trying to get out of this cult but they won’t let me go.
Wow guys…its just a press release.
Why do any of you really care what their opinions are?
So they are boycotting companies for using “holidays” instead of “Christmas” for advertising. Is this really a noble cause? I don’t need to travel 7,000 miles to find senseless shit, and these tax-exempt fucknuts are boycotting Sears? Sears payed active serving military benefits, who were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. I guess anything is tasty on a stick.
Personally, if anything I’m going to use the list in the opposite way. I’ll avoid the stores that think putting “Merry Christmas” signs up will make me like them and shop at stores that recognize that there are people in the world who aren’t Christian.
Personally I only like to shop in malls that have blue walls. No blue walls…no xmas money.
Sorry white wall Malls. No love for you this xmas. You and your nasty white walls. You are going to have to paint your walls blue if you want my xmas dollars.
Also.. yeah..whatever..forget it.
i love Christmas too, and I say Merry Christmas even to my Jewish, Jainist, Muslim and Hindu friends, and they don’t mind.
so my question is WTF IS EVERYONE GOING ON ABOUT????
are these people blind or just stupid?
1.) the day after halloween, the x-mas crap went up.
2.) there’s a radio station in almost every city that plays christmas carols 24×7.
where is this mythological war on christmas supposedly taking place? everywhere i go, “merry christmas” is plastered on everything.
whatever. only a complete total idiot thinks that there is a problem saying merry christmas, ergo focus on the family are all 100% idiots.
Hey, if you celebrate Christmas and appreciate the willingness of some stores to acknowledge it then rewarding them with your business is not unreasonable.
Most other religions don’t celebrate big holidays at this time (Hanukkah is a very minor holiday for Jews). Why should Christians be prevented from seeing their holiday acknowledged just becuase other don’t celebrate it.
If you receive something that says merry Christmas and you don’t celebrate throw it out. No big deal. And you are presumably not going shopping for Christmas presents anyway.
This is just like other religious people preferring to go to stores that sell Kosher or Halah(sp?) foods. It is an accommodation.
Stop confusing state enforcement of religion with the actions of private people in the marketplace.
And a Happy Festivus to All.
[My aluminum pole is already up. – ed.]
Being an agnostic I celebrate the winter solstice. That, however, doesn’t get me out of buying Christmas gifts. It is tradition.
If you don’t like it…don’t read the release. FOTF are entitled to espouse their beliefs to their members in whatever way they choose.
Any holiday that you’re required to buy a present for someone is a bad holiday…
Somebody call the IRS and start taxing this ministry.
http://snltranscripts.jt.org/82/82igumby.phtml
Gumby: Merry Christmas, Dammit!
I am Gumby, and I want to say before I get started – it’s about time the swines at the network gave me my own special. I’ve been sitting in my living room watching specials by nobodies like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for years. Hey, Rudy: Drop dead, baby! This is my special! We know why the nose is red, Rudy! [ mimes drinking ] You know, this is the part of the special when I was going to decorate the Christmas tree with my very good friend, Sammy Davis, Jr. [ walks over to the huge Christmas tree ] But, unfortunately, Sammy could not be here tonight.. but he did send us this lovely ornament to decorate the tree with.. [ pulls out an eyeball attached to a hook, and hangs it to the tree as the audience groans ] Shut up! Here’s looking at you, Sammy. Merry Christmas, Dammit! Now, here’s an act for all the kids out there who I know want to swing this Christmas. Donny and Marie!
# 16 LinusVP said, “If you don’t like it…don’t read the release. FOTF are entitled to espouse their beliefs to their members in whatever way they choose.”
You don’t get it. It’s about not wanting everyone to have free speech, only “correct” speech…
There are two types of people that I hate, people who are intolerant of other people’s opinions, and the Christians.
I have never seen such bigoted hatred towards christians than this blog here. If its not the prop 8 thing is bashing focus on the family. We have every right to put out any information we want to christians that want to support stores that still honor Christmas. If you dont like it, go shop somewhere else in protest. Christians are concerned about different things than non-christians are, such as we find it real important to honor Christmas as our symbol of Christs birth (and we dont really care that Christ wasnt born on dec 25th). How about yall stick to your stores and holidays and liberal literature, and let us have ours without all the hate.
#22 – ray
>>we find it real important to honor Christmas
>>as our symbol of Christs birth
I see little on the part of MSC’s (Mainstream Christians) indicating that they put any thought into the religious/ spiritual nature of Christmas. Too much time spent worrying about whether the store they’re getting the huge-screen plasma TV from has the lowest prices, and (secondarily) whether they pander to the Christians among their customers.
As to the “Prop 8 thing”, I believe you have the bigoter and the bigotee reversed in that situation. Sure, people are angry that mindless GodHatesFags holy rollers are trying to control other people’s lives, but that’s not bigotry, it’s a natural reaction to any form of oppression.
#22. “Christians are concerned about different things than non-christians are, such as we find it real important to honor Christmas as our symbol of Christs birth (and we dont really care that Christ wasnt born on dec 25th).”
sooo … FOF wants you to honor Christ’s birth through shopping at the “right” retailers?
something tells me that properly-focused materialism is not the point of actual Christianity.
and you know what, if Christians were not always trying to enforce their morality upon the unwilling through the machinery of the State, they would not subject their creed to this backlash.
#6 – Paddy-O – exactly!!!
It’s every group’s right to do this sort of thing. The gay rights groups do it. Operation PUSH does it.
So why is there uproar here about FOTF? It’s a PC thing. Bottom line is lack of tolerance on all sides even when these groups speak of tolerance is the basis of humanity.
“You are either with us or against us.”
I hope you all don’t mind but I got you all the same thing. It says one size fits all and the little red ball is guaranteed not to gag you as I prune your christ mass hole. Maybe this time we can really get a raise out of the jesus christ fellow
Ray, #22 “I have never seen such bigoted hatred towards christians than this blog here.”
You never met my son-of-a-Baptist-minister stepfather! Now HE hated Christians.
I for one resent the fact that the entire country shuts down on December 25th just because it’s a Christian holiday. Is the Post Office Christian? The Federal Reserve? The Congress? (I don’t think Diane Feinstein is Christian!) Heck, I work for Jews and we have to close on Christmas because they shut off the heat in the building that day.
Now, I love Christmas music. I even like giving and receiving Christmas gifts to a certain extent. (I despise the fact that it is EXPECTED.) A brightly lit tree, with its fresh scent is also a great winter thing.
But boycotting a store because they say Happy Holidays? Huh? There’s more than one holiday this time of year. Besides Hanukkah, there are those recent inventions, Kwansa and Festivus, plus, New Years.*
So they shouldn’t get their panties in a twist if Merry Christmas isn’t plastered exclusively on the store’s adds. That isn’t being anti-Christian, it is being real.
*Of course the only place that really does New Years Day properly is Pasadena. :).
FOTF are entitled to espouse their beliefs to their members in whatever way they choose.
And I am free to talk about them and tell everyone I can how effen stupid they are.
I thank God for organizations like Focus on the Family. There aren’t enough organizations in the world that care enough to tell it the way it is and to bring these types of thing to our attention.
I wish they would add to their s**t list any retailer that puts up xmas decorations before Thanksgiving, and especially any that do that do so before Halloween (looking at you Lowes!)